Ministry Slaps MVR 100,000 Fine on Al-Hijra Travel and Tours for Umrah Mishap

The Ministry of Islamic Affairs has announced legal action against Al-Hijra Travel and Tours for neglecting 23 Umrah pilgrims and misusing their payments, resulting in a MVR 100,000 fine and a police case being filed.

Al-Hijra Travel and Tours had arranged a pilgrimage to Mecca for 23 individuals last month. However, funds provided by the pilgrims for their return tickets were misused, leaving them stranded in Mecca. The Hajj Corporation team has since assumed responsibility for the affected group.

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In a statement, the Ministry revealed that officials from Al-Hijra admitted to using the funds for purposes unrelated to the pilgrimage. As a result, the following measures have been taken:

• The company’s permit to organise Umrah pilgrimages has been revoked.
• Al-Hijra and its shareholders are banned from organising any future Umrah trips under any business name.
• The company has been fined MVR 100,000.
• Al-Hijra must reimburse the Ministry for expenses incurred while managing the situation.
• The violation will be submitted to the police for further investigation and legal proceedings.

The company is owned by Firaq Mohamed and Musthafa Mohamed.

This case follows previous instances of neglect by travel groups. Last year, police sought charges against Mashar Group after a cheque issued by the company bounced, leaving pilgrims stranded in Mecca.

Islamic Minister Dr. Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed, noting that other companies also failed to comply with Umrah regulations, stated that further action will be taken. The Minister also indicated that additional companies violating regulations, as published on October 9th, will face similar consequences. However, he refrained from naming the companies involved.

The Al-Hijra case involved 23 pilgrims, including children under 12, who were unable to return to the Maldives as their return airfare was not arranged. The group had been split into three flights for their journey, with some pilgrims also forced to vacate their hotel a night earlier than scheduled.

The Ministry confirmed that the Maldives Hajj Corporation has taken charge of the affected pilgrims and that they are scheduled to return to Male’ today.

Additionally, the Al-Mash’ar Tours case involved 50 pilgrims who were stranded in Mecca in early 2024 after a cheque issued by the company for their airfare bounced.