Ritual goat sacrifice fee row: Despite protests, Haj committee set to go with its decision

Despite an outcry from clerics across states against the decision by the Haj Committee of India (HCI) to make it compulsory for Hajjis or pilgrims to pay the ritual goat sacrifice fee before proceeding to Mecca from this year, the HCI has maintained it will go ahead with the move.

Despite an outcry from clerics across states against the decision by the Haj Committee of India (HCI) to make it compulsory for Hajjis or pilgrims to pay the ritual goat sacrifice fee before proceeding to Mecca from this year, the HCI has maintained it will go ahead with the move.

HT Image

Last week, at a meeting of around 400 clerics and Haj trainers at the HCI’s head office on MRA Marg, the HCI officials turned down the clerics’ demand to scrap the move to pay the ‘adahi’ before going to the pilgrimage, due in September.

Last week, a group from Bareilly, Sunni Barelvi Markaz of Dargah Ala Hazrat, had issued a fatwa against the move. “Paying the goat sacrifice fee beforehand disturbs the proper sequence of the Haj,” said a Mumbai-based cleric.

Till last year, the sacrifice was carried out by Indian pilgrims on their own, after paying a sum of Saudi Riyal (SR) 490 (Rs8,100 approximately) to the Islamic Development Bank (IDB).

HCI chief executive officer (CEO), Ataur Rehman, said: “We were disturbed by the knowledge that many frauds were taking place at Mecca Sharif regarding the ritual. While the IDB is the only organisation authorised by the Saudi government to issue coupons for adahi, fake dealers operating independently were cheating Hajjis of their money and not making the sacrifice.”

The move has found support among some Hajjis. Kidwai Nagar resident Abdul Gaffar, 30, said he found it convenient.

?A total of 1,00,020 pilgrims from India will go for Haj this year through HCI, along with 36,000 through private operators.