ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Saudi Arabia has promised to officially add Kurdish language to its pilgrimage-related instructions, a Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) official told Rudaw English on Tuesday. Karwan Stoni, head of media department for KRG’s endowment ministry, told Rudaw English on Tuesday that a delegation from the Kurdish government attended a key conference in Jeddah earlier in the day. During the Hajj and Umrah Services Conference and Exhibition, the delegation conveyed to the Saudi endowment minister their desire to include the Kurdish language in the list of languages for providing pilgrimage-related instructions. Stoni mentioned that the Saudi minister has agreed to incorporate the Kurdish language into Hajj and Umrah instructions, adding it with other international languages. Describing this move as a significant achievement, Stoni highlighted that Kurdish pilgrims have traditionally relied heavily on guides for the proper execution of rituals. Stoni expressed his ministry’s commitment to collaborate with the Saudis to accelerate the implementation, with the goal of completing it before the 2025 pilgrimage. He noted that a significant number of Kurds face challenges in independently performing Hajj due to language barriers, emphasizing that this initiative will enhance the accessibility of the religious process. The Kurmanji dialect had been informally included in certain instructions by companies based in Turkey, but such efforts were unofficial and limited. Stoni mentioned that the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) is still deliberating on whether to include the Sorani or Badini dialects, or possibly both, in the pilgrimage instructions, as they are the primary dialects spoken in the Kurdistan Region. Every year, thousands of individuals from the Kurdistan Region undertake the pilgrimage. The annual Hajj, a religious obligation for all Muslims who are financially and physically capable, draws millions of Muslims worldwide to gather in Saudi Arabia. Pilgrims journey to sacred sites throughout the country, including the Kaaba in Mecca, which holds the esteemed status of being the holiest site in Islam.
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