DUSHANBE, July 11, 2011, Asia-Plus — More than 110,000 Tajik Muslims have gone on the Hajj over the years of independence, Abdurahim Kholiqov, head of the Committee on Religious Affairs (CRA), told Asia-Plus Monday afternoon.
According to him, approximately the same number of Tajik Muslims has gone on the Umrah (the small Hajj) over the report period. The Umrah is a pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, performed by Muslims that can be undertaken at any time of the year. In Arabic, Umrah means “to visit a populated place.”
He noted that the Hajj pilgrim quota allocated by the Saudi Arabia to Tajikistan will be announced this week. “We have already reached an agreement with local air companies on carrying Tajik pilgrims to Jeddah,” Kholiqov added.
5,500 Tajik Hajjis reportedly went on the Hajj last year and the last year’s cost to perform Hajj was 3,191 U.S. dollars.
CRA regulates participation in the Hajj. The CRA collects applications and fees to participate in the Hajj and makes all flight and hotel arrangements.
The Hajj is the pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. It is the largest pilgrimage in the world, and is the fifth pillar of Islam, a religious duty that must be carried out at least once in their lifetime by every able-bodied Muslim who can afford to do so. The Hajj is a demonstration of the solidarity of the Muslim people, and their submission to God.
The pilgrimage occurs from the 8th to 12th day of Dhu al-Hijjah, the 12th and last month of the Islamic calendar. Because the Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar, eleven days shorter than the Gregorian calendar used in the Western world, the Gregorian date of the Hajj changes from year to year.
Pilgrims generally travel to Hajj in groups, as an expression of unity. Some airlines have special packages for Muslims going to Mecca. Ships also take pilgrims to Mecca so they can perform Hajj.
Upon arrival in Mecca the pilgrim, now known as a Hajji, performs a series of ritual acts symbolic of the lives of Abraham and his wife Hagar. The acts also symbolize the solidarity of Muslims worldwide.
