The first group of 325 Sri Lankan Hajj pilgrims departed Bandaranaike International Airport for Mecca on Friday night, marking the start of the 2026 pilgrimage season, NewsFirst reported.
The Department of Muslim Religious and Cultural Affairs has said 3,500 Sri Lankans have been granted the opportunity to undertake the Hajj this year, with subsequent groups scheduled to depart over the coming days. Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam and draws several thousand Sri Lankan Muslims to Saudi Arabia each year.
A send-off ceremony was held at BIA, attended by Deputy Speaker Rizvi Salley, Saudi Arabia’s Ambassador to Sri Lanka Khalid bin Hamoud Al-Kahtani, the Chairman of the Hajj Committee and officials from the Department of Muslim Religious and Cultural Affairs, both NewsFirst and Newswire reported. Newswire identified the Muslim community spokesperson present at the airport as Dr. Rizvie Salih.
Waqf Board Chairman Marshad Barry was recently appointed to oversee Islamic endowment affairs. The High Court has proceeded with indictments against Gnanasara Thero on hate-speech charges related to interfaith tensions.
