MAKKAH, 30 September 2006 — Speedily dodging the crowds around the Kaaba and up and down the central reservation in the massive corridor between Mount Safa and Mount Marwa in the Grand Mosque of Makkah is a group of young Saudis who push the wheelchairs of sick, disabled and invalid pilgrims helping them to fulfill their religious rites.
The young men are out to earn extra cash and so offer to push pilgrims around the Kaaba seven times and from between Safa and Marwa another seven times — a daunting task which the old and sick find grueling and difficult. Among the throngs of pilgrims are the wheelchair pushers searching for old and disabled people to help. For a small amount of money they provide a taxi service helping pilgrims perform their rites and also transporting the elderly from one place to another.
Proud of his job, Mahboub Saad is a Saudi who has been pushing wheelchairs for seven years. “I’m proud of the job I do. It’s like hitting two birds with one stone — I’m able to help Muslims perform a great act of worship and on top of that I get paid. Most of the time, the pilgrims’ prayers really make me feel emotional. When I hear them pray for me then I feel real satisfaction,” he said.
Saad says finding customers in and around the Grand Mosque is easy. “The area is always busy and as you can see there are plenty of people around you. Pilgrims are always looking for us to help their relatives who are either old or disabled. We help them to perform Umrah.”
The job that Saad does is seasonal. The wheelchair handlers generally buy secondhand wheelchairs and say that by the end of the Umrah and Haj season they are able to generate huge profits. The Grand Mosque authorities do provide free wheelchairs to pilgrims but nevertheless; many people still prefer to hire a wheelchair pusher to help them perform the rites.
Another wheelchair pusher, Uwda Ateya, is a father of five. Ateya, a school dropout, says this is the only job he can do and says he has been pushing wheelchairs for the last ten years. “I am happy with this job, I’m able to earn an honest living. There’s nothing wrong with it. Our main job is to make sure visitors and pilgrims perform their Umrah without any difficulties,” he said.
Each year Ateya buys used wheelchairs for SR80 and sells them when the season ends. “We can’t always buy new wheelchairs for two reasons. Firstly they tend to be expensive costing nearly SR500 each. Secondly, you’ve always got to keep in mind that your wheelchair could ultimately be confiscated by the municipality,” he said.
“We usually buy secondhand wheelchairs so if they get confiscated then we don’t end up crying over them. By the time they get confiscated we’ve already earned 10 times their value.”
According to Ateya, pushing wheelchairs is a profitable business. “You can make between SR100 to SR150 a day in profit. As for the last ten days of Ramadan, you can make anything between SR800 to SR1,000 a day,” he said.
Mahboub Saad says that the prices vary during different periods of Ramadan. “In the first ten days of Ramadan, we charge SR5 to bring someone from outside into the Grand Mosque and SR100 to help them perform Umrah. During the next ten days of Ramadan, we charge SR10 to bring them into the Grand Mosque and SR140 to help them perform Umrah. As for the last ten days of Ramadan the price increases to SR15 to bring them to the mosque and SR160 to perform Umrah,” he said.
Like many other wheelchair pushers, Saad complains about officials from the Makkah Municipality, who chase them out of the Grand Mosque and confiscate their wheelchairs. “I’ve had 11 wheelchairs, valued at SR1,000 taken from me in total. I begged them to consider our situation because we do not have any qualifications to find a better job. I hope that they put this in their minds before seizing our wheelchairs,” he said.
Another high-school drop out is Turki Al-Otaibi, who is a Saudi in his thirties. Al-Otaibi spent many years looking for a job but with no luck and was advised by a friend to give a try at pushing wheelchairs instead of sitting at home.
“Initially it was difficult, but with time and practice I managed to get better. I am blessed with this job because it pays well and at times generous pilgrims offer extra money. Wheelchair pushers need to be patient, and such a person could easily make SR1,000 per day,” he said, adding that the only problem wheelchair handlers face is the municipality.
“I wish they would give us a break and let us earn some money,” he said.
Another veteran wheelchair pusher is Lafi Al-Fahmi, who has been working in the Grand Mosque for nearly ten years. “There is no shame in this job. I earn for my family and on top of that I’m paying for my kids’ education,” he said, adding that working in the Grand Mosque was a blessed job.
“I earn between SR800 to SR1,200 a day. I do not feel thirsty or tired even during the days of Ramadan. This is a lesson for lazy Saudi youth these days who are not trying hard to find a job or too lazy to work to earn a living. Our only problem is the municipality. I hope they would leave us alone,” he said.
Soon a customer came and sat down in Al-Fahmi’s wheelchair and off he went dodging and zigzagging through the crowds with the pilgrim holding on tight.
