June 3, 2025
JAKARTA – Just as this year’s haj season is set to enter its peak, concerns have emerged among Indonesian pilgrims in Saudi Arabia and people back home of mismanagement following reports of illegal pilgrimage attempts, visa cancellations and lodging issues.
According to the Religious Affairs Ministry, all 203,149 Indonesian haj pilgrims, organized into 525 flight groups, have arrived in Mecca in batches by Sunday. They are now entering a rest period to prepare physically and mentally for the peak of this year’s haj season, which begins on Wednesday with travel to Mount Arafat, followed by Muzdalifah and Mina.
“All Indonesian haj pilgrims are now in Mecca in a safe and healthy condition. “This is a great achievement that we should be grateful for together,” the ministry’s secretary-general, Kamaruddin Amin, said in Mecca on Sunday as quoted from a statement from his office.
The haj is one of Islam’s five pillars and a religious duty for all Muslims who are physically and financially able. For many Indonesians, it is a once-in-a-lifetime journey that typically comes after decades of waiting due to Saudi Arabia’s quota system.
The long wait times, however, have led some Indonesians to attempt the haj without proper visas. This year, immigration officers at 14 departure points prevented about 1,080 people from leaving the country for Saudi without following official procedures.
However, some managed to slip through the cracks by entering Saudi Arabia either on a work visa or a tourist visa, instead of a haj visa. As of May 15, 117 Indonesians had been deported for such violations.
In one such case, an Indonesian man was found dead of dehydration while attempting to return to Mecca illegally through the desert after initially being denied entry.
Read also: 30 Indonesian ‘pilgrims’ nabbed in Jeddah for visa violation
The Foreign Ministry’s director for citizen protection, Judha Nugraha, told The Jakarta Post on Monday that the man, identified by his initials as SM, was part of a group of 10 Indonesians stopped by Saudi authorities for lacking valid haj visas.
After being moved to Jeddah, SM and two others tried to return to Mecca by taxi across the desert. But when the driver saw a police patrol, he reportedly forced them to disembark in the middle of the desert.
SM’s body was discovered on May 27 in the Jumum desert outside Mecca, having died due to dehydration. The two others survived and are receiving treatment.
“The Indonesian government has contacted SM’s family to express condolences and inform them of the next steps regarding his remains,” Judha said, adding that it remains imperative for Indonesians planning to perform the haj to follow official procedures.
‘Furoda’ visa
Furor has also erupted back home after about 1,000 Indonesians were unable to depart for the haj because Saudi failed to issue the mujamalah visa, also known as furoda, reportedly causing hundreds of millions in losses for pilgrims and billions for travel providers.
The furoda visa is issued directly by the Saudi government and lies outside the Religious Affairs Ministry’s official quota system. It allows recipients to bypass long waiting times, but costs significantly more, reportedly anywhere between Rp 270 million (US$16,531) and Rp 1 billion.
Read also: Indonesia starts sending haj pilgrims to Saudi Arabia
Jakarta has attributed the canceled visas to matters beyond its control. Foreign Minister Sugiono, a politician of Prabowo’s Gerindra Party, said Saturday that the issue should be directed to the Saudi government, which has sole authority to issue them, Tempo.co reported.
The issue has grabbed the attention of lawmakers on the House of Representatives’ haj supervisory team.
In a video statement Monday, Gerindra lawmaker Husni, a member of House Commission VIII overseeing religious affairs, said that while the government was not to blame for this year’s cancelled furoda visas, the matter would be discussed in deliberations to revise the 2019 Haj and Umrah (minor haj) Law to better protect pilgrims and travel in the future.
Lodging problems
Beyond the furoda visa, the House’s haj supervisory team has flagged additional concerns, particularly regarding the official ID on Nusuk, a Saudi application for haj travels.
Commission VIII member An’im Falachuddin Mahrus of National Awakening Party (PKB) said in a video statement on Monday that around 8,000 Indonesian pilgrims still have not received their IDs.
Read also: House launches inquiry on this year’s haj organization
He also raised the issue that some family members have been separated into different accommodations in Saudi.
Some lawmakers met with Religious Affairs Minister Nasaruddin Umar in Mecca on Monday to address these problems. While acknowledging some issues remain, Nasaruddin said progress was being made.
“The scope of the issues is extraordinary. But, there seems to be a powerful force at play, as these complex issues are being unraveled one by one and [solutions] starting to take shape,” he said, as quoted by Antara.