Jakarta. The Indonesian government has blamed travel agencies for arranging Hajj pilgrimages without obtaining the required Hajj visas, resulting in over 200 Indonesian pilgrims being denied entry to Mecca by Saudi authorities.

Suviyanto, a senior official with the Religious Affairs Ministry, said a Hajj visa is the primary requirement for pilgrims worldwide to perform the annual religious ritual.

"The Saudi government prohibits foreigners with tourist visas from performing the Hajj pilgrimage to ensure the safety and comfort of pilgrims who have secured Hajj visas," Suviyanto said in a recent interview.

He acknowledged that many Indonesian pilgrims have attempted to perform the ritual without the necessary visa, despite the strict regulations imposed by the Saudi government.

Irresponsible travel agencies have exploited the lack of understanding of local regulations among Indonesian Muslims and continued to arrange Hajj pilgrimages without proper visas.

Under normal procedures, Indonesian Muslims must wait for years before their turn to perform the pilgrimage. Millions have registered with the government’s Hajj program, but the annual quota is just above 220,000 pilgrims.

Wealthy Muslims often choose reputable travel agencies to arrange their pilgrimage, at a cost two to three times higher than the government’s official tariff, to avoid the lengthy wait.

However, many would-be pilgrims have fallen victim to dishonest agencies that falsely claimed they could arrange pilgrimages with regular visas.

In the most recent case, 203 pilgrims from the South Sulawesi regency of Sidrap were denied entry to Mecca for failing to produce Hajj visas.