{"id":16615,"date":"2022-06-30T04:19:06","date_gmt":"2022-06-30T03:19:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/shiastudies.com\/en\/?p=16615"},"modified":"2022-06-30T04:19:06","modified_gmt":"2022-06-30T03:19:06","slug":"british-muslims-unhappy-confused-new-saudi-rules-hajj-application","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/shiastudies.com\/en\/16615\/british-muslims-unhappy-confused-new-saudi-rules-hajj-application\/","title":{"rendered":"British Muslims Unhappy, Confused by New Saudi Rules for Hajj Application"},"content":{"rendered":"
\u00a0British Muslims face missing out on the Hajj pilgrimage this year after waiting two years for Saudi Arabia to loosen restrictions on travel following the pandemic.<\/div>\n
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One woman described the process as \u201ctorture\u201d after her dreams of completing one of the pillars of Islam were snatched away from her due to new entry requirements brought in over COVID.<\/p>\n

The annual pilgrimage to Mecca is considered an obligation which every Muslim must make in their lifetime but increasingly expensive packages mean that most people save for years in order to make the trip.<\/p>\n

However, many had their hopes of visiting this year dashed after Saudi Arabia introduced new rules which require prospective travelers to book through a government website \u2013 a process described by some as a lottery \u2013 just weeks before they are intending to fly out.<\/p>\n

A million Muslims will be allowed to complete the Hajj, which takes place in July, and all must be triple-vaccinated and aged under 65. That\u2019s less than half the 2.5 million who attended in 2019.<\/p>\n

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\u2018The hardest thing is not knowing\u2019<\/p>\n

Suhail Sherwani, a GP from south London, said he and his family booked Hajj in spring this year with a travel agent. However, after Saudi made announcements that changes would take place, his booking was cancelled and refunded.<\/p>\n

Hajj travel agents usually arrange flights, accommodation and visas as well as organizing guides and gatherings to help pilgrims prepare for the spiritual endeavor.<\/p>\n

However, these travel agents have now been scrapped as Saudi announced that booking can only be made through their own portal called Motawif, dubbed an online Hajj \u201clottery\u201d system.<\/p>\n

After registering on the portal, they were told they would be informed within a week regarding the status of their application. If successful, they could choose a package and make a payment, after which Motawif would send them an e-visa.<\/p>\n

Packages come in silver, gold and platinum, starting from approximately \u00a35,000 and going up to \u00a39,000 per person.<\/p>\n

Dr Sherwani applied through Motawif\u2019s portal and received a message that his application was successful, and was prompted to make the full payment.<\/p>\n

But after paying up, he received a message to say his booking had failed despite the money leaving his account.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m travelling with 11 people in my group,\u201d Dr Sherwani told The Independent. \u201cThat\u2019s around \u00a390,000 floating around, and it\u2019s not ATOL protected because Motawif has not signed up for it.\u201d<\/p>\n

This means that if the travel company \u201cgoes bust\u201d his group will lose all of their money.<\/p>\n

He is now in the dark, unsure whether he has fallen victim to technical issues, if he will receive a refund and if he will have another opportunity to enter the lottery.<\/p>\n

The GP has been refreshing his emails all day as he waits for latest updates. \u201cThe hardest thing is not knowing and the lack of communication,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cHad it all been communicated months ago, then you set your expectation from then. Now it\u2019s really tough. You get excited, you get happy.\u201d<\/p>\n

His case is not unique as hundreds have expressed confusion at having \u201cpaid but failed\u201d, with Telegram groups set up by communities to answer questions, offer moral support and share updates.<\/p>\n

A chartered engineer from the Midlands reported the same experience after paying \u00a326,000 on the portal for his family of four.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe website said a refund will be returned, but [gave] no reason why it failed,\u201d said the 50-year-old, who wished to remain anonymous. \u201cThere was no information for when it will be refunded.<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone is in the same disarray. I am in complete limbo at the moment.\u201d<\/p>\n

The engineer said two days after making the payment, Motawif emailed him saying he would be given an update on his situation within 72 hours. This could mean anything from a refund to a second chance at entering the draw.<\/p>\n

