Saudi government grants entry permit to Hajj pilgrims from Tanzania

TANZANIA (eTN) – The government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia through its Ministry of Hajj, has granted 3,000 permits to Tanzanian Muslim pilgrims to enter the kingdom during the Hajj pilgrimage this month.

Permits to enter Saudi Arabia were issued to Muslim pilgrims from Tanzania after successful diplomatic contacts between the government of Tanzania and Saudi foreign department. They are set to fly to the kingdom’s holy cities this week.

Zanzibar, the autonomous Muslim-dominated part of Tanzania and whose population is about a million, has been allocated 1,475 permits with the remaining permits distributed to pilgrims from mainland Tanzania.

Religious department of the government of Zanzibar said this week that pilgrims are scheduled to take off from the island and mainland Tanzania for Hajj pilgrimage this week.

Government official, Sheikh Khalid Mohammed, said Ethiopian Airlines has been booked to fly the pilgrims. Zanzibar Hajj and Travelling Agency, an organization formed to plan and organize Hajj pilgrimage on the island, has coordinated travel logistics.

Zanzibar island is a Muslim-dominated state where all residents observe Islamic rules as part of life. The island’s long history is connected to Islamic cultures and ways of life observing the values of Islam teachings.

Reports from Riyadh said all requirements for a unified system for foreign pilgrims for the Hajj season were in place.

Hussein Bin Nasser Al-Shareef, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Hajj, said his ministry has merged various establishments functioning under the supervision of the ministry into a new unified system, which is capable of linking up with other agencies and departments.

Al-Shareef said the Ministry of Hajj will inform all companies and those concerned with the mechanism of the system to register early so that they are able to complete all relevant preparations.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia earned about US$8.5 billion from last year’s Hajj from two million Muslims who made the pilgrimage to the holy city of Makkah.