SEPANG: "Every moment we were gripped by fear. No haj visa, wristbands and passports made our lives like refugees," said Mohammad, a haj pilgrim who was stranded in Makkah.
Mohammad, 60, from Nilai, Negri Sembilan, recounted that he and his wife, known as Ju, 58, had previously performed the umrah together.
He said that after failing to obtain a haj visa, they wanted to cancel their pilgrimage and return to their homeland.
They were concerned that the Saudi authorities might detain them as instructions had been issued for foreign umrah pilgrims to leave the Holy Land by this Friday.
"We confined ourselves to our hotel room and sometimes only ate instant noodles.
"Even if someone knocked on the door, we would not open it for fear of being detained by the Saudi authorities," he said when contacted today.
Yesterday, the husband and wife safely arrived at Kuala Lumpur International Airport Terminal 2 at 7pm, welcomed by family members.
Their journey back from Makkah to Jeddah was assisted by the Consulate General of Malaysia in Jeddah.
The assistance included retrieving their passports and directing the travel agency to arrange their return flight to Malaysia.
They were among 250 individuals who departed for Jeddah on May 2 to perform the haj using the services of a local travel agency.
The group of prospective haj pilgrims was given tourist visas when they departed from Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), with the reason that they would perform their umrah first before the procedures and documentation for haj were arranged after completing the umrah.
Mohammad said he had signed up with the agency after being informed that he would perform the haj using the Saudi Arabian quota for haj visas.
He said after the travel agency refused to return his passport, he contacted one of his daughters, Ena Awil, 33, in Malaysia for assistance.
"During our stay in the hotel room, we felt more stressed, especially thinking about my wife's health.
"She has been suffering from heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure for the past five years.
"She requires medications and careful observation and was unable to face pressure," he said.
Mohammad expressed gratitude for being able to return to his homeland and thanked everyone who helped.
"We will rest for a few days at home and then provide a statement to the police regarding this matter soon," he said.
Previously, Ena, when meeting her parents at the airport, said she had provided information to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and the Prime Minister's Department (Religious Affairs) regarding her parents' ordeal after their departure to the holy land.
Ena also lodged a report at the Nilai district police headquarters after the travel agency that handled her parents haj trip reportedly refused to return their passports.
