Hajj 2023: The sacred Muslim pilgrimage that remains a distant dream for many in northwest Syria

At the start of Dhul Hijjah (the twelfth month in the Islamic calendar, which means "Month of the Pilgrimage") as millions of Muslims worldwide prepare to perform the rituals of the Hajj pilgrimage, the focus of every civilian in Syria turns towards the holy cities of Medina Al-Munawwarah and Mecca Al-Mukarramah, in spite of the ongoing suffering of the people of war-ravaged northwest Syria and the myriad challenges they face.

This is one of the five pillars of Islam and is an obligatory duty of every Muslim of sound mind who has the means.

This year, Dhul Hijjah falls between 19 June and 18 July. In order to perform this important spiritual obligation, the Hajj pilgrims will prepare themselves both spiritually, by focusing on their faith, and financially, before setting off for Saudi Arabia from every country in the world.

However, for the vast majority in northwest Syria who live below the poverty line, the idea of preparing for Hajj seems a far-distant dream.

"For the vast majority in northwest Syria who live below the poverty line, the idea of preparing for Hajj seems a far-distant dream"

Fifty-something Fahima Al-Kamil still dreams of going on Hajj but has never been able to because of the ever-increasing expense of the trip: "When going on Hajj cost $2,000, years ago, we couldn't afford it, so how could we today when the cost of the journey is many times more expensive?" she asks, pointing out the escalating costs, abject poverty, and lack of income and aid people in the region are enduring.

Fears around regime normalisation

Fahima, who lives in the Deir Hassan camp after being displaced from her city Maarat al-Numan nearly four years ago when the regime retook control, doesn't hide her fear that this dream may never be realised.

She is afraid, in light of the normalisation of relations between Saudi Arabia and the Assad regime — and what some news sites have hinted at — that the rights around administering the Hajj pilgrimage will be withdrawn from the Syrian opposition and granted to Assad.

If this happens, she would utterly refuse to go to regime-held areas to obtain the official documents, she says.

Hajj: 'The poor have no share in it'

Barhoum Al-Abido (44) is an internally displaced person (IDP) living in a camp on the outskirts of Afrin City in northwest Syria. He says though he yearns to do this trip, he has lost all hope of ever making it – even in the far distant future.

"It is impossible to go on this trip with the situation we are living in the IDP camps," he says with a sense of deep sadness, adding: "We don't have enough water, food, medicine or a home – here our biggest concern is simply getting hold of the basics our families and children need – the very basics to just stay alive… as for the Hajj pilgrimage, it's for the rich – the poor like us have no share in it."

While most Muslims in northwest Syria weren't able to set out on the Hajj pilgrimage this year, others have been able to secure a place on the trip and were among the crowds heading to the Bab al-Hawa border crossing in preparation for entering Turkey and taking their flight to Mecca from one of its airports.

'Indescribable feelings'

Among them was Sabah Al-Fayyum, an elderly woman who has wanted to perform the Hajj rituals for a long time, but until now was prevented by the costs and displacement from her village in northern Hama province.

However, this year, she was finally able to register after her son, who now lives in Luxemburg, was able to pay all the fees and expenses which came to $5,000 – and now she is preparing to set off on the trip.

"I feel these are the most beautiful days of my whole life, and I praise God for helping me to fulfil this wish"

"My feelings can't be described, I yearn to see Mecca and wander around Medina al-Munawwarah and visit the grave of the Prophet peace be upon him, I feel these are the most beautiful days of my whole life, and I praise God for helping me to fulfil this wish and that I'm able to go on this trip and perform this important obligation," says Fayyum.

She was able to register in an office in northwest Syria belonging to the Syrian Coalition's Supreme Hajj Committee, whose staff members helped her obtain the necessary official documents, her passport and everything else she needed in order to set out on Hajj.

Most importantly, their help stopped her — and other pilgrims — from falling prey to the fraudsters, as she puts it.

The Hajj Committee

The Supreme Hajj Committee is a non-profit service organisation established by the Syrian National Coalition (SNC) and is administratively independent like the other SNC institutions which exist in various countries and work in coordination with the rest of the Coalition institutions without affecting the independence of each institution.

