"The Hajj dormitory, commissioned this morning, is expected to benefit prospective Hajj pilgrims who will conduct the Hajj ritual and those who have returned from the Holy Land," President Jokowi said.Jakarta (ANTARA News) - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) visited Mandailing Natal District, North Sumatra, on Saturday to inaugurate a local Hajj boarding house and to attend a national meeting of the Indonesian Batak Muslim Association.
"The Hajj dormitory, commissioned this morning, is expected to benefit prospective Hajj pilgrims who will conduct the Hajj ritual and those who have returned from the Holy Land," President Jokowi stated in Mandailing on Saturday.
In a press statement released by the Presidential Press and Information Bureau, the president said he had urged the Saudi government to increase Indonesias Hajj quota when he had visited Saudi Arabia two years ago and had met Saudi King Salman.
This year, Indonesia has an additional Hajj quota of 52,200.
"Thank God, this year, we have an additional quota of 10 thousand pilgrims, and the normal quota of 211 thousand has also been returned," Jokowi remarked.
The additional quota of almost 30 percent has increased Indonesias quota to 221 thousand pilgrims, from 168,800.
Indonesias normal quota is 211 thousand pilgrims, but since 2013, the quota was reduced by 20 percent to 168,800 due to a project to expand the Haram Grand Mosque in Mecca.
The head of state said that the additional quota of 10 thousand pilgrims granted to Indonesia is reasonable owing to the fact that Indonesia has the worlds largest Muslim population.(*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
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