Rabat – Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Hajj and Umrah released today the conditions for domestic pilgrims for 2023, giving priority when applying to those who have not performed Hajj before.
Exempt from the condition however, are the male guardians of female pilgrims, provided that the woman had not performed Hajj before.
“Priority is given to those who have not performed Hajj,” the tweet from the ministry says. “The Mahram [guardian] of a woman is excluded from this condition if she hasn’t performed Hajj before, and the Mahram has to request an exception.”
The ministry continued to clarify in Twitter replies, specifying that a woman may register along with other women “in the case that a Mahram is not available.”
Despite reports circulating that the new conditions mean that women will not be required a male guardian, there has been no official communication from the ministry to confirm that.
The ministry also published guidelines for Mahrams to apply for an exemption, if they had been to the pilgrimage in the past five years.
There have been some relaxations to the rules in recent years, such as allowing women to perform the pilgrimage in a group without a Mahram.
Going to Hajj for women has long entailed them to be accompanied by a male guardian or Mahram.
In recent years, Saudi Arabia has been expanding its womens’ rights, allowing them to drive and attend concerts and football matches.
The progress made has led some to wonder if the country, which houses the two holiest cities in Islam and oversees all Hajj operations, will relax its pilgrimage rules for women.
