Jakarta. The number of Indonesian Muslims waiting to perform the Hajj pilgrimage has reached 5.4 million and continues to grow each year, government officials revealed on Saturday.

Indonesia, home to the world's largest Muslim population, has an annual Hajj quota of around 200,000 pilgrims. This means the current waiting list spans at least 25 years.

“We need to find a solution to this issue and help Indonesian Muslims fulfill the fifth pillar of Islam through Sharia banking services,” said Fadlul Imansyah, head of the Hajj Fund Management Agency (BPKH).

He cited government statistics showing that the registered would-be pilgrims account for only 0.31 percent of Indonesia’s 210 million Muslims.

Data from the Central Statistics Agency indicates that at least 17 million Indonesian Muslims are both physically and financially capable of undertaking the pilgrimage.

Religious Affairs Minister Nasaruddin Umar attributed the long waiting list to the limited capacity of key sites in Saudi Arabia's holy cities.

"If spaces in Mina, Arafat, the Kaaba, and [Saudi] airports were unlimited, we wouldn’t be here discussing this issue tonight," the minister said.

He also noted that the global Muslim population has been growing rapidly, reaching 2.2 billion this year.

The Indonesian government has previously lobbied Saudi authorities for an increased Hajj quota. Last year, they secured an additional 20,000 slots, bringing the total to 221,000 pilgrims. However, Nasaruddin admitted that he has refrained from further lobbying due to the sensitivity of the issue in discussions between the two governments.

The long waiting list has driven many Indonesian Muslims to seek alternative routes for the pilgrimage, applying through other countries such as the Philippines and China.

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