Minister of Islamic Affairs Dr. Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed has urged the public not to spread rumours that would be disrespectful towards Hajj pilgrims.

Minister Dr. Shaheems comments come at the time when allegations have been made that the first batch of 50 state-sponsored pilgrims included a person who was not underprivileged.

Speaking to the media at Velana International Airport (VIA) ahead of his departure for Hajj, Minister Dr. Shaheem said that the state-sponsored pilgrims were selected as per President Dr. Muizzu's pledge.

"I urge everyone not to make the Hajj pilgrimage political. There have always been 50-70 slots reserved for special circumstances in the Maldives. There has been various discussions about this as well. A lot of countries sponsor underprivileged people to perform Hajj. This has been the practice in Maldives even during former president Maumoon's tenure as well," Minister Dr. Shaheem said.

He said questions have been raised about the quota for Hajj and how people were selected for the sponsorship. Minister Dr. Shaheem added that assumptions should not be made regarding state-sponsored pilgrims.

"Negative comments should not be made about anyone. The credibility of the records should not be doubted. The Zakat paid by the businesses has been distributed with utmost sincerity by the Ministry," he added.