The Supreme Hajj Committee has managed the Hajj pilgrimage for Syrians since May 2013, after Saudi Arabia withdrew the task from the Syrian regime and granted it to the National Coalition of Syrian Revolution and Opposition Forces.

The Committee works to facilitate the procedures of the Hajj trip and prepare the necessary arrangements to serve and care for Syrian pilgrims who want to perform Hajj.

These tasks include processes like registering applicants; submitting applications from those wishing to be group custodians, guides and helpers; overseeing the issuance of visas from Saudi Arabian embassies, and following up on logistics of transport and accommodation in Mecca and Medina.

By the start of this year, the Committee had already announced the mechanism by which Syrian pilgrims would be picked (a lottery system), the deadline for payment and the date the first batch of pilgrims would leave for this Hajj season.

"The Supreme Hajj Committee has managed the Hajj pilgrimage for Syrians since May 2013, after Saudi Arabia withdrew the task from the Syrian regime and granted it to the National Coalition of Syrian Revolution and Opposition Forces"

The Committee carries out its work through its accredited offices in Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey, in addition to seven others, including three in northern Syria. These are where Syrians residing in these countries wishing to perform Hajj come to obtain visas.

Samer Birqdar, director of the Committee, said to The New Arab that after signing the official contracts between the Hajj Committee and the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah (MHU) in Saudi Arabia and its affiliated institutions, initial registration for Syrians was opened in the Committee offices in northern Syria, southern Turkey, Istanbul, Cairo, Amman and Beirut.

Nearly 44,000 registered, he adds, but because only 22,500 places had been granted by the MHU not all of these were granted visas; 65 percent of places were granted to elderly applicants, and the rest were decided via lottery.

After the costs are paid, flights and hotels in Mecca and Medina booked and all the other necessary arrangements made, the pilgrims' names and data – from all the countries the Committee works in – are inserted into a single electronic register.

Then, pilgrims' passports are taken to the Saudi Arabian consulates in each place for visas to be issued (from northwest Syria these are transferred together by the Committee to the consulate in Istanbul), and the date for the first batch of travellers is set – this year the first flight for Syrians from northwest Syria was from Gaziantep Airport on 10 June.

Birqdar says pilgrims are put into groups, each of which is organised by a WhatsApp group and led by someone assigned by the Committee, who can advise on all the administrative steps and answer other questions; and sessions are arranged on practical issues as well as religious seminars related to the Hajj trip.

Final preparations

A week before the trip, the Committee's offices work on final preparations – organising necessary vaccinations, providing medical kits for the travellers, and making sure everyone has their travel dates both for the land crossing and flights as well as hotel booking details.

Hajj season, which usually takes place before Eid al-Adha, is set to begin on 26 June this year https://t.co/BOwbjmbZi4

— The New Arab (@The_NewArab) June 12, 2023

Regarding the challenges of managing the Hajj journey for tens of thousands of people, Birqdar says one difficulty is coordinating the passage of large numbers across the land crossings into Turkey in a very short space of time for which permits need to be issued by the Turkish authorities allowing the pilgrims to leave and return.

He says the Committee has made an effort to ensure all Syrian pilgrims across the liberated territories receive the same quality of service and support by regulating the staff and services and establishing an assessment programme to review the Committee's performance everywhere it operates.

The distinguishing feature of the Syrian Supreme Hajj Committee since it began its work in 2013, according to Birqdar, is that it is committed to keeping this issue completely separate from politics.

Even though it belongs to the opposition, it takes pains to remain apolitical "in order to offer a genuine and realistic model for the institutions of the future after Assad's killing regime has passed away, after which any Syrian will be able to go on pilgrimage with [the Committee] from any region regardless of their politics," he states.  

Hadia Al Mansour is a freelance journalist from Syria who has written for Asharq Al-Awsat, Al-Monitor, SyriaUntold and Rising for Freedom Magazine.

Article translated from Arabic by Rose Chacko