DEHRADUN: Taking a cue from the Saudi Arabia, the Uttarakhand government has relaxed the rules for women Haj pilgrims from the state. The state government has adopted a flexible approach this time by giving special exemption to women Haj pilgrims.
Uttarakhand Waqf Board Chairman Shadab Shams told this daily, “Now, women going on Haj have been exempted from the obligation of many rules. Women will be able to go on Haj without a male relative (husband, son, brother, etc.), while the rule of going on the journey in groups of four women has also
been abolished.”
“Islam is changing now. Saudi has also relaxed the rules for performing Hajj. After this, the Uttarakhand government has also taken the initiative to give special concessions to women pilgrims going on Haj.
Now, single women can also apply for Haj, he said.
The Uttarakhand Haj Committee has started preparations for Haj 2023. The last date to apply is March 10.
Last year, 739 applicants from nine districts of the state had applied for Haj. The highest number of 284 applications came from Haridwar district. As many as 194 applications came from Udham Singh Nagar and 33 in Dehradun, of which 30 per cent were women.
“The face of modern Islam is being seen beyond orthodoxy, about which Muslims of all classes are now happy,” Shams said.There was a rule that only groups of four women could go on Haj pilgrimage. Now, the obligation of this rule has been abolished. “Now, single women will also be able to apply for Haj pilgrimage, which has created a wave of happiness among women going on Haj,” said Hina Azmi, an ISBT resident.