KUALA LUMPUR – Before allowing Malaysians to resume the umrah pilgrimage, Putrajaya will seek advice from the National Security Council (NSC) and the Health Ministry.
Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Religious Affairs) and senator Datuk Seri Zulkifli Mohammad Al-Bakri told the Dewan Rakyat that the implementation of the pilgrimage will be subject to pending standard operating procedures (SOPs).
“Before making any decision allowing Muslims to perform umrah (in Saudi Arabia), the government will get their (NSC and Health Ministry) views first, especially on the haj business, scheduled to start on June 11, 2021.
“So far, Saudi Arabia has not released any official information (on haj), but it will be discussed from time to time,” he said in response to a question from Abdul Latiff Abdul Rahman (Kuala Krai-PAS).
Earlier this month, the government had said it would not allow Malaysian pilgrims to perform umrah in the near future.
The decision was made after Saudi Arabia issued a statement in September, which allowed pilgrims from abroad to perform umrah with a limited number of 20,000 pilgrims per day. – The Vibes, November 23, 2020
