HOLOPIS.COM, JAKARTA – A representative of a West Java-based Hajj guidance organization has urged the Indonesian government to tighten health and age assessments for elderly pilgrims, arguing that better screening would improve the overall organization of the annual pilgrimage.
“If possible, there should be an age limit, and the assessment of physical fitness to perform the Hajj should be carried out more rigorously,” KH Muhammad Syatori, a representative of West Java’s Hajj and Umrah Guidance Groups (KBIHU), said, Holopis.com reported, Tuesday (7/7).
Speaking during a parliamentary hearing with the House of Representatives’ Commission VIII, which oversees religious affairs, Syatori said elderly pilgrims with serious health conditions often require continuous assistance throughout the pilgrimage.
He argued that many pilgrims prefer to focus on their own religious obligations and are unable to provide ongoing support to those who require extensive care during rituals such as the tawaf, the ritual circumambulation of the Kaaba.
According to Syatori, more than 60 elderly pilgrims in Hajj groups under West Java’s KBIHU required special assistance during the 2026 pilgrimage.
He called on Indonesia’s Ministry of Health to strengthen its istitha’ah assessment, an evaluation of a pilgrim’s physical and mental ability to perform the Hajj, to ensure that only those medically fit are allowed to travel.
Syatori said stricter health screening would help prevent situations in which elderly pilgrims with serious medical conditions struggle to complete the pilgrimage safely.
His remarks, however, drew an immediate response from Matindas Janusanti Rumambi, a member of Commission VIII from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P).
Rumambi objected to Syatori’s description of elderly pilgrims as a burden, saying the statement could create a negative public perception.
“I ask that you withdraw the statement describing elderly pilgrims as burdensome. This hearing is being broadcast live, and such remarks should not be made,” Rumambi said.
