Over 12,800 Chinese join two million pilgrims to perform Hajj

• China Embassy confirms quota’s one-fourth for Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region

China Embassy spokesperson has said that over 12,800 Chinese Muslims have been airlifted to Saudi Arabia for performing Hajj where they have joined about two million pilgrims from around the world for Hajj this year.

China has just over 20 million Muslims, according to the 2013 population census. A total of 10 ethnic groups including the Hui (with a population of 9.81 million) and the Uyghur (8.39 million) are majority Muslim.

Referring to some false propaganda items in media, the embassy spokesperson said that the Chinese Muslims had been selected under a quota split up among 30 provincial-level Islamic administrations across China.

“We noticed with concern that there were some propaganda about the Muslims in China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region alleging they are not allowed to go to Hajj. These propaganda are fabricated and irresponsible,” the official said.

“Among the selected faithful, Muslims from the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region take about one-fourth of the total,” he said and added that such fabricated propaganda items were aimed at harming the iron bond between Pakistan and China.

The spokesperson urged media to quote Chinese media outlets on such sensitive issues. The allocation of pilgrim quotas to provinces and regions is decided by the SARA according to the number of applications in each province, the Hajj Department of the China Islamic Association said.

China’s national quota is set by Saudi Arabia. The department said the total number of pilgrims China sends each year has hovered between 12,000 and 14,500 in recent years. The Uyghur Autonomous Region which leads the Hajj package is followed by the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, which is allocated 2,700 places this year.

The China Islamic Association, a national Muslim organisation under the supervision of the State Administration of Religious Affairs (SARA), organises Chinese pilgrims’ visits, according to official sources here on Wednesday.

The delegation of Chinese pilgrims landed in Medina, the second holiest city in Saudi Arabia, stayed there for four or five days before travelling on to Makkah for the formal processions of the pilgrimage. As overseas travel becomes increasingly convenient and affordable for ordinary Chinese, demand is growing among the Muslim community, especially in the western regions of the country.

China has official policies to manage the Hajj and all potential Chinese pilgrims to Makkah have to first go through an application process. First, one must go to the management committee of a local mosque to acquire proof of one’s Muslim identity, which should then be submitted to the local Islamic Association. Once approved by the association, the potential pilgrims have to have their health checked to ensure they are up to taking the long journey.

Next, the intended hajji must pay travel fees to the association and then receive training. According to Hajj application websites, each pilgrim must pay a bit more than RMB 40,000 ($5,998) in advance to cover the entire trip including their transport, meals, religious garments and insurance.

Anything that’s left over, which usually amounts to a few hundred RMB, is given back to the Hajji after their return to China and the balance sheet for each year is publicised on each provincial Islamic Association’s website.

The training they receive includes China’s Hajj policies and regulations, discipline related to taking a trip abroad, and religious knowledge about the Hajj. “The aim of the training is to allow the pilgrims to understand how their journey is being organised and to enhance their sense of unity to ensure they have a safe and fruitful Hajj,” according to the Hajj Department of the China Islamic Association.

Although there is no age requirement for pilgrims in Islamic teachings, the association requires that the pilgrims should be over 18 years old, though some western provinces set the bar at 25 or 35. In some provinces and regions, those over 70 years old are required to sign a declaration, saying that they take responsibility for any health issues they experience while on Hajj.

The application process is very competitive, especially in the western regions with large Muslim populations, even though the number of the Chinese pilgrims has been dramatically expanding over the decades.