Violations of laws and regulations in South Arabia may result in the loss of special privileges for Malaysian nationals, from which they currently benefit.
Saudi Arabia has warned that misuse of the tourist visa to perform Hajj pilgrimage is also part of law violations, urging Malaysians not to do so, VisaGuide.World reports.
Malaysian Haj Delegation Head, Datuk Seri Syed Salleh Syed Abdul Rahman, has said that if one is caught misusing tourist visas, it would tarnish Malaysia’s reputation and image, which, according to him, has long been held in high regard by Saudi Arabia.
So far, Malaysians have been given the privilege to perform the Umrah using tourist visas. I advise Malaysians to always adhere to and follow the regulations set by the Saudi Arabian government.
The Malaysian Haj Delegation Head said that Saudi Arabia often gives Malaysia priority, facilities and also privileges in several situations, taking into account tourist visas, Umrah visas as well as Hajj visas.
He also said that Malaysia is given the privilege of using tourist visas to perform Umrah, a privilege extended just to three Muslim countries, including Kazakhstan and Indonesia.
Malaysians Urged Not to Use Visas Other Than Hajj Visas to Perform The Pilgrimage
Malaysian Haj Delegation Head has advised those planning to use visas other than Hajj visas to overstay and perform the pilgrimage not to do so.
Firstly, it violates TH’s laws and regulations as these individuals come with companies not licensed by TH. Secondly, they are also breaking Saudi regulations, and the Saudi government has issued a ruling that using visas other than Hajj visas to perform Hajj is not permissible according to our religion.
Authorities in Saudi Arabia permit travelers to participate in tourism activities, including Umrah with a tourist visa. However, the Umrah visa does not give tourists the possibility to perform Hajj rituals because for such purposes a Hajj visa issued by Saudi Arabia is needed.
In spite of the fact that both Umrah and Hajj are pilgrimages, they are not the same. While Umrah pilgrimage can be done anytime during the Islamic calendar, Hajj has a specific period in which it is performed each year. For this year, the period begins on June 14 and ends on June 19.
300 Stranded Malaysians in Saudi Arabia After Using Tourist Visas to Perform Hajj
Recently, it was reported that nearly 300 pilgrims from Malaysia have been stranded in Makkah after the agency managing their trip promised that they would be eligible to perform the Hajj pilgrimage this season via a cheap Hajj package, in spite of them not holding Hajj visas but tourist visas instead.
Recently the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) as well as the Pilgrim Fund Board (Tabung Haji — TH), said that they are attempting to find effective ways to help Malaysian pilgrims stranded in Makkah.
In spite of the media report, Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Zulkifli Hasan said that they have not been able to confirm the number of those stranded, stressing they are in touch with the Malaysian Consulate in Jeddah regarding the issue.