1 week Ago By Aizat Sharif
KANGAR: Malaysian haj and umrah pilgrims' adherence to regulations is one of the key reasons why Malaysia is excluded from a list of 14 countries subjected to a temporary visa ban by the Saudi Arabian kingdom.Another contributing factor is the fact that none of the Malaysian citizens were among more than 18,000 individuals recently detained by the Saudi authorities for offences, including violations of immigration, labour and border security laws, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk Dr Mohd Na'im Mokhtar said."First of all, I would like to state that, as of now, we have not received any official complaint regarding Malaysian haj pilgrims committing such offences last year or in previous years.
"Malaysia is not among the 14 countries recently blacklisted or subjected to a temporary (umrah) visa ban by the Saudi government after their citizens repeatedly committed immigration offences, including overstaying, leading to detention by the authorities."Based on the facts and statistics available to the Saudi government, they decided to blacklist those 14 countries — and 'Alhamdulillah', Malaysia was not among them," Na'im said after attending the pre-launch of the national-level Quran Recitation and Memorisation Competition 2025 at the Perlis State Government Administrative Complex today.Present were Perlis Menteri Besar Mohd Shukri Ramli, Perlis Religious Affairs Committee chairman Muhammad Azmir Azizan and Perlis Mufti Datuk Dr Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin.
The competition will be held between April 27 and May 5. Na'im said his department consistently reminds haj and umrah pilgrims to adhere to the regulations set by the Saudi government."Moreover, in my meeting with Saudi Hajj and Umrah Minister Dr Tawfiq Fawzan al-Rabiah, he praised the discipline shown by Malaysian pilgrims.
"We hope our pilgrims will continue to maintain this high level of compliance with the rules and laws set by the kingdom."Malaysians are known for being law-abiding citizens, especially in the context of performing haj and umrah. We are there to do good deeds, so it is important not to break the laws while engaging in those religious acts.
"We must strike a balance between fulfilling our religious obligations and respecting the laws of the host country. Every nation has its rules, and the Saudi government has its responsibilities — that's why such regulations are in place." Recently, the Saudi government imposed a temporary visa restriction on 14 countries, including Indonesia, Bangladesh and India, to manage travel during the haj season and ensure public safety.
The Saudi government detained 18,407 individuals across the country over the past week for violations of immigration, labour and border security regulations.© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd.
