All 63 Malaysian umrah pilgrims stranded in Saudi Arabia brought home

PUTRAJAYA: All 63 Malaysian Umrah pilgrims stranded in Saudi Arabia since last June have been brought home safely, with the last group of 23 pilgrims safely arriving at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) on Saturday (Nov 12).

Wisma Putra in a statement today informed that the group of 23 people arrived at 1.20 pm via Malaysia Airlines flight (MH8023) from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, after the first group of 36 people arrived on Nov 4, followed by the second group of four people on Nov 7.

"The return of the stranded Umrah pilgrims was carried out in compliance with the rules and laws set by the Saudi Arabia Government.

"The Malaysian Government would also like to express its appreciation to all parties involved in helping to bring home the pilgrims concerned," added the statement.

Malaysian citizens are advised to always obey and respect the laws of the host country to avoid any difficulties when abroad.

In an earlier statement, Wisma Putra and the Minister's Office in the Prime Minister's Department (Religious Affairs) informed that 63 Umrah pilgrims from Malaysia, comprising 28 adults and 35 children, were stranded in Saudi Arabia since last June.

According to media reports, the pilgrims were brought to Madinah in March by a tariqa group Naqshbandiyah Al-Kholidiah to perform Umrah.

However, they remained in Madinah and were not taken to Makkah to perform the Umrah after the tariqa leader was deported by the Saudi Arabia Government on Aug 20 for allegedly violating local laws.

-- BERNAMA