This year, for the first time, Saudi Arabian women will be able to apply for the Hajj without the obligatory accompanying mahram - a close male relative.
According to a publication on the official website of the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah (small pilgrimage) made on Thursday, early registration has opened for those wishing to perform the Hajj this season. Saudi women and Muslim women who have a residence permit in the kingdom this year, at their own discretion, add information about the accompanying person or mahram to the electronic questionnaire. The ministry's website states that the addition of these individuals by a Saudi Muslim woman is "selective". Moreover, it is left to the discretion of the woman filling out the questionnaire.
The Saudi authorities have decided "not to require the presence of a mahram for women performing Hajj this year", Deputy Minister for Hajj and Umrah Abdulfattah Mashat explained. At the same time, a Muslim woman without an accompanying person must make the pilgrimage "as part of a group of women", he added.
