The Director of Hajj in the Syrian Supreme Hajj Committee, Samer Bayraktar, has denounced the Assad regime for its reliance on falsehoods and rumors. Bayraktar specifically addressed the regime’s Ministry of Religious Endowments, which spread misinformation claiming that there would be no pilgrimage for Syrians this year. However, Bayraktar emphasized that the reality is quite the opposite, as Syrian pilgrims are still arriving in the Holy Land to perform the hajj ritual.
During an interview with the STEP news agency, Bayraktar stated that the committee pays no heed to the regime’s lies and rumors. He also noted that there has been no change in the position of the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah in dealing with the committee regarding the Hajj file.
Bayraktar stressed that if the Hajj file were to be handed over to the regime, it would prevent anyone outside its areas of control from performing the Hajj. He further criticized the regime as an exclusionary government, asserting that it would not allow citizens from liberated areas to participate in the pilgrimage.
Highlighting the efficient management of the Syrian Supreme Hajj Committee, which oversees the Syrian pilgrimage file, Bayraktar emphasized that any Syrian, regardless of their location, can register for the pilgrimage.
Furthermore, Bayraktar pointed out that the regime obstructs the issuance of passports for individuals in liberated areas, forcing them to rely on intermediaries to obtain their passports. He expressed concern that if the regime were to regain control of the Hajj file, millions of Syrians would be unable to perform the pilgrimage.
Bayraktar disclosed that the number of pilgrims this year has reached 22,500, with all of them having traveled to Saudi Arabia. He confirmed that more than half of the pilgrims have already arrived in the Holy Land, while the remaining numbers are expected to arrive successively.
(Source: SOC’s Media Department)
