Saudi Arabia to finance Crimean Tatars hajj to Mecca

Saudi Arabia intends this year to assist in the financing of Hajj for 200 pilgrims from Crimea. Such an agreement was reached during the meeting of Commissioner of the President of Ukraine for the Affairs of Crimean Tatars Mustafa Dzhemilev with Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in Ukraine Dzhudiya Alhazal, reported "Crimea. Comments ".

"Given the difficult legal and socio-economic status of the Muslims of Crimea, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will consider the issue of financial support for the Hajj of 200 pilgrims from Crimea at the expense of the relevant charities of Kingdom,” said the press service of the Commissioner of the President of Ukraine for the Affairs of Crimean Tatars.

Hajj rituals begin on the day before the feast of sacrifice Eid al-Adha, which in 2015 falls on 24-27 September.

Hajj or pilgrimage to Mecca is a special ritual worship of the Most High God, one of the five pillars of Islam. Each Muslim is obliged to make a Hajj once in a lifetime.

In 2014, 150 Muslims of Crimea set off for Mecca. This year, the Muslims living in Crimea were allocated 300 quota to perform Hajj.