Colombo pilgrims arrive at Kingdom’s expense

Thirty pilgrims from Colombo arrived here for Haj at the expense of the Saudi government, a senior official of the Sri Lankan Haj delegation said Monday.
“We are very happy about the magnanimity of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah for allowing these pilgrims to perform Haj free-of-charge at the expense of the Saudi government,” Sri Lankan Senior Minister for Urban Development, Abdul Hameed Mohamed Fowzie, told Arab News yesterday.
Fowzie arrived in Jeddah on Friday, was accompanied by the Governor of the Western Province Alavi Mowlana, Director of Muslim Department Y.L.M Nawawi and Coordinating Secretary to Governor, Najeeb Mowlana.
On arrival, the delegation was received by the Sri Lanka Consul General in Jeddah, Atham Bawa Uthuma Lebbe.
The Saudi Arabian Embassy in Colombo headed by Adbulaziz Al-Jammaz hand-picked the group of 30 pilgrims from among Islamic scholars, social service workers and representatives from Islamic organizations in Sri Lanka.
Fowzie said that around 3,000 pilgrims had come from Sri Lanka and they were staying in the holy cities to complete their Haj rituals this week.
The Colombo pilgrims, he said, had come through 77 Haj operators in Sri Lanka. They were all ferried by Sri Lanka’s national carrier SriLankan Airlines, followed by Saudi Arabian Airlines.
The minister said that in order to help the pilgrims, his department requested that Haj operators charge only SR 4,250 from each pilgrim. He warned that any agent who charged more than the stipulated amount would face serious consequences. The pilgrims, who paid more than said amount, should notify the Muslim department in Colombo for necessary action.
The Lankan aide also thanked Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah for providing enhanced facilities and services to the pilgrims, who come from all parts of the globe. “There was a time that stampedes were an annual complication, now there are new improvements at Jamaraat which have facilitated the smooth flow of pilgrims in the area,” Fowzie added.
Asked about the accommodations given for his pilgrims in Minah, he said the Sri Lankan group of pilgrims would be staying well within the boundary determined by the Saudi ministry of Haj.
Nawawi said that one death was reported among the Colombo pilgrims. The deceased, Mohammed Naleem, 58, died of natural causes. Nawawi added that a female pilgrim was admitted to Al-Ansar Hospital in Madinah since entering into a coma due to high glucose levels in her body.