REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Board of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) - the largest Muslim organization in Indonesia - supports government's plan to ban people from repeatedly performing hajj pilgrimage through an edict (fatwa) to shorten the pilgrims queue. According to NU chairman Saifullah Yusuf, hajj pilgrimage is the right of people and there is no rule prohibiting it, especially for those who have the capabilities.

"The proposal is good, but we should carry out a study to get best solution for people's benefit," Yusuf said on Tuesday.

Nevertheless, Yusuf assessed that the tolerance and understanding should be prioritized, as well as to provide the opportunity for other Muslims who did not yet perform hajj pilgrimage. If this proposal is received by the Indonesian Ulama Council (MUI), it needs a role model of the rules, especially for regular hajj. For example, government will not permit someone who has been on pilgrimage based on government data, except for hajj officers and ONH Plus pilgrims.

"In some areas, someone must wait until 15 years to perform hajj," the deputy governor of East Java said.

NU will discuss the proposal of Ministry of Religious Affairs in internal organization for further steps to provide a better solution. Government previously asked MUI's fatwa to support this policy.

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