What should the pilgrim dress for females aspiring to perform Umrah look like?

Females are allowed to wear anything clothing for pilgrimage so long as it complies with a few conditions, Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Hajj and Umrah has clarified. 

The attire must be wide and loosely-fitted, it should not be adorned with decorative elements, and must cover the entire body. 

The ministry announced in July that it had initiated the issuance of electronic visas to Muslims keen on visiting to perform Umrah. Pilgrims can apply for e-visas using the Nusuk platform. 

SAUDIA Group has revealed its operational performance, during the peak of the summer travel season, starting from May 21 until August 2, this year. This was inclusive of the 2023 Hajj season.

During the time period, Saudi Arabia’s national carrier allocated more than 1.2 million seats for Hajj pilgrims, operating 79,000 flights.

The airline’s fleet flew an average of half a million hours, helmed by 1,768 pilots and assistant pilots.

The Hajj season also saw the mobilization of the Saudia Aerospace Engineering Industries (SAEI), which dedicated a specialized team to support during Hajj season. This included the allocation of 112 maintenance stations operated by 1,154 technicians. In addition, SAEI supplied the airline with 3,896 different types of aircraft parts while the time spent on maintenance amounted to 50,700 hours.

Meanwhile, the Saudi Airlines Catering Company (SACC) delivered 5.4 million meals on planes, 83,400 meals on the Haramain High Speed Railway, and 357,000 meals as part of its catering services in the holy sites, during the Hajj season.

The Saudi Ground Services Company (SGS) provided handling services for more than 25,000 flights at the arrival and departure stages, which carried more than 2.18 million pilgrims. 

"The end of the Hajj season marks the beginning of our preparation for the next one, as all stages will be reviewed and evaluated in order to further improve the level of services and enhance our performance in time for the upcoming Hajj season," said Amer Alkhushail, chief Hajj and Umrah officer at SAUDIA Group.

Mosques in New York City can now broadcast the Muslim call to prayer at prescribed times without obtaining a permit.

The new guidance permits mosques to amplify the call to prayer between 12.30 pm and 1.30 pm on Fridays and at the time of evening (Maghrib) prayers during the holy month of Ramadan, according to a news release issued by city on Tuesday.  

The directive was introduced despite sound restrictions in city neighborhoods. 

"Today, we are cutting red tape and saying clearly that mosques and houses of worship are free to amplify their call to prayer on Fridays and during Ramadan without a permit necessary,” said New York City Mayor Eric Adams. 

“We want our brothers and sisters of Muslim faith to know that they are free to live their faith in New York City because, under the law, we will all be treated equally,” he added. 

The New York City Police Department (NYPD) Community Affairs Bureau and Muslim faith leaders will collaborate with mosques to communicate the new directive to local community leaders and stakeholders, ensuring sound devices for broadcasting are set at appropriate decibel levels and in accordance with relevant rules. 

Rising travel costs owed to inflation are a concern for millenium Muslim travelers across Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia, a new report has revealed.

While, 84% Singaporean Muslims are likely to travel internationally in the next 12 months, corresponding to 68.2% Malaysian Muslims and 48.1% Indonesian ones, they would opt for off-peak travel and plan trips around a discount, The Next Phase of Muslim Travel Report, by travel platform, Have Halal, Will Travel (HHWT), states.

Only 9.9%, 11.9% and 26.7% of Singaporean, Malaysian and Indonesian millennial Muslims respectively, would trim their travel budget. 

The report, which was launched earlier this month, delves into the impact of three trends - inflation, sustainability, and generative artificial intelligence (AI), on the millennial Muslim traveler across Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. 

Inflation has also influenced the choice of international destinations for the three markets, with more travelers visiting the region. 

Malaysia leads as the top destination for Singaporean millennial Muslim travelers, followed by Japan, Australia, Indonesia and Thailand. This contrasts with Japan leading as a top destination in the platform's 2022 study, followed by Malaysia, Australia, South Korea and New Zealand.

With regards to emerging technologies, only 15% of Singaporeans expressed confidence in AI's ability to cater to Muslim-specific travel requirements, just shy of 17% Malaysians, against a whopping 73% Indonesians.

Muslim are a formidable consumer force and are expected to spend $189 billion on tourism by 2025, according to the State of Global Islamic Economy Report 2022.

Female students will not be allowed to wear abayas in state-run schools across France, the country's education minister has announced.

The directive will be enforced with the beginning of the new academic year on September 4. An abaya is a full-length loose-fitting robe worn by Muslim women. 

"I have decided that the abaya could no longer be worn in schools," Gabriel Attal, education minister, told France's TF1 TV.

"When you walk into a classroom, you shouldn't be able to identify the pupils' religion just by looking at them." 

Attal added that he would sketch out clear rules at the national level before schools reopen next month.

The move comes after months of debates over the wearing of abayas in French schools, which have already banned Islamic headscarves since 2004. 

"Secularism means the freedom to emancipate oneself through school," Attal noted, describing the abaya as "a religious gesture, aimed at testing the resistance of the republic toward the secular sanctuary that school must constitute."

In 2011, France imposed a ban on full-face veils in public places, becoming the first European country to do so.

Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation, a government agency tasked with leading the country's digital economy, will emphasize on three key domains within its Islamic Digital Economy (IDE) focus. 

The three domains include Islamic finance, halal and lifestyle. 

Syed Ibrahim Syed Noh, the agency's chairman said that it has been strategically designed to pave the way for a thriving ecosystem, Bernama reported.

The country's Islamic economy has been pivotal in its economy development, with MDEC identifying the Islamic digital economy as a promoted sector under its national Malaysia digital initiative.

Malaysia's Islamic finance assets stood at $3.6 trillion in 2021, and are forecast to reach to $4.9 trillion by 2025, a recent MDEC report revealed. Meanwhile, spending on halal food was recorded at $1.27 trillion in 2021, and is expected to grow to $1.67 trillion in 2025. Consumer spend on lifestyle sectors, such as travel, cosmetics and modest fashion, also totaled $467 billion, and is set to soar to $657 billion by 2025. 

MDEC is committed to nurturing IDE companies by offering a comprehensive ecosystem of mentorship, funding, business matching and market access, Noh added. 

"We are weaving a tapestry that fosters collaboration and effective partnerships between supply, demand, and enablers," he said, at the IDE Industry Conference 2023, earlier this week. 

"MDEC also serves as a bridge between traditional Islamic industries and the digital realm, by working close with halal certification bodies, Islamic financial institutions, and other stakeholders to integrate technology into their processes, thereby enhancing efficiency, transparency and compliance," Noh added.