More than Trinidad and Tobago 300 local #Muslims have been encountering difficulties in obtaining United States currency for their journey to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, to perform #Hajj.
Imtiaz Mohammed, the director of Hajj Umrah and International Tours Limited, who operates the Hajj tours, has, therefore, penned a letter to Finance Minister Colm Imbert asking for his intervention to address the challenges being faced by Muslims.
In an interview with Guardian Media yesterday, Mohammed said the ongoing foreign exchange shortage in Trinidad and Tobago as adversely affecting members of the Muslim community.
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“Hajj is the fifth pillar of Islam, and it is obligatory for Muslims to perform this act of worship when they have the means to do so. Currently, an estimated three hundred Muslims are making preparations for this sacred journey in June 2024. Each pilgrim will need at least 9,300 in US dollars to cover their Hajj packages, totalling approximately $3 million to accommodate the pilgrims intending to perform Hajj in 2024,” Mohammed explained.
In his letter to Minister Imbert, Mohammed also mentioned that the Ministry of Hajj in Saudi Arabia had implemented new guidelines and regulations for Hajj in 2024. As a result, Muslims worldwide were now required to pay for their Hajj 2024 packages by November 4, 2023.
“I believe that our country can manage this. We are not requesting the impossible and we anticipate a positive response and a meeting with the Finance Minister,” he said.
Hajj Umrah and International Tours Limited have submitted their letter to the Finance Minister’s office.
In 2019, local Muslims also experienced difficulty in accessing US currency to make the sacred pilgrimage.
Guardian.co