Hajj is a Saudi means of blackmail against Malaysia

In 2018, the Saudi authorities refused to increase the number of Malaysian pilgrims, despite the expansion of the Grand Mosque in Makkah. According to the official Malaysian “Bernama” agency, Malaysian pilgrims quota in 2018 was 30,200 pilgrims, which should have increased to 42,200 pilgrims, despite increasing other counties quotas due to the infrastructure expansion.

According to Al-Araby Al-Jadeed , “The reason for reducing the number of Malaysian pilgrims is the political tension between Malaysia and Saudi Arabia, after Malaysia’s withdrawal from the Saudi-led Arab coalition in Yemen. Others believe that it is an attempt to threaten Malaysian authorities regarding the ongoing investigations into the corruption scandal in which Saudi funds are mentioned.”