Manama: Qatar’s Haj and Umrah department says it has selected 1,500 expatriates to perform Haj (pilgrimage) in 2010. The successful applicants were among 8,260 foreigners who had applied to go to Makkah for the annual rituals.
The department’s acting director Ali Mubarak Al Faihani, the process of selecting the people who would perform Haj was electronic, with no physical intervention from his department.
The Qatari daily Gulf Times quoted Al Faihani as having said that conditions set by the department for Qatar expatriates planning to perform the pilgrimage this year included a mandatory residence of at least three years in the country.
The 1,500 expatriates have been notified about their selection via SMS to enable them to follow the required procedures with their Haj operators, he said.
Applicants had seven days to complete the required procedures after receiving their notification of selection, otherwise their place would be given to another applicant, Al Faihani said.
As hosts of the pilgrimage, Saudi authorities have set a quota for each countries to help deal with the increasing numbers of Muslims who apply to go to Makkah for the five-day, annual ritual.
Umrah can be performed at any time of the year and has no quotas.
