KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia is unaffected by the Saudi Arabian government’s new ruling of not permitting children to join this year’s haj, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk Dr Mohd Na’im Mokhtar said.
This was because Tabung Haji (TH) had previously determined that only those 15 and above would be allowed to perform the haj, he added.
“If we look at the announcement, the ban is for children 12 and below. In our (Malaysia’s) context, we have already set the age limit of 15 years.
“So with the age set by TH for haj pilgrims, the youngest is 15 years. So they are not affected by the new rule set by the Saudi Arabian government,” he told reporters after presenting the Federal Territories Islamic Religious Council’s (MAIWP) scholarships and special incentives to asnaf students from the Mara Junior Science Colleges and boarding schools here today.
He clarified that Malaysia respected the ruling and believed that the Saudi Arabian government conducted a thorough study on the matter.
“The rule was made to ensure that the haj runs smoothly. As we know, the haj season is peak season, (there are) millions of people... maybe it isn’t suitable for the children with such high temperatures, so it will cause complications,” he said.
The Saudi Arabian Haj and Umrah Ministry had recently been reported to have announced the new ban on children 12 and below, stating that it was to protect them from dangerous risks due to extraordinary congestion encountered during the annual haj.
