MINA, 1 January 2007 — Charity begins at Mina. Since Thursday several groups, some Saudi and others run by expatriates, have been feeding pilgrims at the tent city here.

“Around 50 to 60 groups are distributing food, water and beverages among pilgrims in Mina,” said Abdul Fateh. “They do this on the plains of Arafat, too.”

Fateh volunteers with Al-Falah Group, a Saudi organization funded by an anonymous philanthropist.

“The man who is behind this operation is a noble soul,” said Fateh. “He believes in the Islamic teaching that charity should be done in a way that if you do it by the right hand the left hand should not know about it,” said the group’s director, Faud Al-Harithy.

He said Al-Falah has given out about 20,000 food packets since Saturday.

These organizations have played a key role in assisting lost pilgrims.

“Before the Haj starts we bring our boys in groups to Mina to give them a feel for the place and then they are trained to locate a place using a map,” said Sadiqul Islam, another Al-Falah volunteer.

“I lost my way while coming back after stoning the Satan,” said Nigerian Sheikh Murshid.

“I wandered around for a while and started feeling hungry but had no money to buy food. Suddenly I saw people scrambling to get something. I came closer and found to my delight that they were distributing free food. They also guided me to my camp,” said Murshid.

However, some of the groups were facing difficulties this year in bringing food into Mina due strict rules.

One group said that they were not allowed to bring food packets due to lacking a permit for doing so. They decided to distribute food outside Mina among pilgrims who were coming back after performing Tawaf Al-Ifada in Makkah.

After Saturday’s incident, the group decided to procure raw material in Mina itself and cook food near Muzdalifah. Yesterday, they distributed food in Mina.

“The authorities should relax rules for these voluntary activities,” said Yasser Fareed, an Egyptian volunteer.

The groups also provide assistance in the burial of people who die during the pilgrimage.