5,446 women to go for Haj without mehram, most since policy change

NEW DELHI: As the first contingent of pilgrims embarked on Haj to Saudi Arabia on Saturday, the overall data shows that as many as 5,446 Muslim women will be travelling as “Ladies Without Mehram” (male companion) for the pilgrimage, with Kerala taking the lead again accounting for 4,477 women in this category.This is the largest contingent of women in the LWM category since 2018 when policy changes for the first time enabled Muslim women aged 45 years and above, who wish to go for Haj but do not have a male Mehram and their ‘school of thought’ (Maslak) permits, are allowed to travel in groups of four or more. Single women in the same age group can also apply as individuals and in keeping with the guidelines, the Haj Committee of India organises them in groups of four or more.This year a total of 1,75,025 pilgrims are expected to undertake the Haj pilgrimage. Out of the total number of quota allocated to the Government of India (GoI), 70% has been allocated to the Haj Committee of India and 30% to Haj Group Organisers.Of the 1.22 lakh pilgrims travelling under the Haj committee of India quota, 61,625 are men and 60,810 women including the 5,446 LWM. While Kerala tops the list, Tamil Nadu follows with 368 women in the LWM category followed by Karnataka (205).In 2018 as many as 1,171 women went for Haj in the LWM category. This number was 2,230 in 2019. Thereafter for two years pilgrims did not travel for Haj due to the Covid -19 pandemic. In 2022, the LWM category included 1,796 women and this number was 3,950 in 2023 and 4,558 in 2024. Last year 3,266 women went for Haj without mehram.There are various factors that make Kerala the top state as far as women travelling in the LWM category for Haj is concerned. The dominant sect in Kerala is the traditionalist Sunni group, which follows the Shafi'i school of jurisprudence (madhhab) wherein women can undertake Haj without mehram. On the other hand in the rest of India, there is a Hanafi-dominated Muslim population where Haj without mehram is traditionally not undertaken.Other factors that come into play include the fact that in Kerala in many instances the male members are NRIs working in the Gulf, so Muslim women are already accustomed to travelling abroad and feel confident of undertaking the journey alone. Higher literacy rates among Muslim women in the state with many of them working also act as enabling factors.