300 pilgrims from Malaysia were confused and did not receive authorization to perform the Hajj

About 300 potential pilgrims who are already in Makkah, are now in confusion when the umrah agency that manages their trip, failed to fulfill their promise to get permission to perform the hajj this season.

Citing a Harian News report, the would-be pilgrims realized that they had been deceived after finding that the agency was offering a cheap pilgrimage package, using a tourist visa to perform the pilgrimage.

Through a post on the DIY Umrah Forum Facebook, a user known as Zhyema Zhyedee, claimed to have contacted her friend who was in the group involved and is now in Makkah, to seek help after realizing that she was deceived by the agency.

Zhyema said that his friend was informed that the tourism agency involved had promised to give permission to perform Hajj, but still failed to do so until today.

He claimed that the friend also told the agency involved and ordered the pilgrims not to leave the hotel, fearing that they would be arrested by the Saudi Arabian authorities.

“When at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) before leaving for Makkah, I also advised him to be careful with companies that offer hajj services at a cheap price because he does not know much about the intricacies of managing hajj agency services.

“The agency charged a fee of RM45,000 for each individual and when he was at KLIA, he felt as if he had been cheated after being given a tourist visa to perform Hajj,” he said in a post on the Facebook forum.

The sharing that was uploaded on the Facebook forum about five hours ago received more than 200 comments from social media users who gave advice and recommendations for those involved to return to Malaysia to avoid legal action from the Saudi Arabian authorities.

The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah of Saudi Arabia previously announced that May 15 is the last day for the expiry of Umrah visas for pilgrims coming from outside Saudi Arabia.

The ministry said that the visa expiry date which started from 29 (June 7) to 15 Zukaedah (May 24) was aimed at facilitating the journey of pilgrims from all over the world to the holy cities of Makkah and Medina for this year’s Hajj.

Through an infographic shared on the X platform previously, the Ministry of the Interior of Saudi Arabia also announced the implementation of a penalty amounting to 10,000 riyals (RM12,641) if rules are violated such as the ban on entering seven areas without a 2024 Hajj permit.

The seven designated areas are Makkah, the Central region, Masayir, the Haramain train station in Rusayfah, the security control center, the isolation center and the temporary security control center.

The penalty will be imposed on all individuals including local citizens while the arrested foreigners will be deported and banned from entering Riyadh for the period set under the regulations.

It is understood that violation of the rules can lead to a six-month prison sentence and a fine of up to 50,000 riyals (RM63,096).