Editor's Note:
The word "Hajj" means "to set out for a place." Three million people are setting out for a place next week. That would be the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia to perform pilgrimage rituals that form one of the five pillars of Islam -- a religious duty of every able bodied Muslim male to accomplish at least once in a lifetime.
SUSRIS has been pleased in past years to bring you the insights and perspectives of many writers about the Hajj including Dr. David Long -- diplomat, scholar and author of "The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia" -- who said of the Hajj: "Although many religions have pilgrimages, the Hajj is virtually unique in its worldwide participation and sheer size. It is hard for anyone who has not been in the Kingdom during the Hajj to appreciate its full scope. How can a country with a relatively small population such as Saudi Arabia maintain such a good record in administering it each year?"
This week SUSRIS will provide a collection of articles and interviews on the Hajj to help answer that question and more. These SUSRIS items and other resources will be compiled in a new SUSRIS Special Section called, "Hajj 2008." [Links below] Today we start with an article discussing preparations for the Hajj, by P.K. Abdul Ghafour of Arab News -- the largest English language daily in the Kingdom.
Kingdom
Steps Up Hajj Preparations
P.K. Abdul Ghafour
JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia has stepped up preparations for the
annual pilgrimage, the largest gathering of Muslims in the
world, which begins on Dul Hijjah 8 of the lunar calendar.
Nearly three million pilgrims from around the world are
expected to perform Haj this year.
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah has instructed
public and private Haj agencies to mobilize all their
resources to make this year�s Haj operation a resounding
success. The government has implemented a number of new
projects to help pilgrims perform their duties peacefully and
comfortably.
Overcrowding has always been a big problem for the Kingdom�s
Haj managers. To solve this problem, the government has urged
Saudis and foreign residents not to proceed for Haj without
obtaining valid permits from authorities. Expatriates have
been warned they could face deportation if found in the holy
sites without valid Haj permits.
�There is a legal system to perform Haj and people should
know that being a pilgrim is not an excuse to violate
regulations and cause problems to others,� Makkah Gov.
Prince Khaled Al-Faisal said recently while launching a media
campaign aimed at enlightening Saudis and expatriates on the
need to follow Haj regulations.
Prince Khaled has highlighted the government�s efforts to
manage the annual pilgrimage.
�The activities of some people in violation of regulations
upsets the whole system, causing problems to legal pilgrims.
The government will not allow these negative practices,� he
said.
�Violators of Haj regulations and overstayers will be
arrested and deported immediately. This measure will be
carried out throughout the year, not only during Haj. We will
intensify the campaign during Haj as we know that there are
many people who overstay for this purpose.�
The governor cautioned prospective pilgrims against making
agreements with dubious Haj service firms and taking
unauthorized vehicles to the holy sites. He said tough action
would be taken against companies that cheat pilgrims. Those
who want to know the authenticity of domestic Haj service
agents may visit the website www.localhajj.info or contact
800-244-4480. The Haj Ministry has licensed 265 companies to
provide Haj services.
Haj is an Islamic duty that is compulsory only once for a
Muslim who is physically fit and financially sound. But many
Muslims, especially those in the Kingdom, repeat Haj several
times, causing unnecessary congestion in the holy sites. Many
of them squat in public places and walkways violating
regulations and creating problems to fellow pilgrims.
Different ministries and government departments have finalized
their Haj plans. The Health Ministry said it would deploy more
than 10,000 doctors, nurses and paramedical staff for Haj
services. Over 100 specialist doctors from Pakistan and Jordan
and 247 nurses from Malaysia have been hired to serve
pilgrims.
�The ministry is fully geared to offer preventive, curative
and emergency health services of the highest standard to
pilgrims in Makkah, Mina, Arafat, Muzdalifah,� Health
Minister Dr. Hamad Al-Manie said. �We have readied 138
health centers and 24 hospitals with a total of 3,939 beds in
the holy sites supported by a fleet of 150 ambulances,� he
said. Nearly 14,000 units of blood and blood derivatives of
all types have been stocked to meet emergencies.
Rigorous steps have been taken to implement the preventive
health care program for the pilgrims. The instructions of the
World Health Organization are strictly followed at all entry
points of the Kingdom to prevent carriers of infectious
diseases from entering the country. Besides these steps,
health officials have been keeping a watch on outbreaks of
infectious diseases in different parts of the world. �If any
cases of infectious diseases are detected they are put in
quarantine and are given treatment. Moreover, uncompromising
steps will be adopted to stop the disease from spreading,�
the minister said.
Al-Manie�s ministry has distributed medicines and medical
equipment worth SR100 million to seven hospitals and health
care centers in Makkah, Madinah and other holy sites for use
during the Haj season. �We have deployed 800 health
officials for the distribution of these medical items among
the health facilities,� said Dr. Khalid Al-Hussein, director
general of medical supplies at the ministry. The Civil Defense
Department plays a big role during Haj in preventing fire
accidents and carrying out rescue operations. It will deploy
more than 13,000 personnel, 3,000 vehicles and eight
helicopters on Haj duty. �A comprehensive civil defense plan
will be implemented in collaboration with other government
departments,� said Gen. Sulaiman bin Abdullah Al-Amro,
commander of the department�s Haj force. �We have carried
out a number of mock drills to improve performance,� he
said.
The department has set out special plans to face problems
caused by heavy rainfalls and flash floods in the holy sites
during the Haj season. Owners of high-rise buildings around
the Grand Mosque in Makkah have been asked to take extra
safety measures and keep additional fire extinguishers as a
first line of defense until the civil defense officers manage
to reach the location.
The construction of more than 40,000 durable fireproof tents
in Mina, where pilgrims spend most of their time during the
five-day Haj, has minimized the work of civil defense
officers. The SR3-billion tent project, carried out by the
Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs, is considered one of
the most important projects implemented in Mina for the
welfare and security of pilgrims. About 3.88 million meters of
fireproof material has been used for the project that covers
2.5 million square meters. These highly advanced, modern tents
have been provided with 42,000 air-conditioners, 240,000
electric lamps and 170,000 fire extinguishing hoses.
The Kingdom has spent more than SR25 billion in developing the
desert valley of Mina into a modern city with state-of-the-art
infrastructure facilities including flyovers and tunnels, and
water and electricity networks. The newly established
high-tech Jamrat Bridge with four levels is another milestone
in the planning of Mina.
Furthermore, to ensure smooth movement of pilgrims in Mina,
especially near the Jamrat bridge, the government has
introduced luggage storage facilities in the Jamrat area and
other locations.
�Past experiences have shown that some of the unfortunate
incidents that took place in the stoning area were mainly due
to pilgrims carrying their luggage when performing the stoning
rituals,� Dr Habib Zainul Abideen, deputy minister of
municipal and rural affairs said. �Pilgrims will be
instructed to keep their luggage in the new baggage storage
centers. They can carry their travel documents and other
valuables in a backpack while performing the stoning
ritual,� he said.
Source: Arab
News
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