Cheap and easy pilgrimage should be provided for the people

The first meeting of the National Pilgrimage Council after a two-year break was held in the presence of the President in the holy city of Mashhad, where decisions were made to facilitate travel and reduce pilgrims’ expenses.

Hojjat-ul-Islam Seyyed Ibrahim Ra’isi considered the desire of the hearts of the people to visit the shrine of the Imams (as) as a deeply religious and cultural tendency and stated: “We must provide the grounds for cheap and easy pilgrimage for the people.”

“People have expressed their love for Imam Reza (as) and other infallible Imams with all the hardships and hardships that have befallen them, and they come to visit with different means and different financial and economic conditions,” he said.

“In recent years, despite the problems caused by the corona, the love of pilgrimage has not cooled at all, and people have always tried to express their heartfelt devotion to Imam Reza and the Imams (as) in various ways,” he added.

“It is necessary to have a clear and accurate statistical analysis of the pilgrimage so that we can follow up on the relevant matters,” said Hojjat al-Islam Ra’isi, referring to the working group’s proposals to facilitate the pilgrimage and pay attention to its cultural dimensions.

Pointing to the importance of the role of media and art in promoting the culture of pilgrimage, he said: “It is necessary for the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance and the Ministry of Tourism and Radio and Television to find a more serious and effective relationship with the issue of pilgrimage.”

“Pilgrimage to the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them) is a great potential that can bring peace to the country and play an important role in promoting morality, spirituality and culture,” the president said.

Hojjatoleslam Ra’isi, while stating that it is necessary to pay attention to the economy of pilgrimage, said: “One of the things that should be done in the relevant working group is to identify how the ministries of culture and economy relate to this issue to determine what role each ministry can play in this regard.” “To play.”

“The movement of pilgrims from origin to destination should be facilitated, and this facilitation should literally reduce the cost of air and land travel and accommodation for pilgrims,” ​​he noted.

“Cheap and easy pilgrimage requires a mechanism that all agencies must be activated in order for this to happen, which can have very valuable effects,” he added.

Referring to the importance of souvenirs in accordance with Islamic culture for pilgrims, Hojjatoleslam Ra’isi said: “Unfortunately, the bazaar of pilgrimage cities has become a place for selling goods from different countries that have nothing to do with our culture, but souvenirs provided by pilgrims should be appropriate for pilgrimage, culture “And it should be religious and national teachings, and paying attention to this issue is in fact paying attention to the economy and culture of pilgrimage.”

He stressed the importance of using people’s capacities for cultural, social and economic activities and said: “In different eras, people have been the center of pilgrimage and services to pilgrims, and now many investors and entrepreneurs are eager to participate in this field.” “And the role of the people in this area must be properly defined.”

“The structure of the working group needs to be reviewed, and some cultural and economic institutions should be added to this working group,” the president stressed, strengthening the position and structure of the pilgrimage working group.

Hojjatoleslam Ra’isi also asked the pilgrimage working group that their approvals should not be related only to the city of Mashhad and that other Imams should also be considered.

In this meeting, in addition to the President, the Ministers of Culture and Islamic Guidance, Cultural Heritage and Tourism, Roads and Urban Development, the Head of the Program and Budget Organization, the Executive Vice President and the Head of the Office of the President, the governors of Khorasan Razavi, Fars and Qom, Astan Moqaddas Razavi Khorasan Razavi province was present, each member expressed their views and latest measures to facilitate the conditions of pilgrimage in pilgrimage cities, especially Mashhad, Qom and Shiraz.