Menu 
On August 4, 2013, Mejlis Head Mustafa Jemilev Returned from His Minor Pilgrimage to Holy Land – Umrah
05 August 2013
Hajji Emirali Ablaev, Mufti of Muslims of Crimea met the Mejlis Head in Simferopol Airport and expressed the words of respect over one of the main duties of every Muslim – a willed by Allah pilgrimage to the Holy Land undertaken by the Mejlis Head.
Mr Ahtem Chiygoz, Deputy Chairman of Mejlis, Mr Ayder Ismailov, Deputy Mufti of Muslims of Crimea, Mr Riza Shevkiev, CEO of the Charitable Foundation Krym, hajii Enver Umerov and Mr Abduraman Egiz, Deputy Head of the Department of Foreign Relations at Mejlis also met the Mejlis Head Mustafa Jemilev in the airport.
From July 31 to August 4, 2013, during the last 10 days of the sacred month of Ramadan the Mejlis Head Mustafa Jemilev along with Mr Aslan Omer Qirimli, Head of the Association of the Crimean Tatars in Kyiv undertook a Minor Pilgrimage(Umrah) to Mecca – the Holy Land.
Mustafa Jemilev, Mejlis Head and Mr Aslan Omer Qirimli, Head of the Association of Crimean Tatars in Kyiv made their visit on invitation of H.E. Mr. Judia Z. Alhathal, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
On July 31, 2013, after completing Umrah, the Mejlis Head M.Jemilev met Dr Suleiman Al-Sallomi, Mufti of the main mosque of Mecca housing the sacred Kaaba, the President of the Board of the Islamic Association of Saudi Arabia “Calling” and accompanying him highest religious officials of Saudi Arabia. During the meeting that lasted one and a half hour the parties discussed the life and problems of Crimean Muslims and the development of relations between Crimea and Saudi Arabia.
Mufti Al-Sallomi underscored that Saudi Arabia always opposed the atheistic totalitarian Soviet regime and supported the peoples that were oppressed by this regime. There were even some periods when relations with this regime were on a brink of an open war.
Touching upon various religious sects embroiling and stirring up the Muslim ummah, Dr Al-Sallomi noted that the vast majority of these cases were caused by the lack of knowledge of the basic norms of Islam. He was sure that the number of these cases could be reduced significantly if the true knowledge about the religion will receive the wide spreading. He expressed his willingness to promote Crimean youth in receiving the highest religious education in the religious universities of Saudi Arabia. Mufti Al-Sallomi also expressed his wish to obtain more literature about the history of the Crimean Tatar people, its many-year’s combat for their rights and Mejlis Head’s own publications.
In conclusion Mufti Al-Sallomi presented the Mejlis Chairman the gold plated Koran published in Damassk and set of the most popular flavors in Saudi Arabia.
Mr Aslan Omer Qirimli, Head of the Association of Crimean Tatars in Kyiv, Delegate of the 6th Qurultay also joined the meeting.
In addition, on August 1, 2013, during his visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Head of Mejlis Mustafa Jemilev met Dr. Abdul RahmanAbdullah Al–Zaid, Muslim World League’s Assistant Secretaryfor Mosques & Dawah Affairs. The meeting was also attended by Mr Aslan Omer Qirimli.
Dr Az-Zaid told about the assistance provided by the Muslim World League to various Islamic communities and countries. He expressed his regret that the visit of the Mejlis Head to Mecca fell to Ramadan holidays and absence of the supreme leadership of the League. In this respect he suggested the Mejlis Head to stay in Mecca until the end of the holidays or visit Mecca again after the holidays in order to discuss the problems of Crimean Muslims with the Board of the League.
He also suggested the Mejlis Head describing the main problems of the Crimean Tatars in writing and send this letter to the League’s Secretariat to let the League determine the areas where the Muslim World League could provide the Crimean Tatars assistance before their next meeting.
On August 2, 2013, the iftar was given in honor of the Mejlis Head M.Jemilev and Mr Aslan Omer Qirimli in Medina in the estate of Mr Muhammed Al-Hanefi – grand grandson of Abu Hanifa (699-767) – the great Islamic theologician, founder of hanifism – the most widespread of four schools existing in Sunnite Islam and followed by the Crimean Tatars.
On August 3, 2013, Abdulaziz Abduaalem, direct descendant of Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) gave iftar on the occasion of the pilgrimage of the Mejlis Head Mustafa Jemilev and Mr Aslan Omer Qirimli, Head of the Association of Crimean Tatars in Kyiv. The meeting was also attended by the Vice Mayor of Jiddah, representatives of military elite of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and journalists.
In 1996 the Mejlis Head Mustafa Jemilev undertook his first Umrah as a member of the Ukrainian delegation and 16 years later he made it again.
Note:Umrah – “minor pilgrimage” undertaken by Muslims whenever they enter Mecca and Masjid Al-Haram mosque, but not during the sacred month of Ramadan.
