By Mohamed M. Sesay
Following the unanticipated whopping $ 7,000 new Pilgrimage (Hajj) fare by the Presidential Hajj Taskforce, citizens have reacted during a vox pop with AimNet Newspaper that the new hajj fare is very astronomical, taking into cognizance of the existing economic strangulation of the country. They considered the increment of the new hajj price as an attempt to discourage people from performing one of their mandatory pillars in Islam.
In an interview with Aimnet Newspaper, Momoh Rogers said even the review fare from $ 7,500 to $ 7,000, as recently announced by the Presidential Hajj Taskforce, is costly and too high. He added that S7000 is no small money anywhere in the world. In the name of Allah and for the sake of Islam, he called on the Hajj Secretariat/ committee to weigh a realistic option.
He promised to write a personal letter to the Hajj committee or secretariat requesting them to review this further. Rogers further intimated that the standard ticket cost from FNA to Jedda is less than $1600. He noted that for the entire period of the Hajj, including feeding and accommodation, one Pilgrim could not spend more than $2000 - especially if it's in a pool. He reaffirmed that Visa and other traveling requirements and documents could not cost more than $300.
‘’So I keep wondering why the cost of Hajj is that too high for a country having the poorest Muslims in the sub-region. This is a campaign I'm taking up for the sake of Allah and the ummah in Sierra Leone. It should not be like this, especially in the throes of Global hardship,’ he said.
He acknowledged that the government had done extremely well over the years in providing scholarships. He noted that the scholarship is not enough, adding that citizens should be able to perform Hajj without a scholarship. He emphasized that no average Sierra Leonean could perform Hajj at the whopping cost of one hundred and sixty-five ( Le 165,000,000) Old Leones or thereabout.
Rogers made some provisional cost and sub-regional analysis of the cost of Hajj and the respective packages referencing Guinea.
Conakry paying $5,000 for Hajj, Ghana - $6500 (provisional) , Gambia - $4500 (provisional) , Guinea Bissau - $4000 (provisional), and Nigeria - $4500 (provisional)
A prominent Muslim scholar, Sheikh Alie Kallay, intimated the relevance of making a trip to the holy land, highlighting the benefits any Muslim man or woman could gain from Allah. However, although the reward could not be equated with anything in this world, he appealed to the government to cut down the revised charges of $700 per person to something reasonable that could help the people who intend to apply this year.
Kallay emphasized, "The government has obviously made a move to ensure that people can make it to Mecca this year, and we appreciate their tireless efforts for, first of all, making it possible for Sierra Leone to be considered again, but we are still yearning to see that the charges are reduced so that more people could make it this year as well. The addition to the charges, as compared to what people used to pay, is by all standards exorbitant. I am appealing to the government so that they could make another move to ensure that it is reduced for the benefit of all intended applicants".
On her part, Haja Fatmata Sillah also added her voice by appealing to the government to do everything within its power to bring down the charges so that more people could afford to make a trip to the most coveted land for all Muslims. She affirmed that this might be the only opportunity that someone has, but if the charges are too high, the individual would be left out. "I paid $5000 the last time I visited the holy land. If the government could try to maintain the previous charges, it would be better for the people. The harsh economic situation is unfavorable to contend with in this trying moment. With that, I would like to appeal on behalf of those determined to be part of the trip to Mecca so that the government could once again cut down on the charges ", she appealed.
It could be recalled that on the 17th of January 2024, the Presidential Hajj Taskforce intimated to the public that following the return of the delegation from the Global Hajj Conference in Jeddah in Saudi Arabia, the cost of performing pilgrimage to the Holy Land of Mecca for 2024, had been revised downwards to $7000 from the originally announced $ 7,500. The press statement further calls on all intending pilgrims, home or abroad, to report to the Presidential Hajj Taskforce Secretariat at Old Gym House Bank Complex Kingtom, Freetown. The Presidential Hajj Taskforce advised all intending pilgrims to make payment on or before the 1st of April 2024.
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