175,000 perform Hajj this year in India.. A new decision regarding girls

There are more than 200 million Indians who practice Islam in the Hindu-majority South Asian country.

  India, which has the largest number of Muslim minorities in the world, has removed the VIP quota for pilgrims and allowed single women to apply as well.

150 thousand perform Hajj every year

  Indian authorities said on Tuesday that they aim to make the country's pilgrimage policy more inclusive. Knowing that every year, more than 150,000 Indian Muslims perform the Hajj.

While some would need to wait years for their turn, there used to be 500 reserve spots set aside annually for senior government officials, a practice that was discontinued Monday under the Ministry of Minority Affairs' new pilgrimage policy.

“In front of God, everyone is alike, so there is no need for there to be special quotas” said A.P. Abdul Qati, chairman of the India Hajj Committee, a legislative body under the Indian government that organizes Muslim pilgrimages to Saudi Arabia.

women apply individually 

"The policy until now was that women over the age of 45 could travel in groups of four without a male companion, but this time a single woman can also apply," Abdul Qooti added.

175,000 perform Hajj this year

A total of 175,000 pilgrims from India will embark on the Hajj this year.

The commission will handle the trip of 80 percent of them, and the remaining 20 percent by private operators.

New laws on women

Mawari Begum, vice-chairman of the Hajj Committee, said the new policy was "people-friendly and more inclusive towards women."

Civil society in India also saw this move as a step for India to become more accepting of women's independence.

A women's rights activist based in the southern Indian city of Hyderabad, Jamila Nishat said "Being independent is one thing, and a society that accepts women's independence is one thing".