Saudi Arabia has allowed foreign pilgrims who have been vaccinated against the coronavirus with vaccines approved by the kingdom's authorities to perform the minor pilgrimage. Believers in Tajikistan complain that the authorities do not allow the vaccinated to travel to the Islamic holy sites, Ozodi reports.
Entry into Saudi Arabia is permitted for believers who have received either two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech, Oxford-AstraZeneca, or Moderna vaccines, or one dose of the Johnson & Johnson preparation. All of these vaccines are approved by Riyadh. According to media reports, Saudi authorities recently also allowed Russian Muslims vaccinated with two doses of Sputnik V to make short-term trips to the kingdom starting January 1, 2022, in particular, to come for the Hajj and the minor pilgrimage — Umrah.,
Saudi Arabia also announced that Muslims who come from other countries to perform Umrah can now stay in the kingdom for up to 30 days, which is longer than the period of stay before the pandemic.
Citizens of Tajikistan vaccinated with the Pfizer, AstraZeneca, and Moderna vaccines may perform the pilgrimage to the holy sites of Islam in Mecca and Medina.
In Tajikistan, matters related to the Hajj or the minor pilgrimage — Umrah — are regulated by the Committee on Religion, Regulation of Traditions, Celebrations, and Ceremonies under the Government of the country.
Abdusattor Sharifov, a resident of Khatlon region, was refused on December 3 by the local branch of the committee on religious affairs in his request to be granted permission to perform the minor Hajj. «I have been waiting to make the pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina for two years already,» he said in a conversation with Radio Ozodi. "When I found out that the minor Hajj had been allowed for the vaccinated, I hurried to the branch of the committee on religious affairs. However, there they said that I needed to wait a little longer. I do not know the reason: no one says anything.".
The Committee on Religion, Regulation of Traditions, Celebrations, and Ceremonies confirmed that citizens of Tajikistan are permitted to enter Saudi Arabia. «As for permission to perform the minor Hajj, preparatory work is currently underway; we are awaiting the final decision of the republican headquarters for countering the spread of COVID-19,» said Afshin Mukim, press secretary of the agency.
Meanwhile, believers from Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan have been performing the pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina since October 10.
The Hajj, both the major and the minor, is one of the five pillars of Islam, and every free Muslim who has reached adulthood and has the physical and material ability is obliged to perform it once in his lifetime. The difference between the major and minor pilgrimage is that a specific time is established for the Hajj, whereas Umrah may be performed at any time of the year.
«The reason for the refusal of the republican headquarters for countering the spread of COVID-19 to grant permission to perform the minor Hajj is unknown,» a government official who preferred to remain unnamed said in a conversation with Radio Ozodi. "Now, in order for citizens of Tajikistan to obtain an electronic visa to Saudi Arabia, it is enough to send a copy of the coronavirus vaccination certificate. At present, while the republican headquarters delays in deciding this matter, some believers from Tajikistan are traveling to the holy sites of Islam through Russia.".
Afshin Mukim, press secretary of the Committee on Religion, Regulation of Traditions, Celebrations, and Ceremonies, says that the agency is aware of individual trips by citizens of the country to Saudi Arabia through other countries.
«Many of them use the electronic visa not only to perform Umrah, but also for official trips and business. This is, of course, undesirable, since in the event of problems we cannot provide them with the necessary assistance,» says Afshin Mukim.
Before the pandemic, up to 6,000 believers from Tajikistan performed the major Hajj annually, and another 3,000 went for the minor Hajj.