TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – Indonesia’s National Commission on Hajj stated that the continuation of the 2026 pilgrimage depends heavily on the Saudi government’s policy amid increasing geopolitical tensions in the Middle East. Mustolih Siradj, the chair of the National Commission on Hajj, stated that the conflict in the Middle East, due to the war between the United States and Israel against Iran, affects the security of the region, including the airspace for the Hajj flights to Saudi Arabia.
“The security and airspace for flights are crucial factors, considering that the Indonesian pilgrimage is the largest group with a quota of around 221,000 pilgrims,” said Mustolih on Friday,…