JEDDAH — A British Haj delegation is heading for Makkah this week. Led by Lord Patel of Blackburn, with Councilor Muhammad Afzal of the Birmingham Central Mosque as his deputy, the delegation also includes three members of the Foreign Office, eight doctors and a number of counselors. The team will be joined here by staff from the Consulate General.
This is the second year running that Britain has sent a Haj delegation, according to the British Embassy.
Last year’s delegation, headed by Lord Ahmad, helped 20,000 British pilgrims to enjoy a safe pilgrimage to Makkah. Britain is said to be the first historically Christian country to organize such a delegation. This year’s delegation is sponsored by Vodafone and the Saudi British Bank.
Some 16,000 UK pilgrims are performing Haj this time, according to British Consul General Andrew Henderson.
Meanwhile, Chinese Consul General Saeed Hong-Bin said yesterday that all 3,000 Haj pilgrims had already arrived from his country. — K.S. Ramkumar
