JAKARTA: Saudi Arabia’s Hajj and Umrah Minister Tawfiq Al-Rabiah held meetings in Jakarta on Tuesday to coordinate pilgrimage preparations as Indonesia is going to send its largest-ever Hajj contingent this year. 

The Kingdom has approved the 2024 quota of 241,000 Indonesian pilgrims, an increase of 20,000 from last year.

Al-Rabiah held discussions with Indonesia’s Religious Affairs Minister Yaqut Cholil Qoumas on ways to streamline Hajj services for the Asian nation’s pilgrims.

“I just had a long and productive meeting and discussion with my brother, the Indonesian religious affairs minister, which was focused on giving the best services and ease for Hajj and Umrah pilgrims from Indonesia,” Al-Rabiah said during a press conference.

“The Saudi government has revitalized historical and Islamic sites in Makkah and Madinah, and other sites related to pilgrimage and the journey of Prophet Muhammad … and we invite all pilgrims to come and visit these sites.” 

Indonesia’s higher quota will help shorten the wait for some pilgrims by a few years, which is especially important for the elderly in the Southeast Asian nation. Many in the country wait up to 45 years for their turn, according to official estimates.

Qoumas said his interactions with Al-Rabiah had been meaningful.

“Maybe we can consider Indonesia as having received a special treatment from the Saudi government, as we are welcoming a big delegation led directly by the Saudi Hajj and Umrah minister, who are here to ensure that Indonesian Hajj pilgrims this year will get the best services from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” Qoumas said.

“As a representative of the Indonesian government, we feel very grateful and thankful.”

Al-Rabiah is scheduled to inaugurate on Wednesday a Saudi Tourism Authority event showcasing the variety of travel destinations the Kingdom has to offer as it aims to attract more international visitors under Vision 2030.

ISLAMABAD: A gunman stormed a mosque in western Afghanistan, opening fire and killing six people as they were praying, a Taliban official said Tuesday.
Local media reports and a former president of Afghanistan said the mosque was targeted because it was a place of worship for the country’s Shiite Muslim minority.
The attack happened on Monday night in the district of Guzara in Herat province, said Abdul Mateen Qani, a spokesman for the Taliban Interior Ministry. He said in a post on the social media platform X that an investigation was underway.
No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, which also wounded another worshipper while the attacker fled. Local media reported that the mosque's imam was among those killed.
“I strongly condemn the attack on the Imam Zaman Mosque,” former Afghan President Hamid Karzai said on X. “I consider this terrorist act against all religious and human standards.”
The United Nation Assistance Mission in Afghanistan also condemned the attack, which it said killed and wounded at least seven people, including a child. It called for urgent accountability for perpetrators and protection measures for Shitte communities.
The Islamic State group’s affiliate in Afghanistan is a major Taliban rival and frequently targets schools, hospitals, mosques and Shiite areas throughout the country.
The Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in August 2021, during the last weeks of the chaotic departure of U.S. and NATO troops from the country after 20 years of war.
Despite initial promises of a more moderate stance, the Taliban gradually reimposed a harsh interpretation of Islamic law, or Shariah, as they did during their previous rule of Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001.