Deputy Minister of Religious Affairs Muhammad Syafi’i met with Army Chief of Staff General Maruli Simanjuntak to strengthen Hajj cooperation, particularly by increasing the number of Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) personnel serving as Hajj officers.
“By involving more TNI personnel with specialized skills in mitigating risks during the peak of Hajj in Arafat, Muzdalifah, and Mina (the Armuzna area), pilgrims will be better protected,” he said after the meeting on Wednesday.
Syafi’i emphasized that each year, fewer than 100 TNI personnel are allocated for the Hajj pilgrimage. For the upcoming 2025 Hajj, he stated that the number would be doubled.
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“I have asked the director of Hajj development to allocate at least twice the number of TNI personnel as Hajj officers compared to the previous year,” he said.
Wednesday’s meeting aimed to enhance synergy between the Ministry of Religious Affairs and the TNI, particularly in organizing the Hajj pilgrimage, a national task that requires cooperation from various ministries and agencies.
General Simanjuntak welcomed the ministry’s plan to increase the number of TNI personnel serving as Hajj officers.
According to him, this initiative demonstrates the government’s commitment to improving the quality of Hajj implementation.
“Whatever the number of TNI personnel needed, we are fully prepared. This is a crucial step in supporting a more effective Hajj pilgrimage and reflects the government’s commitment, under the leadership of Prabowo Subianto, to enhancing protection for Hajj pilgrims,” he said.
Indonesia, as one of the countries with the world’s largest Muslim populations, has consistently received the largest quota from the Saudi government.
This year, it received a quota for 241,000 people, marking the largest quota in the history of Indonesia’s Hajj pilgrimage.
Source: Antara