South Sudan Islamic Council (SSIC) has announced the start of Hajj registration.

The South Sudan Islamic Council (SSIC) has announced the commencement of the registration period for inhabitants of the country to do the Hajj pilgrimage.

Sheikh Dr. Abdullah Barag Rwal, Secretary-General, and Head of the Bureau of South Sudan Hajj Affairs revealed during a news conference held at the Bureau’s headquarters in Juba that 616 South Sudanese had been granted permission to do Hajj this year.

“We have been in Saudi Arabia, and we are here to say that our nation has been granted permission to make 600 presentations during this year’s Hajj.”

Domestic pilgrims, on the other hand, will only be permitted to register for Hajj for nine days, which means the deadline is Saturday, June 11.

He said that anybody who is interested may register with the South Sudan Islamic Council in Juba. However, owing to the rearrangement of computerized registers, no registrations will be processed outside of Juba.

According to the SSIC Head of the Bureau of South Sudan Hajj Affairs, any interested individual must pay $5,892, which is equal to SSP 2 million, and must be between the ages of 18 and 65.

Meanwhile, Eliash Chang Gatkouth, SSIC Executive Director of Hajj Affairs, said that in order to participate in Hajj this year, persons must finish three doses of the COVID-19 immunization. He said that this is necessary under Saudi Arabian legislation, which defines an immunized individual as having received three doses of the vaccine.

“According to the authorities, all pilgrims must follow the health instructions and take all required steps to safeguard their health and safety while performing the Hajj rites,” he said.

He went on to say that the Sudi Hajj Ministry has warned the Directorate of Immigration that anybody who found fingerprints for Hajj without first getting permission would be deported from Saudi Arabia for ten years.

In Islam, the hajj is the pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia that every Muslim adult must perform at least once in his or her lifetime.

The Hajj is the fifth of the five essential Muslim rites enshrined in Islam’s five pillars. The pilgrimage starts on the 7th of Dh al-ijjah (the last month of the Islamic calendar year) and finishes on the 12th. All Muslims who are physically and financially secure are urged to go on the pilgrimage, as long as their absence does not cause hardship for their family.