Khaberni - Muhammad Al-Twalbeh, the spokesman for the Ministry of Awqaf, Islamic Affairs, and Holy Places, stated on Sunday that the number of people opting out of performing Hajj this year reached approximately 800, prompting the ministry to invite citizens born between April 1, 1954, and December 31, 1954, to review the Awqaf directorates in various regions of the Kingdom to collect their permits.
Al-Twalbeh explained that the directorates of Awqaf, Islamic Affairs and Holy Places across the kingdom started issuing Hajj permits since last Sunday, and the deadline ended yesterday.
He pointed out that the number of applicants registering on the platform, who are interested in performing Hajj rituals for the 1447 Hijri season, reached 28,000 people.
He added that the ministry today invited those born between April 1, 1954, and December 31, 1954, to review the Awqaf directorates in various areas to receive their permits and to provide them with the required health certificate necessary for completing the permit collection procedures.
Al-Twalbeh noted that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has approved new requirements for this year's Hajj season, including what is known as the "condition of health capability," which requires obtaining a certified health certificate issued through comprehensive health centers, noting that lists of these centers are available on the websites of the Ministries of Health and Awqaf.
He stated that the health certificate is granted after conducting a clinical examination and laboratory tests, to ensure that the pilgrim is free from diseases, including failure of major organs such as the heart, lungs, liver, or kidneys, in addition to being free from neurological and psychological diseases that impair cognition or are accompanied by severe mobility impairments, as well as senility accompanied by dementia.
He clarified that the conditions also include women who are in a dangerous pregnancy in the last two months or a risky pregnancy at all stages, and active cancer patients receiving chemotherapy, biological therapy, or radiation treatment, as well as those with active infectious diseases that have an impact on public health, such as open tuberculosis (pulmonary tuberculosis).
The ministry had adopted a selection of pilgrims based on the oldest age criterion, which included those born on or before March 31, 1954, while the lottery selected 1,300 pilgrims from registrants on the website born in 1980 or later, out of about 28,000 citizens who applied for registration.
The Minister of Awqaf, Islamic Affairs and Holy Places, Muhammad Al-Khalaileh, had announced that Jordan's quota for the upcoming Hajj season is 8,000 pilgrims, in addition to 4,500 pilgrims from Arabs of 1948.
