\n<\/p>\n
JAKARTA, Indonesia — <\/span>The travel chaos from the war<\/a> in the Middle East has ensnared many of the Muslims who have converged on Saudi Arabia for the Umrah pilgrimage, leaving them stranded and scrambling to find other ways home. Others had to scrap their planned visits altogether.<\/p>\n For some who performed the religious rituals, the war roiling the region has cast a pall on their experience of visiting the kingdom’s holy sites.<\/p>\n As of Thursday, more than 58,860 Indonesian pilgrims were stranded in Saudi Arabia, according to Indonesia\u2019s Vice Minister of Hajj and Umrah Dahnil Anzar Simanjuntak.<\/p>\n The government is negotiating with Saudi authorities and airlines to ease the financial burden of hotel and flight costs on the stranded pilgrims, he said. The government also is urging about 60,000 others to postpone their Umrah travel until April for safety reasons, he said.<\/p>\n The ministry\u2019s spokesperson, Ichsan Marsha, has called it an \u201curgent humanitarian and logistical issue.\u201d<\/p>\n Zanirah Faris, a pilgrim who is stranded in Saudi Arabia, told Indonesia\u2019s iNews TV outlet that her return flight was canceled and that she was reassigned to another flight scheduled for March 12.<\/p>\n She urged the Indonesian government to help stranded pilgrims, especially those who couldn\u2019t afford the extra costs that come with such delays.<\/p>\n \u201cNot everyone can book additional stays at a hotel,\u201d she said, adding that there is an emotional toll as well. \u201cI\u2019m disappointed because my children have been waiting for me.\u201d<\/p>\n Hundreds of thousands of people from Indonesia, home to the world\u2019s largest Muslim population, travel to Saudi Arabia annually for Umrah rituals, especially during the holy month of Ramadan. Unlike the Hajj<\/a>, the pilgrimage can be performed year\u2011round.<\/p>\n About 1,600 Malaysian Umrah pilgrims were stranded in Saudi Arabia, Mohamad Dzaraif Raja Abdul Kadir, Malaysia\u2019s consul general in Jeddah, said on Tuesday. He was cited by the national Bernama news agency as saying that the pilgrims were in good condition.<\/p>\n His office opened a 24-hour operations room to monitor the situation and channel assistance to affected citizens, he said.<\/p>\n Malaysia Airlines announced a temporary resumption of return services from Jeddah and Medina in Saudi Arabia until Sunday.<\/p>\n Separately, Malaysia\u2019s foreign ministry said it was working with diplomatic missions, regional governments and airlines to evacuate its stranded citizens, including the pilgrims.<\/p>\n Beyond the Middle East, airports in the Gulf serve as critical hubs connecting travelers going to Europe, Africa and Asia.<\/p>\n Maged Kholaif, a 44-year-old Egyptian, was supposed to return home to Kuwait from Saudi Arabia on Feb. 28, the day the war began, when his flight was canceled and rescheduled for days later.<\/p>\n It was an abrupt change from the positive mood and spirituality he had been immersed in during the Umrah, he said, adding: \u201cIt was a very difficult feeling.”<\/p>\n Stranded with his wife and mother-in-law, Kholaif scrambled to find ways to return to Kuwait, where his children are. He could feel the situation escalating as he heard from people in Kuwait that sirens and explosions were heard<\/a> there.<\/p>\n \u201cEveryone got scared,\u201d Kholaif said.<\/p>\n He decided to return overland and arrived in Kuwait on Tuesday for an emotional reunion.<\/p>\n Once \u201cyou have your children in front of your eyes and in your embrace, whatever happens next doesn’t matter as long as you’re together,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n In Michigan, 47-year-old Javed Khizer said he canceled Umrah travel for him and his family to Saudi Arabia via Turkey and Qatar.<\/p>\n \u201cWe were looking at the news and everything. We could only understand that the situation is getting worse,\u201d he said. \u201cIt was a difficult decision. … Who knows whether I will be there for next Ramadan or not? It\u2019s not guaranteed.\u201d<\/p>\n For observant Muslims, Ramadan<\/a> is a time for increased worship and daily fasting from dawn to sunset.<\/p>\n Umrah is often referred to as the lesser or minor pilgrimage and can be performed year-round, unlike the annual Hajj pilgrimage. Hajj, one of the pillars of Islam, is required once in a lifetime for every Muslim who can afford it and is physically able to make it.<\/p>\n Pilgrim Majid Mughal, 52, who\u2019s visiting Saudi Arabia with his family from the United States, said \u201cwe consider coming to the sacred land as a calling from Allah, and during this sacred month of Ramadan, I think, it is highly recommended to come and visit if you can.\u201d<\/p>\n Had he known that war would break out, however, he said he would have canceled. Mughal and his family learned of the strikes while in transit to Saudi Arabia, and some passengers on other routes got stranded at the airport, but his flight proceeded normally, he added.<\/p>\n \u201cSo far, everything is OK, thank God. There (are) no problems here,” he said during his visit. \u201cThere are lots of people during the Ramadan time. I see security as usual,\u201d he said, adding: “We do feel safe.\u201d<\/p>\n The family is trying to focus on the religious rituals, as well as fasting, praying and bonding, but it\u2019s also been hard to disconnect from the news and they have to reassure those back home that they\u2019re OK, Mughal said.<\/p>\n And then there’s concern about their travel home. <\/p>\n \u201cWe are checking the flight details, the departure details almost daily just to make sure the flights are still operating,\u201d he said, noting his children have to return to school and he has to go back to work.<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n Fam reported from Cairo and Ng from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.<\/p>\n \u2014\u2014<\/p>\n Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP\u2019s collaboration<\/a> with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n