Saudi Press Roundup

A decisive approach
Following the crane accident at the Grand Mosque, Saudi Arabia was exposed to a wave of attacks from various countries. Instead of waiting for the outcome of investigations, so-called analysts started blaming the Saudi authorities.
Those countries and individuals sought to discredit the Kingdom, as if they were happy with the calamity that had saddened Muslims across the globe.
Despite this vicious attack, Saudi Arabia did not respond in the same manner. Instead, the Kingdom dealt with the situation with absolute transparency, decisiveness and adopted a humane approach as usual. At the end of the day, those rented pens and voices disappeared and expressions of appreciation poured into the Kingdom on its decisions.
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman personally dealt with the situation. He ordered formation of an investigation commission and visited the injured and ordered that the injured be allowed to perform Haj next year if they failed to do so the current year.
The decisions that followed the incident were decisive in the manner that fixed the responsibly of those who caused the incident and compensated those who were martyred or injured.
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman has sent a strong message to all: Transparency that satisfies public opinion, decisiveness that sends justice to the victim and dealing with defaulters with an iron fist.
— By Sattam Al-Thaqail, Al-Eqtisadiah

Fixing responsibility
The statement from the Royal Court did not only reveal the results of the investigation into the crane collapse in the Grand Mosque but also indirectly revealed negligence of some government agencies in supervising works of contractors.
The statement also fixed responsibility for the accident rapidly and by ordering action against those held responsible. Such decisive transparency will help the government departments and legal institutions review their performance to undertake their role as required.
The statement would not have been issued if all concerned institutions had undertaken their duties properly or, even, this particular accident would not have occurred.
There is nothing to justify the failure of inspectors of departments associated with contractors. Additionally, allowing such negligence to be tied to bureaucratic correspondence is not justifiable.
— By Khalid Al-Sulaiman, Okaz

The crane victims
The decisions, which were taken within 48 hours of the occurrence of the crane accident in the Grand Mosque demonstrated decisiveness of the Saudi leadership.
The Kingdom has one policy: No tolerance toward factors that might put people in harm’s way. The measures taken in the wake of the tragic accident has further increased the stature of the Kingdom among the comity of nations.
Since the Kingdom is concerned with Muslims outside of its lands, no doubt its concern will be more if the harm occurs within its territory.
The speedy results of the investigation foiled the attempts of those who wanted to malign the Kingdom by leveling baseless accusations against the Kingdom’s efforts to protect pilgrims.
The interaction of the Kingdom’s leaderships and other government bodies facilitated the investigation into the case. Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques personally oversaw the investigations and visited the site of the accident and hospitals where victims are under treatment.
Moreover, King Salman’s visit to the injured proved that the Saudi leadership always thinks about the welfare and safety of all pilgrims irrespective of their nationalities.
The quick and strict response of the Saudi leadership toward the tragedy was widely accepted and appreciated around the world.
Likewise, measures taken against the executors of the project should be considered as a message to those who show negligence in performing their duties.
— By Aiman Al-Hammad, Al-Riyadh

Exploiting religious sentiments
The Saudi government gives top priority to the maintenance and care of the two holy mosques. This has been the policy since the era of the founder of modern Saudi Arabia.
The expansion projects at the two holy sites never stop, as these projects are aimed at providing the ever-increasing number of worshippers with the best possible services, particularly during the Haj and Umrah seasons.
Expansion of the two holy mosques is also necessary to accommodate the number of visitors.
Unfortunately, local pilgrims have recently faced problems due to some Haj service providers, who exploited people’s religious sentiments and increased their service charges to an unimaginable level.
The government has, however, ensured uniform and stable prices of various services provided to the pilgrims like accommodation in Mina, Muzdalifa and Arafat.
One fails to understand as to what factors compelled some Haj companies to jack up the charges of the same facilities.
We believe that the relevant authorities should devise a comprehensive strategy to prevent people from falling prey to such companies. Strict penalties should be imposed on violators of government regulations regarding Haj services and to those who manipulate cost of Haj. Action should also be taken against elements helping pilgrims without permission to enter Makkah.
The effective campaign against such pilgrims saw the netting of 50,000 people who with the help of certain Haj companies were trying to sneak into Makkah.
We would like to quote Dr. Hussain bin Nasir Al-Sharif, undersecretary of the Haj Ministry that collection of amounts in excess of the set price is a violation punishable by law. The prices were fixed at SR3,000-SR11,890 for inland pilgrims.
This variation in inland Haj costs occurs due to change in the mode of transportation and accommodation facilities around the holy sites.
— By Siraj Abu Al-Saud, Al-Sharq

Fighting terrorism
We feel proud of our security agencies for carrying out successful pre-emptive operations against terrorists in Monisiyah District, eastern Riyadh and Darma Province.
Both operations have revealed some facts.
In this war against terrorism, masses are supporting the government’s efforts by providing information about the suspicious activities of even their relatives.
This partnership should be considered a success for the Kingdom as many countries have recently called their respective communities to become part of the war against terror.
Few years ago, Britain, France and even the United States urged their respective citizens to open dialogue with their sons in a bid to prevent them from getting involved in street violence or prevent them from using weapons and open a channel of communication with the security organs in this regard.
The Monisiyah and Darma operations and other similar operations in Washm, Sidair, Taif, Abha, Qatif and Dammam have proved continuation of fund raising campaigns. This clearly means financial sources of terrorists have not yet dried up and (terror) funding is still going on through diverse means.
The cash found with terrorists in both operations suggests the flow of funds to the terrorists through two sources: Cash payment or money laundering. But the most serious thing in this context is the recruitment of youth studying in secondary schools or early stages of universities.
— By Dr. Abdulaziz Al-Jar Allah, Al-Jazira

Say no to disunity
Many people use an expression “Haj is a school” without even realizing the true meanings of it. It is very important to keep in mind the consequences of this approach and to translate these words into action so as to truly enjoy the blessings of Haj.
The first thing we should learn from Haj is that Islam is a religion of equality and justice.
During Haj, Muslims from all over the world gather at one site and perform same rituals without any discrimination on the basis of race, gender, nationality or social status.
Currently people around the world are facing various forms of persecution. Racism and sectarianism are on the rise. Amid all this chaos, Haj calls on people to gather at one place and set aside their petty differences.
Haj is a program for Muslims to instill in them the spirit of brotherhood and justice. Islam stresses the importance of brotherhood and urges its followers to treat each other as brothers.
On the occasion of Haj, people get closer setting aside their ethnic, racial and economic differences. We need to learn from Haj and should try to emulate the same spirit of brotherhood after the Haj season as well.
Haj is a proof that Islam is the religion of humanity, justice and equality between people. It also provides Muslims with a wonderful platform to forge unity among their ranks.
Political, intellectual and cultural leaderships and media have to benefit from Haj and promote the principles of equality, Islamic unity and spread ideas that unite Muslims together.
— By Abdullah Munawar Al-Jumaili, Al-Madinah