JEDDAH, 18 January 2004 — Saudi Arabia does not want to exploit Haj and Umrah for economic gains, says Haj Minister Iyad Madani. “The Kingdom spends billions of riyals on Haj projects, not as an investment but as a service to pilgrims,” he said.
Madani confirmed that studies are under way to set up tents on top of mountains in Mina in order to accommodate more pilgrims in the valley. He pointed out, however, that the project’s implementation would take years.
He said there was no way at the moment to increase Mina’s capacity unless the pilgrims agreed to stay outside the valley toward Aziziya which is legally an extension of Mina. “Unfortunately most pilgrims are not ready to accept this view and insist on following what their scholars say,” Al-Riyadh Arabic daily quoted him as saying.
“There are studies to open offices for tawafa organizations in Jeddah to enable them to make arrangements for the return journey of their pilgrims from the city,” the minister said.
He said there was no plan to abrogate tawafa and guides organizations. “We want to restructure them to make them more efficient,” he added.
Haj Permits
A number of companies and agents serving domestic pilgrims have called upon the authorities to extend the date for issuing Haj permits from Jan. 22 to Jan. 26 to help many applicants who have not received their permits yet. “The existing period will not be enough to issue permits for all the applicants,” the companies point out.
“Extending the date to Jan. 26 is a request of all companies and agents offering services to domestic pilgrims,” Abdul Majeed Al-Jeraisy, chairman of the National Haj Committee, said. “This is essential to help us serve a larger number of pilgrims,” he added.
Iranian Pilgrims
Saudi Arabian Airlines has opened an air bridge to transport some 93,000 pilgrims from nine Iranian cities to the Kingdom. According to Dr. Khaled Ben-Bakr, director general of the airline, Saudia will carry more than 921,000 pilgrims on 3,107 flights from 68 cities around the world. This is an increase of 22 percent over last year.
Award for Best Report
The Haj Ministry has instituted awards for the best coverage of Haj, best investigative report on Haj and best photograph of Haj, according to Dr. Abubakar Ahmed Baqader, adviser to the Haj minister and supervisor of the prize. The ministry has set up a panel to select the winners. The ministry will also award prizes to the best three field service groups under the tawafa organizations and three companies and agents serving domestic pilgrims. “The prize aims at triggering competition among the organizations serving pilgrims especially in the area of cleanliness,” Eissa Rawas, assistant deputy Haj minister, said.
Tele-Medicine
The King Fahd Haj Research Institute will introduce a tele-medicine program for the first time during Haj this year, according to Dr. Osama Al-Bar, head of the institute. Central operating rooms at Mina Al-Jisr and Ajyad Hospitals will be able to contact consultants at Al-Noor Specialist Hospital in Makkah and King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center in Riyadh on the Internet to follow up the health of pilgrims suffering from chronic diseases.
Outstanding Students
The Haj Ministry will host 100 outstanding university students, including 70 from Arab and Islamic countries. Haj Minister Iyad Madani said the program aims at bringing students of Islamic countries to one place in order to facilitate an exchange of views. The ministry has already made preparations to receive its student guest pilgrims. Students from Um Al-Qura, King Saud, King Fahd Petroleum and Minerals and King Abdul Aziz universities, have also been invited to the special Haj camp.
