MAKKAH, 24 February — Some 1.5 million faithful, including a large number of pilgrims, prayed at the Grand Mosque here yesterday. The worshipers thronged the large mosque and its surrounding courtyards since early hours of the day.
Addressing the faithful, Sheikh Saud Al-Shoraim, the mosque's imam and khateeb, called upon Muslims to stand united under the banner of Islam.
Saudi Arabia has stepped up preparations for the annual pilgrimage scheduled to start on March 3. More than two million Muslims from around the world are expected to take part in the Haj that highlights Islamic unity and brotherhood. According to Haj Minister Iyad Madani, there will be a 15 percent increase in the number of pilgrims from abroad this year.
Interior Minister Prince Naif, who is also chairman of the Supreme Haj Committee, will inspect Haj arrangements in Makkah, Mina, Arafat and Muzdalifa tomorrow. He will also open tomorrow the headquarters of the Saudi Red Crescent Society in Makkah as well as the first Saudi relief exhibition organized by the society.
Abdul Rahman Al-Suwailem, president of the society, said his organization would deploy 2,000 men and 317 ambulances for Haj duty. Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd recently donated 13 advanced ambulances to the society.
The World Health Organization yesterday voiced its satisfaction over the measures taken by Saudi authorities to prevent the spread of Rift Valley Fever among pilgrims. "The spread of the disease has virtually stopped in Saudi Arabia," WHO's regional office in Beirut said in a report. The disease broke out in the Kingdom's southwestern region of Jizan last September, killing more than 100 people.
