PETALING JAYA: Malaysia's top men's doubles pair Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik underlined their strong intent to capture the All-England title by reaching the final again.
PETALING JAYA: Tabung Haji is prepared for all eventualities and Malaysian pilgrims bound for their haj pilgrimage this year need not worry unnecessarily, says Tabung Haji chairman Tan Sri Abdul Rashid Hussain .
He was referring to the situation in the Middle East, which is in the midst of a conflict after the joint United States-Israeli airstrikes on Iran on Feb 28. About 31,600 Malaysians will be flying off to Saudi Arabia from April onwards to perform the annual pilgrimage, which falls between May 25 and May 29 this year. Malaysian pilgrims usually spend between 30 and 45 days in Saudi Arabia during the haj pilgrimage. While the core rituals only last for about five to six days, the extended time allows for travelling and spiritual preparation. Abdul Rashid said Tabung Haji is closely monitoring the situation, and all preparations for haj 2026 are moving along as planned. “As of now, all those who have been offered to perform the haj in 2026 have not retracted their acceptance. Of that number, 77% have already been processed by the Saudi Arabian authorities,” he said.“We are also guided by the clearance for the airlines to fly and travel advice from Wisma Putra. “For now, everything is moving as planned and there are no changes. We will only know for sure if any changes need to be done after Hari Raya Aidilfitri, as we watch the escalation or de-escalation of the conflict. “If the airlines are allowed to fly the Malaysian pilgrims, then that means Saudi Arabia has given us clearance to perform the haj safely. “The situation is fluid and we are monitoring everything. There is no contingency plan for now, but should the haj be disrupted, as it happened during the Covid-19 pandemic, we have our contingency plans in place,” said Abdul Rashid when contacted. In 2020, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the haj was limited to a very small number of residents within Saudi Arabia, which suspended international participation to prevent virus transmission. Restrictions continued in 2021 and 2022 with proof of vaccination and negative PCR tests being required. By 2023, all restrictions were lifted and the haj was restored to pre-pandemic capacity. Meanwhile, travel agencies handling umrah and haj said that as of now, they are guided by Tabung Haji for matters pertaining to pilgrimages this year. Travel agency Jay Ibrahim Al-Islam general manager Nurul Zahira Radzi said since the attacks began, some of their customers who had planned to go this year are unsure if they want to proceed. “But no one has postponed, and as of today, preparations are going on smoothly. We are in the midst of preparing to conduct haj courses in April.“However, we have to be guided by Tabung Haji. If they give the green light, then our customers will be able to perform their haj,” said Nurul Zahira. As for umrah, Nurul Zahira said about 100 of their customers have postponed their plans after the conflict started. “This year, prior to the conflict, we had more customers for umrah with some even planning on taking their babies. “But due to the conflict, they have decided to postpone, causing us to suffer financial consequences,” said Nurul Zahira. AzZuha Group Travel and Tours chief operations officer Muhammad Nasrullah Roslan said the 400 haj pilgrims going with the travel agency have not voiced any intention to postpone their journey. “For all matters on haj, we refer to Tabung Haji. That is the criteria for handling private haj packages. “As of today, neither Tabung Haji nor the Saudi authorities have mentioned any need to change our plans. “The haj pilgrims are nervous, but we have advised them to continue with their mental and physical preparations as planned.Govt to continue to act firmly in tackling leakages, corruption, says Anwar
Middle East Conflict Tabung Haji Haj Pilgrimage Abdul Rashid Hussain United States-Israeli Airstrikes Saudi Arabia Covid-19 Pandemic Travel Agencies Umrah Flight Clearance
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