MAKKAH, 4 February 2004 — A member of the scouts set a good example yesterday when he refused to accept a financial reward offered to him by a stranded Gulf pilgrim for taking him to his camp, Al-Madinah newspaper reported yesterday. Muhammad ibn Saeed Awdha from the Education Department in Asir instead requested the pilgrim to pray for him.
70,000 Maids
About 70,000 Indonesian maids in Makkah performed Haj this year, Al-Madinah reported quoting a recruitment department official. There are at least 100,000 Indonesian maids in the city. Among them 40 percent hold valid iqamas while the rest are illegals.
Big Blanket Sales
Shops selling blankets and sweaters in Makkah and Madinah had been busy because of high demand from pilgrims reeling under the harsh cold weather. Muhammad Abu Hassan, a local trader, said the cold weather in the Kingdom had come as a surprise to most of them.
Unused Area in Mina
A study by King Fahd Institute of Haj Research has confirmed that the utilized area in Mina is not more than 52 percent of the total available area there. This was disclosed by Dr. Mohammed Idris, head of the construction and engineering research section at the institute.
said the congestion in Jamrat is due to the limited vacant area at Mina, the continuous increase in the number of pilgrims in addition to the fixed time of stoning during which massive crowds of worshipers are concentrated in the area surrounding the bridge.
