Ahlul Bayt News Agency (ABNA.ir), The Indonesian government is planning to reduce the cost of the hajj pilgrimage, one of the pillars of Islam, to enable more Muslims to travel to Saudi Arabia. Religious affairs minister Suryadharma Ali said a key house of representatives committee had met Garuda Airlines in a bid to cut the transportation costs.
However, Suryadharma refused to elaborate on the extent of a possible cut.
The meeting confirmed a decrease of 51 dollars in the hajj pilgrimage cutting the total cost from 1,779 to 1,728 per person, he said.
Suryadharma said that the government was aiming at another cost cut without neglecting the quality of its service regarding the hajj pilgrimage.
The Saudi Arabian government will allow 211,000 Indonesians to perform the hajj, the largest annual Muslim pilgrimage, in October.
The hajj is the fifth pillar of Islam, a religious duty that must be carried out at least once in their lifetime by every Muslim who can afford to do it.
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