No takers for women-only Haj groups from State

Zero applications in the ‘no mehram’ category for the second year in a row

There are no takers from Telangana for the women-only quota for Haj pilgrims this year.

The BJP-led government at the Centre had made provisions for women to make the Haj pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia without a male companion.

The women would have had to travel in groups of four.

Telangana State Haj Committee chairman Mohammed Masiullah Khan, however, told The Hindu that no such applications have been received.

“Under the ‘no mehram’ (male companion) category, no applications have been received this year. Last year too, when this was introduced, none applied,” Mr Khan said.

This is a sharp rise in the number of women pilgrims from across the country scheduled to leave for the pilgrimage this year.

Haj Committee of India Chief Executive Officer Maqsood Ahmed Khan said that while the number of women who made the pilgrimage without a male companion last year was 1,180, the number this year increased two-fold to 2,340.

“The reason is connected to maslak (schools of thought in Islam). The Haj Committee of India is facilitating pilgrims from all maslaks and sects – whether they are Shia or Sunni. However, most women who are going without a mehram are from Kerala,” Mr Khan said.

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