JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Travel chaos caused by war in the Middle East has left many Muslims gathering in Saudi Arabia for the Umrah pilgrimage stranded and left to find other ways home. Others have had to cancel planned visits entirely.
For some who perform religious rituals, the war engulfing the region has cast a pall over their visits to the kingdom’s sacred sites.
More than 58,860 Indonesian pilgrims were stranded in Saudi Arabia as of Thursday, said Dahnil Anzar Simanjuntak, Indonesia’s undersecretary and undersecretary for Hajj.
He said the government was in talks with Saudi authorities and airlines to ease the financial burden of hotel and flight costs for stranded pilgrims. The government has also urged some 60,000 people to postpone Umrah travel until April for security reasons, he said.
Ministry spokesman Ichsan Marsha called it an “urgent humanitarian and logistical issue.”
financial and emotional losses
Zanirah Faris, a pilgrim stranded in Saudi Arabia, told Indonesian television station iNews that her return flight was canceled and she was reassigned to another flight originally scheduled to depart on March 12.
She urged the Indonesian government to help stranded pilgrims, especially those who cannot afford the additional costs of such delays.
“Not everyone can book additional accommodation at a hotel,” she said, adding that it also takes an emotional toll. “I’m disappointed because my kids have been waiting for me.”
Indonesia has the world’s most populous Muslim population, and hundreds of thousands of people travel to Saudi Arabia each year to participate in the Umrah ceremony, especially during the holy month of Ramadan. Unlike the Hajj, the Hajj can be performed year-round.
About 1,600 Malaysian Umrah pilgrims are stranded in Saudi Arabia, Mohamad Dzaraif Raja Abdul Kadir, Malaysia’s consul general in Jeddah, said on Tuesday. Bernama quoted him as saying the pilgrims were in good condition.
He said his office opened a 24-hour operations room to monitor the situation and provide assistance to affected citizens.
Malaysia Airlines has announced the temporary resumption of return flights from Jeddah and Medina in Saudi Arabia until Sunday.
Separately, Malaysia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it was working with diplomatic missions, regional governments and airlines to evacuate stranded citizens, including pilgrims.
In addition to the Middle East, airports in the Gulf region are also important hubs connecting travelers to Europe, Africa and Asia.
Mutation reunites with family
Egyptian Maged Kholaif, 44, was due to return to Kuwait from Saudi Arabia on February 28, the day the war broke out, but his flight was canceled and rescheduled days later.
It was a sudden change from the positive emotions and spirituality he was immersed in during Umrah, he said, adding: “It was a very difficult feeling.”
Trapped with his wife and mother-in-law, Horleif scrambled to find a way back to Kuwait where his children were. He could sense the situation was escalating as he heard sirens and explosions from the Kuwaitis.
“Everyone is scared,” Hollefe said.
He decided to return overland and arrived in Kuwait on Tuesday for an emotional reunion.
Once “the child is in front of you and in your arms, as long as you are together, nothing that happens next matters,” he said.
Tough decisions and cancellations
In Michigan, Javed Khizer, 47, said he canceled his and his family’s Umrah trip to Saudi Arabia via Türkiye and Qatar.
“We’re looking at the news and everything. We can only understand that it’s getting worse,” he said. “It’s a difficult decision…Who knows if I’ll be there next Ramadan? It’s not guaranteed.”
For devout Muslims, Ramadan is a time of intensified prayer and daily fasting from dawn to sunset.
Unlike the annual Hajj, the Umrah is often referred to as a smaller or minor pilgrimage and can be performed throughout the year. Hajj is one of the pillars of Islam and is required once in a lifetime for every able and capable Muslim.
Try to focus on religious rituals
Majid Mughal, a 52-year-old pilgrim who is visiting Saudi Arabia with his family from the United States, said: “We believe that coming to this holy land is a call from Allah, and during this holy month of Ramadan, I think it is highly recommended that you come and visit if you can.”
However, he said if he had known war would break out, he would have called it off. He added that Mughal and his family learned of the strike while on their way to Saudi Arabia and some passengers from other routes were stranded at the airport, but his flight went ahead as normal.
“So far, everything is good, thank God. There are no problems here,” he said during his visit. “There are a lot of people during Ramadan. I feel safe as usual,” he said, adding: “We do feel safe.”
Mughal said the family is trying to focus on religious observances, as well as fasting, prayer and connection, but it’s hard to shake off the news and they have to reassure those at home that they are OK.
Then people worry about their way home.
“We check flight details and departure details almost every day to make sure flights are still operating,” he said, noting that his children have to go back to school and he has to go back to work.
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Fam reported from Cairo and Ng from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
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