Friday, March 29, 2024 | Ramadan 18, 1445 H
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EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

14,000 pilgrims from Oman to perform Haj

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MUSCAT, JULY 16 - As many as 14,000 pilgrims who have registered with Oman’s Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs online, will be performing Haj rituals this year. Out of this, 13,500 are Omanis including 402 defence personnel, 250 Arabs and 250 non-Arabs. Besides this, the Oman Haj Mission will comprise 700 supporting staff from various departments. Among the Haj pilgrims, 19 are cancer patients. “We wanted to help and support the disabled, cancer patients and give priority to the elderly as well as first-timers who have applied for performing Haj this year”, said Sultan bin Saeed al Hinai, Head of Omani Haj Mission and Abdul Aziz al Ghafri, Deputy Head of Oman Haj Mission.


He was addressing a press conference attended by representatives of all stakeholders and held at the ministry to announce the details of the Haj pilgrimage. He said that the first flight carrying the pilgrims from Oman will leave on July 28. “This will be followed by another flight two days later,” he said. According to him, the ministry received 20,754 registrations from across the country to perform the Haj this year including applications from 86 elderly and disabled, patients afflicted with cancer, as well as one family member each from 447 deceased people who left their dream of performing haj behind, to carry out the rituals of haj this year. The online registration of this year’s Haj began on March 12 and ended on March 22.

There were applications from across the country with Dakhiliyah topping the list with 3,926 registrations, followed by North Al Batinah (3,384); Muscat (2,809); North Al Sharqiyah (1,990); Dhofar (1,919); South Al Batinah (1,869); South Al Sharqiyah (1,658); Dhahirah (1,083); Buraimi (361); Al Wusta (127); and Musandam (123). The ministry has approved 85 companies to transport Arab pilgrims and three companies to transport non-Arab pilgrims to the holy land. Further, Al Ghafri added that 88.2 per cent of the pilgrims are from 18 to 60 years age groups. Majority of the pilgrims (44.3 per cent) fall in the 30-45 years age brackets. Out of this, 60-year-olds constitute to 11.8 per cent while pilgrims between 18 and 30 years amount to 7.4 per cent.


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