Because the time to finish one of many 5 pillars of Islam approaches, Muslims from around the globe head to the web to specific their concern with the Saudi ministry on the just lately streamlined web site Nusuk Hajj to e-book their Hajj bundle.
To summarize, in November of 2022, the Saudi Tourism Authority introduced an official web site to plan guests’ journeys to Makkah and Madinah. To cite the official web site, “Nusuk goals to enhance the expertise of touring to Makkah and Madinah and streamline the Umrah [and Hajj] course of for Muslims worldwide.”
In keeping with Nusuk Hajj, the web site has facilitated practically 45.5K folks buying a package- an extra 31% enhance in seats. It allotted practically 32K group flights and 11.2K particular person flights.
This 12 months was the second 12 months that Nusuk Hajj was in operation, controlling every step of the method, from visa purposes to hajj packages provided by approved service suppliers to flights into Jeddah. Whereas the concept reveals novelty, the execution, nonetheless, persevered in lots of glitches and alarming considerations.
Shazia Rajan, an American touring to Hajj this 12 months voiced a few of her considerations with the method.
“Reserving the Hajj course of this 12 months opened my eyes to the inconsistency and hardship one needed to face,” Rajan states. She talked about that the method of getting ready oneself for Hajj is a frightening job already. However Nusuk, as an alternative of streamlining or making the method extra environment friendly, did the exact opposite.
“The battle of repeatedly attempting to get our visa purposes accredited, coping with irritating OTP errors, and enduring hours of anticipation earlier than every bundle launch has made me and several other folks scared to try this journey,” Rajan recounts.
Rajan isn’t alone in her frustrations. The Nusuk Hajj Fb web page is flooded with feedback voicing frustrations on the web site interface, lack of communication, and lengthy wait occasions to enter the positioning. Most just lately, candidates are struggling to get their extra cash refunded and get in touch with their tour guides. With a bit of over a month earlier than the journey, Hajjis are left with little to no steering.
Yacine Nicola, a high fan, feedback beneath considered one of their posts, “…You might have been trial testing for the final 3 years… after taking possession of the Hajj course of! Some have been saving for years and some won’t make it for subsequent 12 months, not to mention the stress that now we have to undergo this irritating course of… unfit of the Saudi popularity!”
Fareed Y Ahmed is main a group of volunteers serving to Muslims throughout North America and Europe with the Hajj course of. He’s additionally main his personal tour. Ahmed is hopeful of the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah (MoHU) and their means to take suggestions to make modifications for additional years.
He notes that the web site is loads simpler, regardless that there are person interface enhancements wanted, similar to another web site. His perspective is exclusive to Hujjaj, who has a special understanding of the web site and its intricacies.
“[We all must] enhance consciousness amongst our communities of the change within the course of and at a person stage, be accessible to assist others with the method, particularly anybody who’s not comfy with web sites and on-line instruments,” Ahmed states.
And assist is a standard theme amongst the Hajj volunteer group chats that sprout up over the primary few months of 2024. 1000’s of Muslims acquired collectively from around the globe in WhatsApp chats to speak data and notes from seminars and Q&A classes on Nusuk’s interface.
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