New appointment at the Diyanet: Arpaguş appoints official dismissed by Erbaş as General Manager!

Last year, Turkish Hajj candidates who traveled to Saudi Arabia on tourist, work, or commercial visas were reported to Saudi authorities by Hüseyin Demirhan, the Head of the Hajj Services Department of the Presidency of Religious Affairs (Diyanet). This situation was criticized on the grounds that it violated the rights of those who had been waiting in line for the Hajj for years. Demirhan had addressed this situation by stating, "We have pilgrims who come unplanned and without a program using commercial visas."

In a previous statement, Demirhan had said, "There were 3-month Hajj periods. They would go during Ramadan and return during Eid al-Adha. Last year, there were many who went early, stayed undercover there, and waited in hotels to go to Arafat. We complained; they were sabotaging our organization."

NEW APPOINTMENT AND EXPECTATIONS

According to a report by Deniz Ayhan from Sözcü, the then-President of Religious Affairs Ali Erbaş had dismissed Demirhan following these complaints. However, the new President of Religious Affairs, Safi Arpaguş, has appointed Hüseyin Demirhan as the General Manager of Hajj and Umrah Services. Diyanet sources stated that following this appointment, while tens of thousands of people are waiting in line to go on Hajj, the allegations of irregularities must be addressed. In particular, it was emphasized that Hajj and Umrah payments made for influential individuals should be investigated.

The fact that Seher Erbaş, the wife of former President Ali Erbaş, had gone on Hajj 7 times also became one of the focal points of these discussions.