Thousands of Indian Muslim women embark on Haj without male companions for the first time

To celebrate this historic milestone, Air India flew a special flight from Kozhikode to Jeddah with all-women cabin crew and pilots, which ferried only women Hajjis. The ground crew and baggage handlers for the flight were all women as well.

Ramzano Begum has no unfulfilled wishes left, after she managed to make the spiritual journey of Haj last month, for which she has been saving for almost a decade. She and 4,314 other Muslim women pilgrims from India travelled alone to Mecca this year, a year after Saudi Arabia lifted the rule which required women to be accompanied by a Mahram (a male companion from the bloodline) in order to perform Haj.

Ms. Begum, 57, who sews clothes to earn a living in Delhi’s Patparganj, lost her husband Panna Lal eight years ago. Since then, the only thing she has been saving for is Haj, which is one of the five fundamental practices of Islam and a mandatory ritual for all Muslims. This was her fourth attempt to embark on the spiritual journey; previously, women without a male companion could only embark on Haj as part of large groups of other women.

In 2023, the Saudi government allotted a quota of 1,75,025 people to India for the annual pilgrimage. According to the Ministry of Minority Affairs, India sent the “largest-ever contingent of women on Hajj without a Mehram” this year.

For Haneefa Akhtar, 49, a divorcee from Baramulla’s Gund Kha Qasim area in north Kashmir, it would not have been possible to perform Haj if the condition had not been lifted.

“I have a son who is in Class 8. Either I had to wait for him to grow old or was dependent on my brothers to perform Haj. However, the lifting of the ban made it possible for me to perform Haj. I have been yearning to undertake this journey for many years,” said Ms. Akhtar, who sees the Saudi government’s decision as a major leap for Muslim women across the globe.

To celebrate this historic milestone, Air India flew a special flight from Kozhikode to Jeddah with all-women cabin crew and pilots, which ferried only women Hajjis. The ground crew and baggage handlers for the flight were all women as well.

By reaching Mecca on their own, these pioneer women Hajjis have not only managed to conquer the mental and societal blocks preventing women from embarking on the spiritual journey alone, but also paved the way for other women from their community to follow in their footsteps.