Hajj Reflections - Saudi Arabia

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Hajj Reflections
Siraj Wahab

Editor's Note:

The Hajj is over. The pilgrims are returning from Saudi Arabia to their homes around the world. And this year's incident-free performance of a basic rite of Islam by over three million Muslims received extensive media coverage as illustrated in a report by Siraj Wahab in Arab News. Today we are pleased to share the last of five articles by Wahab that provides a wrap up of the Hajj from his perspective as well as links to his other Hajj diaries. Please also consider the insights of Dr. David Long who offered this comment in a 2005 SUSRIS exclusive interview, about what should we understand about the Hajj? He said:

"The Hajj creates an opportunity for non Muslims and people who don't know much about Islam -- particularly those people who have a totally negative view of Muslims as terrorists and the other images that are prominently displayed in the media -- that this is a gathering of 2 million faithful people in a joyous time in the 21st century. With all the strife and all the suffering going on in the world it is just absolutely amazing. It shows as much as anything can, the collective heart of the largest religious group in the world -- 1.2 billion people, more of them than anyone else. That in itself is not the lesson, the lesson is to get along in this world with anybody you need a sense of perspective. This is a great way of gaining perspective by looking at how so many people do an act of piety and religious obligation in an atmosphere of joy every year regardless of what's going on in Iraq, or anywhere, and I think that would be a lesson to contemplate."

Check for links:
SUSRIS Special Section - Hajj 2008 - Dec 2008

Hajj Reflections Day 5: Media coverage this year was greater than ever
Siraj Wahab | Arab News

It has been a hugely successful Haj. The efforts of the Saudi government have been lauded again and again by pilgrims in Mina. The organization of the stoning ritual through the use of the new Jamrat complex was excellent. It is inconceivable that there could ever be another stampede tragedy. As we write, it is 5 p.m. and the pilgrims who are leaving on Wednesday from Mina are rushing to avail themselves of transport and be out of the city within the hour. Pilgrims not outside the environs of Mina by sunset must remain in their tents for one more night.

As per the order of the Haj organizers, the pilgrims were not allowed to carry bags and suitcases with them during the stoning ritual. This means that they had to stone the Jamrat after 12 p.m. and then return to their tents to collect their luggage before proceeding to Makkah for Tawaf Al-Wida ďż˝ the final duty in Haj before they return home. Some groups tried to avoid taking women and the elderly with them for the last stoning in order to speed up the process. It is allowed for women and the weak to deputize others to stone on their behalf and we noticed that this dispensation was used more on the final day than on other days of the pilgrimage. Some pilgrims were quite exhausted by this point and needed to save their remaining strength for the farewell circumambulation. Having others do their stoning was a relief.

In the afternoon we went to Mina Al-Jesser Hospital. This is one of seven hospitals, four in Mina and three in Arafat, which open only during the Haj season. Dr. Waleed Al-Amri is the director of this facility. A Makkan himself, during the remainder of the year he is a pediatric emergency consultant at the Maternity and Childrenďż˝s Hospital in Makkah. Dr. Al-Amri is 40 years old, a graduate of King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah and this is his 12th year offering his services for Haj.

When we asked him how it feels as a Saudi to serve the guests of Allah he replied: ďż˝Donďż˝t ask me as a Saudi. Ask me as a Muslim. We Makkans take pride in serving Muslims throughout the year. Our city receives millions and millions of visitors annually, but Haj is very special. For me as a physician, I am able to offer a valuable service and I am grateful to the pilgrims that they trust in my skills and allow me to help them.ďż˝

Mina Al-Jessar hospital is not a small operation. This 122-bed facility boasts 330 staff members during Haj including 92 physicians and 140 nurses and lab assistants. The hospital also has four intensive care units ďż˝ unusual at any general hospital but part of the essential requirements for a medical center at Haj.

ďż˝At Haj in years past, we often received large numbers of pilgrims requiring intensive medical care all at the same time. That is why we need so many beds with a large amount of supportive medical equipment. This year, thanks be to Allah and the efforts of the Saudi government, this was not the case,ďż˝ explained Al-Amri. He said that the very worst year in his Haj service was in 1997, the year of the tent fire, in which more than 300 pilgrims were killed. He was assigned to Jabal Al-Rahmah hospital in Arafat that year. He remarked that such tragedies have required an enormous number of intensive care beds and medical facilities are upgraded annually based on a review of the event.

