JEDDAH, 2 March — Saudi authorities must consider building multi-tier roads in Makkah to ensure smooth flow of traffic in the vicinity of the Grand Mosque during the Haj season, according to Abbas Chelat, an Australian associated with King Abdul Aziz College in Sydney.
“Last week while we were coming to Jeddah from Makkah, our bus took more than an hour to cross 100 meters within the holy city. This should not have happened. In my opinion, construction of multi-story roads, like those in Hong Kong and Singapore, could solve this problem,” Chelat told Arab News.
He stressed the need for building an underground railway system linking Makkah and other holy sites to facilitate traffic during the Haj season. He also urged authorities to prevent Salah in mataf (the circling area around the Holy Kaaba) during the peak Haj days as it obstructs smooth flow of the pilgrims.
Chelat called on authorities to take steps to speed up procedures at the Haj Terminal. At present, the pilgrims take more than 10 hours to complete formalities at the airport. “They should also stop the system of carrying pilgrim passports from one place to another. Instead, they should keep them either at the airport or in Makkah. Pilgrims can be issued special identity cards on arrival to present at various checkpoints. This will save a lot of time and resources,” he added.
Chelat, who performed Haj with his wife Safiya, was all praise for the Saudi authorities for the tremendous efforts being made in the service of pilgrims. “More than 80 percent of the problems during Haj are created by the pilgrims themselves,” he pointed out.
He advised the pilgrims to behave themselves and avoid pushing and shoving fellow pilgrims while performing Haj rites. “They should think of others instead of thinking about themselves, seeking God’s reward. This will bring a big change to the whole atmosphere,” he added.
Referring to King Abdul Aziz College in Sydney, Chelat said the college was established by the Muslim community in the city with the financial support of the Islamic Development Bank in Jeddah. Education Minister of New South Wales Dr. Brendon Nelson is scheduled to open the project’s first phase on March 15. “Dr. Suleiman Shamsuddin, director of IDB’s Special Assistance Office, has accepted our invitation to attend the opening ceremony.” At present there are over 320 students at the college.
Chelat, the college’s treasurer and a senior official of the Islamic Association of Western Suburbs Sydney, revealed his organization’s plan to establish an independent Islamic university in New South Wales with the cooperation of other Islamic groups. “There is good scope for such a university in Australia, which we think can attract a lot of Muslim students from within and outside the country. Australians are very keen to learn more about Islam, especially after the Sept. 11 events.” At present there are more than 20,000 foreign Muslim students enrolled at Australian universities and institutes.
According to Chelat, there were only minor incidents of hate crimes against Arabs and Muslims after Sept. 11. “Somebody threw a petrol bomb on a makeshift mosque in Brisbane. The government immediately intervened and offered assistance to reconstruct the mosque,” he said.
“Nearly 90 percent of Australians are ignorant about Islam. And we are also trying to remove their misconceptions about the religion by inviting them to our functions,” he said, adding that a number of Australian politicians had taken part in the opening of a mosque at the college complex two months ago.
There are more than 300,000 Muslims in Australia and about 700 of them performed Haj this year.
