Jakarta, The Indonesia Post – The Ministry of Religion (Kemenag) will synchronize the rules with regulations in Saudi Arabia regarding independent or backpacker Umrah, which has recently become one of the people’s choices for going to the Holy Land.
“We will synchronize the regulations that exist between us and those in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, because they cannot be unilateral. Our regulations are not necessarily compatible with the regulations that exist in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” said Minister of Religion (Menag) Yaqut Cholil Qoumas in Jakarta, Friday .
Yaqut said that so far there has been no prohibition on people wishing to perform Umrah independently without going through an Umrah Travel Organizer (PPIU).
But what is worth considering when going on a backpacker Umrah is that there is no guarantee of health and safety. People have to bear it themselves if they experience problems while traveling.
On the other hand, he said, the Saudi Arabian government is also currently aggressively promoting tourism in order to realize the Saudi 2030 vision, so they are opening up anyone to visit Saudi Arabia.
“The point is that the Saudi Arabian government wants everyone who enters its country, whether for Hajj and Umrah, business, tourism and other interests, to be guaranteed safety, health and comfort,” said Minister of Religion Yaqut.
Minister of Religion Yaqut said that this backpacker’s Umrah was also carried out by a friend. However, his friend already knew about the worship procession, accommodation and transportation so it wasn’t a problem.
Different from other people who have never been to Saudi Arabia. They will likely be confused regarding the worship procession, transportation and accommodation.
Nevertheless, Minister of Religion Yaqut still appealed to people who are going for Umrah to use the services of Umrah Travel Organizers (PPIU), especially those who have registered with the Ministry of Religion.
“So that if something happens, the government can provide protection quickly,” said Minister of Religion Yaqut. (mhn/bbs)
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