Riyadh - e-Media

A record number of 1,400 Muslims from around the world will perform Haj this year as guests of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, Islamic Affairs Minister Saleh Al-Asheikh said Saturday.

Al-Asheikh announced that this year, the King Abdullah program for hosting pilgrims would receive pilgrims from Indonesia, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Turkey, Thailand, the Philippines, Cambodia, Kazakhstan, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Nepal, Afghanistan, Vietnam, Malaysia, Russia, Hong Kong, Mongolia, Singapore and Myanmar.

So far, 18,000 Muslims from around the globe have performed Haj as guests of the Kingdom. The program has been managed by the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Endowments, Call and Guidance.

“This year, Muslims from countries that were not covered by the program in previous years are being invited. Our plan is to include the largest possible number of nationalities,” Al-Asheikh said.