DUSHANBE, December 27, Asia-Plus — Four Tajik Hajjis have died as they were in the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia to make the holy journey (Hajj) this year, Asia-Plus has learned at the directorate for religious affairs (DRA) of the Ministry of Culture (MoC).
Alinazar Aliyev, leading specialist with a DRA, said that one of them had died in an accident and three others had died over bad health condition.
Meanwhile, Tajik Hajjis are returning from Mecca. A plane of Afghan private air carrier KAMAIR with the first group of 167 Tajik Hajjis on broad arrived in Dushanbe on December 26, the leading specialist said. Another plane with pilgrims on board is arriving in Dushanbe today at 11:00 p.m.
“In all, thirty flights are expected to be operated from Saudi Arabia to Tajikistan from December 26, 2007 to January 12, 2008 to return Tajik pilgrims home,” the DRA official said.
Tajikistan has a population of 7 million and some 97 percent of citizens consider themselves Muslims. DRA controls participation in the Hajj, and the government continues to require air travel for the Hajj. Tajik pilgrims fly to Saudi Arabia from both Dushanbe and Khujand. We will recall that 5,000 Tajik Muslims had performed Hajj this year.
Millions of Muslims from more than 70 countries journey to Mecca each year to perform the Hajj which begins on the eighth day of the 12th month of the Islamic year.
