Four hundred female pilgrims from Nigeria that arrived in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia yesterday to participate in this year’s annual hajj were promptly separated from their male counterparts and detained by the Saudi authorities, it was learnt late last night.
The Saudis demanded to see each female pilgrim’s muharram, that is, the approved male companion accompanying her on her trip, usually a husband, father or brother. When they could not produce any, the Saudis promptly detained them and as at last night, were threatening to deport them back to Nigeria on the next available hajj plane.
It was learnt that the pilgrims had arrived Jeddah in two separate Max Air flights yesterday afternoon. One of the planes was conveying pilgrims from Jigawa State while the second plane had pilgrims from Sokoto State. The nearly 400 women were only allowed to be supplied with water and food by the Saudis after strenuous efforts by the Nigerian Consul in Jeddah and the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Alhaji Nurudeen, as it was also learnt.
Contacted on telephone from Sokoto last night, Sultan Muhammadu Sa’ad who is the Amirul Hajj condemned the Saudi action in the strongest terms and described it as “an insult to Nigeria and to this country’s millions of Muslims.” He said the Saudi action came as a total surprise to Nigeria’s hajj authorities because during the numerous meetings held between Nigerian and Saudi officials to prepare for this year’s hajj, the issue of muharram for female pilgrims was never raised.
The Sultan said, “They never raised this issue and never demanded that the female pilgrims must have a muharram. They did not make this a requirement for issuing visas. They issued visas to all these pilgrims, only to embarrass, detain and threaten to deport them when they arrived in the holy land. How can they do this to us? The chairman of the National Hajj Commission assured me that the Saudis never asked for this during all the meetings they held. This is very unfortunate. We have done a lot over the years to improve on our hajj operation and we do not deserve this humiliation.”
The Sultan also said that he had ordered the Nigerian pilgrims not to walk voluntarily into planes to be deported. “Let the Saudis physically carry them into the planes and deport them,” he said. “They issued them with valid visas, only to shift the goal posts at the very last minute, when they had already arrived in Jeddah.”
Posted: at 24-09-2012 11:14 AM (11 years ago) | Gistmaniac
fuckinjoe2 at 24-09-2012 12:09 PM (11 years ago) (m)
they should handle there problem......i have no business with it, hopeless muhammaddens,
phyuk all haters.........i still remain who i am.
Posted: at 24-09-2012 12:09 PM (11 years ago) | Gistmaniac
mickky21 at 24-09-2012 12:24 PM (11 years ago) (m)
This hajj is a waste of public funds. it shld be abolished with immediate effect. This is a useless venture and i wish the Saudis luck in dealing with the Nigerians..Maybe this will discourage others next yr and save this country some hard currency.
Posted: at 24-09-2012 12:24 PM (11 years ago) | Upcoming
This hajj is a waste of public funds. it shld be abolished with immediate effect. This is a useless venture and i wish the Saudis luck in dealing with the Nigerians..Maybe this will discourage others next yr and save this country some hard currency.
Hajj is waste of public funds to you but not to us. It is one of our religious obligations and we MUST fulfill it. Saudi authorities detaining these Mahajjata is on course. No Muslim woman should travel to Hajj without Muharram and if they did this, they did a right thing. The mistake is from the NAHCOM for not making it compulsory as it is. So stop being happy, this has nothing to do with Saudi and Nigerian political issues. Saudi's are trying to make Nigerians do the right thing and I commend them for that.
IN ZAKA FADI, FADI GASKIYA, KOMAI TA JA MA A YI MAKA
Posted: at 24-09-2012 12:33 PM (11 years ago) | Hero
oyinajibola at 24-09-2012 02:18 PM (11 years ago) (m)
EVIDENCE OF LACK OF PROPER ISLAMIC EDUCATION IN NIGERIA....INSTEAD OF THE SULTAN TO FIND A SOLUTION NEXT TIME...HE IS ENCOURAGING THE WOMEN TO STRUGGLE WITH THE SAUDI AUTHORITIES...DOES HE NOT TO THAT IT IS ONE OF ISLAMIC RULING THAT A WOMAN ON A JOURNEY SHOULD HAVE A MUHARRAM??
Posted: at 24-09-2012 02:18 PM (11 years ago) | Upcoming
Hahahahaha upon all una over sabi dey no send una.Muslims for north don see watin pass Der power.when some mumu dey protest for kaduna ,some of their pple will be kicked out from the holy land.make una protest and burn their flag now.useless pple.abeg which name u go call pple way dey kick out of the holy land.
Posted: at 24-09-2012 03:14 PM (11 years ago) | Upcoming
Why re Nigerians alwys embarrassed? Was it only Nigerians dat went thr for d ceremony? & was it only Nigerians dat was faulty on it? Na wa 4 d kind cause wey dey Naija head ooo. May God nt let God nt let cause be on our head IJN... Amen
Posted: at 24-09-2012 05:39 PM (11 years ago) | Hero
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