MINA, 1 February 2004 — Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd and Crown Prince Abdullah, deputy premier and commander of the National Guard, arrived here yesterday to monitor the Haj operation.
Also yesterday, King Fahd and Prince Abdullah received Eid Al-Adha greetings from world leaders including Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Bahrain’s King Hamad, Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir and Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad.
Meanwhile, Haj Minister Iyad Madani disclosed yesterday the government’s plan to construct fireproof tents in Arafat. He reiterated the Kingdom’s capabilities to manage the Haj efficiently.
Culture and Information Minister Dr. Fouad Al-Farsy condemned the Western media for the smear campaign against Islam and Muslims. “If a few number of Muslims had carried out terrorist attacks, it does not mean all the hundreds of millions of Muslims are terrorists,” he said. The minister said there had been organized attempts to tarnish the image of Islam in the West.
Al-Farsy also welcomed Western journalists to the Kingdom. “We have nothing to hide. We prefer journalists to come here to find out truth instead of depending on other sources for their reports ,” he added.
