A man who works two jobs was included in a list of poor persons and sent to the Hajj pilgrimage at the state's expense because of a list compiled by the previous government, Islamic Minister Dr. Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed said yesterday.
The man who works as an Islam teacher and imam was found to have been included in the list and sent to the Hajj after PSM aired an interview with him. The government has been facing criticism since then.
Shaheem did not respond to calls and text messages from Adhadhu for a comment on the issue. But in an interview with another media outlet, Shaheem said that poor persons had been sent to Hajj in order to fulfil a campaign pledge of President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu based on a list made by the previous government on November 16, 2023.
"That is a list compiled by the previous government. A list that was there when we took over," Shaheem said in the interview. "How it happened is being looked into."
Despite Shaheem's remarks, nearly all island councils had made announcements for people to register in the list of poor persons. The Islamic Ministry also made an announcement in January 2024 for poor persons living in the Male' area to submit a form for registration.
The government previously said that 1,000 low-income individuals would be sent to the Hajj for free within five years. This year, the government decided to send 50 people for the Hajj.
The government has faced criticism from some religious scholars over the issue of sending poor people to the Hajj. As performing the Hajj is only obligatory upon persons with financial means, some scholars objected to the state covering expenses for those who are not obliged to perform the pilgrimage.
