Hundreds of Dutch Muslims who would make the pilgrimage to Mecca this year are in great uncertainty. The Saudi government has decided that the trip can only be booked through an official government platform. Organized trips through the Dutch travel agencies will be cancelled.
The Hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca, is one of the five foundations of Islam. Every Muslim who is able to do this should make this journey at least once in his life. Besides a spiritual investment, the trip is a financial investment, which many Muslims save for years.
“We were fooled,” says Mohammed, 50, who owns an Amsterdam travel agency that offers hajj trips, among other things. Many Muslims book through these specialized agencies. At the beginning of March, Mohammed had registered his organization as an authorized partner with the Ministry of Hajj, an agency of Saudi Arabia that issues visas for Mecca, among other things. Since then, registrations for the trip have been pouring in to Mohammed.
When the organizer had not heard from the ministry at the beginning of May, he felt wet. “We had already made deposits for flights and hotels.” Last Sunday, the travel agencies were promised that all visas would be arranged on time. But nothing turned out to be less true. “A day later I received a message that the Saudi government only accepts bookings through the Motawif platform.” Motawif is for applications from European, American and Australian Muslims. Due to the arrival of this platform, 23 Dutch specialized travel agencies have been sidelined.
But by registering via Motawif, you as a Muslim are not yet assured of leaving for Mecca. A draw will determine who will ultimately make the trip from 7 to 12 July. That creates chaos. “You won’t know until Friday whether you have secured a place, then you have only two weeks to prepare,” says Mohammed.
The 47-year-old Redwan from Amsterdam would go to Mecca with his wife this year. He had already made a deposit with Mohammed’s travel agency, but was told last week that the trip could not go ahead. “A big disappointment and that just before departure.” There is great uncertainty due to the arrival of the platform. It is unclear where people end up, how transport is arranged and who the supervisor is. “When you arrive in Mecca, it is important that you as a Muslim receive good guidance. I don’t know the way and there is a language barrier.”
Redwan does not use the platform and will stay at home this year. Fortunately, he was refunded the amount of 14,000 euros. He will go to Mecca next year via Mohammed’s travel agency. That is positive for Mohammed. ,,We use the deposit of the travelers to make a deposit at the airline and the hotels in Mecca. Now that the trip is cancelled, we have to pay the money back to the traveler, but we don’t get anything refunded ourselves.”
Many travel agencies will meet tomorrow in The Hague about the canceled hajj trips. Mohammed: “There is a good chance that we will go to court.”
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