KUALA LUMPUR: Despite recent tension between Saudi Arabia and Malaysia, the ultra-conservative Gulf Kingdom has announced that the 28,000 pilgrim quota for the Southeast Asian country will remain the same this year. Minister in Prime Minister Najib Razak's office Jamil Khir Baharaom made the announcement over the weekend and said it was a positive step for Malaysians looking to head to Saudi for the pilgrimage, one of the pillars of Islam that all Muslims are required, if able, to undertake during their lifetime. The minister added that Malaysia “would continue to seek to increase the figure as many Malaysian Muslims miss the chance to perform the pilgrimage because of the limited quota imposed each year.” To date, 936,000 Malaysians including 4,000 who are more than 75 years old had registered to perform the Haj, he told reporters after opening a seminar on the pilgrimage on Saturday. The proposed quota had been under some duress after a number of Malaysians had participated in demonstrations in Mecca and Medina on April 26 as part of their support for the Malaysia opposition Bersih 3.0 demonstrations for electoral reform in Malaysia. The Saudi government made it clear that it was not pleased with the protesters and had sent a letter to Malaysia's foreign ministry condemning the action. As a result, the minister has urged all Malaysian pilgrims not to do “anything that would tarnish the image of the country.”