ďż˝My team was delighted to deliver four healthy babies at Mina this year,ďż˝ said Al-Amri.

According to Al-Amri, this year the number of patients treated at the hospital was 50 percent less than last year. He attributed the decline to the strict enforcement of only allowing entry to Makkah for pilgrims with permits. ďż˝Pilgrims without permits often donďż˝t have the required vaccinations. Additionally they wonďż˝t have a place to sleep or proper food available,ďż˝ the doctor noted. ďż˝We do not differentiate between pilgrims with permits and those without when a patient comes to us for treatment. There is no doubt though that pilgrims with permits are better prepared for the strains of the event. Additionally, we help all the pilgrims under our care complete the rituals.ďż˝

By this the doctor meant that for pilgrims who were admitted to the hospital in the early days of Haj, special transport was brought in to take them to Arafat on the ninth of Dul Hijjah and then return them to the hospital after the completion of this essential Haj requirement. That might have entailed the pilgrim being accompanied by a nurse or doctor in an ambulance. There is no charge to the pilgrim for this service.

Although blessedly this yearďż˝s Haj was free from any disasters, the mediaďż˝s coverage of the event was greater than ever. As recently as the late 1990s, there was almost no coverage of Haj outside the Middle East. Then a decade ago, Riz Khan covered the event for CNN and that was the start of major international media coverage of the event ďż˝ even in countries without a Muslim majority.

For this Haj there were more than 250 media representatives from outside Saudi Arabia. Associated Pressďż˝ Ali Akbar Dareini, who is normally based in Tehran, was covering the event along with a photographer and two APTV staff. This was his second time at the Haj, the first time being more than 13 years ago. He is not a specialist in covering religious affairs, writing more on nuclear issues due to his normal assignment in Tehran.

ďż˝Saudi Arabia has finally understood how to manage this event,ďż˝ said Dareini. ďż˝The organization of this yearďż˝s Haj shows the competence and skill levels of the Saudi authorities. They have become adept at crowd management. In the past, people were almost resigned to the stampedes at the Jamrat. Those tragic problems have now been resolved.ďż˝

Even as the potential for disaster at the Haj diminishes, Dareini would like to see more media attention and space given to Haj coverage. He pointed out that it is one of the largest annual events involving millions of average men and women from around the world. Its broad international appeal and impact have still not been fully realized.

Television producer Salim Salam of the UKďż˝s Gazelle Media concurred with that sentiment. Assisted by Shariah Walker, Salam was filming footage of the Haj which will be sold to other international media organizations for use not only in immediate news stories but also in documentaries and special projects.

ďż˝I have filmed religious festivals and pilgrimages all over the world.. .. Haj is of course much bigger than most and better organized,ďż˝ Salam said. ďż˝It does have commonalities with the others though such as the devotion of the pilgrims and the physical and spiritual journey involved. The rituals are different but these events all have rituals, dress codes and rules of behavior. Haj is unique in the unity of the worldďż˝s nations and the oneness of the event ďż˝ all the pilgrims have come to praise one God.ďż˝

Kasim Irikur, from Kerala in India, is a journalist who also has covered many events of a political nature. This was his first year to be reporting from Haj and he was a pilgrim, too. ďż˝It was very difficult being both journalist and pilgrim. I was quite overwhelmed and it was hard for me to decide what my focus should be. There were so many possible stories and so much to be said. I was impressed by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullahďż˝s speech on Tuesday in which he stated that extremism and narrow-mindedness have stunted the growth of the Muslim Ummah. Such understanding bodes well for Saudi Arabia and the future of the Muslim world.ďż˝

Let me end on a delightful note. On Tuesday this diarist narrated the story of Zebunissa Begum, an elderly pilgrim from Pakistan who became lost and was returned to her camp with the help of the India Fraternity Forum. While standing near the Jamrat Complex yesterday afternoon, I was accosted by an elderly woman, smiling from ear to ear. It was Hajjan Zebunissa Begum. Her Haj group had been horrified to see her dart off to accost a stranger but then there was much laughter and thanks when I approached them to explain how we had come to know each other. Hajjan Zebunissa is now on her way home and so am I. Haj Mabroor.

Source: Arab News

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