CALCUTTA: The following resolution was passed at a meeting of the Executive Committee of the Central Khademul Hujjaj Society, held on August 25: “This meeting congratulates the Government of India on their decision to provide necessary facilities to the Indian Muslims for performing Hajj pilgrimage this year, but it cannot welcome the decision with unmixed joy as it is hedged in with restriction and limitation on the number of pilgrims to be allowed to sail, which fact will inevitably cause uncontrollable crowd at the ports of embarkation, and will lead as a consequence to unhealthy and un-Islamic competition among the intending pilgrims to get seats on board the ships, and will cause unnecessary harassment, disappointment and pecuniary loss to many a serious pilgrim. Further the Government Communique, as circulated in the press, is absolutely silent on the point whether sailing will take place from all the three ports of India.

“This meeting, therefore, emphatically urges upon the Government of India the necessity of removing the objectionable restriction upon the number and of throwing open all the three ports of India for Hajj sailings, so that all the intending pilgrims without any exception may perform their obligatory religious duty.” (Dawn, Delhi)

Published in Dawn, August 30th, 2014