However, if successful, he would have to fly out on 28 June, leaving him just a few days to arrange PCR tests and take care of his affairs at home before leaving.<\/p>\n

The father-of-two is also concerned that the package he originally booked will no longer be available, and he will have to select a more expensive deal.<\/p>\n

A different package could mean paying an extra \u00a36,000 which \u201cothers have desperately accepted\u201d, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s always a remark on Motawif pages saying \u2018Thank you for choosing Motawif\u2019. But I didn\u2019t choose them. I didn\u2019t choose this.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u2018There\u2019s no one to help\u2019<\/p>\n

Meriem Haneef, a graphic designer from Slough, said she felt forced to share private data and personal information to strangers on social media because \u201cthere was no one else to help\u201d.<\/p>\n

After experiencing the same \u201cbooking failed\u201d problem, the 43-year-old said she has heard nothing specific regarding her payment and application, aside from a message on Facebook Messenger from Motawif who said they would look into it after countless probing.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey never picked up on a phone number which they listed on the FAQs,\u201d Ms Haneef said. \u201cWhy are they only using social media platforms to respond? It\u2019s a complete disaster.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u2018System has teething issues\u2019<\/p>\n

Fahad Abrar, a business owner from High Wycombe, was more sympathetic towards the new system.<\/p>\n

\u201cWorking in IT myself, I understand messaging problems. The whole system has teething issues,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

But the 42-year-old added that the lack of clarity affected him emotionally as he admitted feeling \u201cvery depressed and anxious\u201d while waiting to hear from Motawif.<\/p>\n

He added: \u201cYou come to a point where you almost start to question your own relationship with God, wondering if you\u2019re not worthy for Hajj.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s disappointing, of course,\u201d said Maria Ashiq, 27, from Bradford. \u201cFirst they were saying that they haven\u2019t yet reviewed people with the pending status on our applications, giving us false hope.<\/p>\n

Although the shake-up has been tumultous for hopeful pilgrims, the sudden change in the process has been equally difficult for Hajj travel agents.<\/p>\n

Rehan Rauf, who works for Labbaik Hajj Umrah in south London, said: \u201cWe are just refunding the money back to our clients, we have some information regarding the portal, so if someone gets in touch, we just give them that information.\u201d<\/p>\n

When asked how the change has impacted the business, he responded: \u201cThat really doesn\u2019t matter. It is written. This isn\u2019t a business, we are doing this for the sake of God.\u201d<\/p>\n

But the travel agent is optimistic that UK tour operators will be reinstated next year due to the level of confusion and disorganization customers have faced: \u201cOur clients have told us the price has increased and changed after booking. So if the client is not happy, they will surely ask the ministry to bring it back to the agency.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow will they perform the Hajj if there is no one to guide them?\u201d<\/p>\n

With the first pilgrims from around the world already arriving in Mecca and just days left until the rituals begin, many have reluctantly accepted that they will not make it this year.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s disappointing, of course,\u201d said Maria Ashiq, 27, from Bradford. \u201cFirst they were saying that they haven\u2019t yet reviewed people with the pending status on our applications, giving us false hope.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut this false hope has lasted 13 days. There is no change, it is still pending.\u201d<\/p>\n

Motawif has been contacted for comment.<\/p>\n

source:iqna<\/a><\/p>\n

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 <\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0British Muslims face missing out on the Hajj pilgrimage this year after waiting two years for Saudi Arabia to loosen restrictions on travel following the pandemic.     One woman described the process as \u201ctorture\u201d after her dreams of completing one of the pillars of Islam were snatched away from her due to new entry […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":16616,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[8154,14551,9546,7943,19858,10822],"class_list":["post-16615","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-allah","tag-ethics","tag-islam","tag-jurisprudence","tag-morality","tag-shaistudies"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/shiastudies.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16615","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/shiastudies.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/shiastudies.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shiastudies.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shiastudies.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16615"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/shiastudies.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16615\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shiastudies.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16616"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/shiastudies.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16615"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shiastudies.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16615"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shiastudies.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16615"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}