“Hajj is not a business, Hajj is not meant for profit” – President Mahama

President John Dramani Mahama has issued a warning, stating that Muslims should view the Hajj pilgrimage as a religious and spiritual journey rather than as a business endeavor.

The president made it clear that the trip should not be planned to make money during his remarks at the sod-cutting ceremony for the new Hajj Village on Friday, February 28.

“I have instructed the taskforce that Hajj is not a business. Hajj is not meant for profit. The Hajj taskforce must not structure things in order to make a profit, we don’t want a profit from Hajj,” President Mahama stated.

He underlined that any extra money made during the Hajj should go toward initiatives that help Muslim communities.

“After the performance of Hajj, if there is even one cedi left, that money should be donated to the poor or used for a project in Muslim communities,” he said.

Additionally, President Mahama said that the Public Holidays Act would be amended to include an extra holiday for the Muslim holiday of Eid-ul-Fitr.

“I have instructed the legal counsel at the Presidency, Madam Marietta Brew, to amend the Public Holidays Act to provide an extra holiday for Eid-ul-Fitr. Therefore, beginning this year, there will be two days of holiday at the end of Ramadan,” he stated.

President Mahama gave the taskforce instructions to strictly enforce the 5,000 pilgrim limit and promised that this year’s Hajj would be well-organized with a strict cap on the number of pilgrims.

“The taskforce should cut off at exactly 5,000 and not go beyond. We don’t want the previous situation where people rush with late payments, and we are unable to airlift them, leading to complaints,”

“After we pay off the millions of dollars of debt that have accumulated in Saudi Arabia from previous Hajj operations, we intend to airlift exactly 5,000 pilgrims to the holy land. The taskforce has announced 13th March as the deadline for payment. We have facilitated a pre-finance arrangement with a local bank, and as I speak, all deposits for accommodation, transport, and other facilities have been paid,” he clarified.

The President clarified that because of the limited time between the government’s inauguration and the Hajj, a team headed by Alhaji Collins Dauda was established to supervise this year’s trip.

Source: Ghanatodayonline.com