First Kashmiri Pilgrims Set Off for This Year’s Hajj

The first group of pilgrims from Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir left for Saudi Arabia on Wednesday to perform this year’s Hajj. This year’s journey to one of the five pillars of Islam is the largest-ever group from the region. We have the highest quota this year, said Safina Baig, chairperson of the Jammu and Kashmir Haj Committee, with nearly double the number of pilgrims compared to last year. Most were selected through a lottery, except for elderly and women traveling without a male guardian. 120 Kashmiri women are traveling to Saudi Arabia alone after the Kingdom’s decision to lift the rule requiring women to have a mahram. By Allah’s grace, I got the opportunity to travel alone to perform Hajj, said Shamima Akhter, 56, a widow from the southern Pulwama district of Kashmir. Her daughters raised $5,000 for the trip, which cost $1,000 more than other regions of India, due to higher airfare prices. Baig raised this issue with the Ministry of Minority Affairs and the Haj Committee of India. Kashmir is a Muslim-majority region, and the government should be more considerate, she said. I feel that the government should provide some relief to the Kashmiri Hajjis. It sends a good message.