The ongoing conflict in the Middle East has thrown the travel plans of many Muslim pilgrims into disarray, leaving thousands stranded in Saudi Arabia after performing the Umrah pilgrimage. Others have been forced to cancel their visits entirely, with the war casting a shadow over the spiritual experience.
As of Thursday, over 58,860 Indonesian pilgrims were stranded in Saudi Arabia, according to Dahnil Anzar Simanjuntak, Indonesia's Vice Minister of Hajj and Umrah. The government is negotiating with Saudi authorities and airlines to ease the financial burden of additional hotel and flight costs, while urging about 60,000 others to postpone travel until April for safety reasons. Ministry spokesperson Ichsan Marsha described the situation as an “urgent humanitarian and logistical issue.”
Zanirah Faris, a stranded Indonesian pilgrim, told iNews TV that her return flight was cancelled and rescheduled for March 12. She appealed for government help, noting that “not everyone can book additional stays at a hotel” and expressing disappointment at being separated from her waiting children. Similarly, about 1,600 Malaysian pilgrims are stranded, said Mohamad Dzaraif Raja Abdul Kadir, Malaysia's consul general in Jeddah. Malaysia Airlines has temporarily resumed return flights from Jeddah and Medina until Sunday, while the foreign ministry works with diplomatic missions and airlines to evacuate citizens.
Beyond Southeast Asia, the conflict has affected pilgrims from other regions. Maged Kholaif, a 44-year-old Egyptian, was due to return to Kuwait on February 28 when his flight was cancelled. Stranded with his wife and mother-in-law, he opted for an overland route, arriving in Kuwait on Tuesday for an emotional reunion with his children. “Once you have your children in front of your eyes and in your embrace, whatever happens next doesn't matter as long as you're together,” he said.
In the United States, 47-year-old Javed Khizer cancelled his family's Umrah travel via Turkey and Qatar, citing worsening news. “It was a difficult decision... Who knows whether I will be there for next Ramadan or not?” he said. Meanwhile, Majid Mughal, a 52-year-old pilgrim from the US currently in Saudi Arabia with his family, said he would have cancelled had he known war would break out. Despite the disruption, he noted that “we consider coming to the sacred land as a calling from Allah.”
