JEDDAH, 23 December 2007 — More than 1,000 foreign dignitaries from 25 countries, including a large number of new Muslims, performed Haj this year as guests of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, according to Saleh Al-Asheikh, minister of Islamic affairs, endowments, call and guidance. “Each year we select these pilgrims from a particular continent in order to help a large number of Muslims in different parts of the world perform Haj,” the minister said, refuting suggestions that the selection was made out of political considerations.
“The king’s guests this year are from East Asian countries such as Japan, the Philippines, Indonesia and China,” he pointed out. “The king wants to host more than 1,000 pilgrims from different countries every year in order to strengthen their faith in Islam and promote Muslim unity,” he said.
The king’s guests this year include 155 women, among them an Australian radio journalist, a police director from Indonesia, a Japanese human rights activist and a judge from Hong Kong, according to Dr. Abdullah Al-Laheedan, executive director of the program for the king’s guests.
“The king’s gesture in hosting these pilgrims was not aimed at making any political or material gains but comes as part of his efforts to serve Muslims all over the world,” Al-Asheikh said. He said the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, which supervises the Haj for the guests, was responsible for making contacts with Islamic centers and organizations in other countries.
“Saudi leaders are concerned not only with Muslims in the Kingdom but also with those in other parts of the world. When they visit foreign countries, they make it a point to meet the leaders of Islamic centers and organizations in those countries,” he said.
Al-Asheikh said all arrangements had been made to help the king’s guests to perform Haj in the best way. “Every year we make improvements in the programs for the guests in order to make the program more useful and interesting,” he added.
The guest pilgrims commended Saudi Arabia’s efforts to improve Haj facilities for people coming from different parts of the Islamic world. “Nobody can forget this royal gesture,” said the Australian journalist Dayan Fatwa.
She said she was very excited when she heard the news of her selection among the king’s guests. “I have a feeling that I am still in a dream.”
She commended the remarkable progress achieved by the Kingdom.
Speaking about Muslims in Australia, Fatwa said: “There are nearly 500,000 Muslims in the country and most of them are migrants from Indonesia, India, Africa and Arab countries. We don’t have the exact number of Muslims. But they are living peacefully with people of other faiths.”
Dayan and her colleagues received spiritual refreshment while performing the Haj rituals, especially while standing in prayer on the plains of Arafat. “The pilgrims who got a chance to stand in Arafat, along with millions of Muslim brothers from different parts of the world, will never forget that wonderful experience,” she said.
J. Subarja, a senior police officer in Indonesia, said she was amazed by the expertise of Saudi security officers in handling a record crowd of three million faithful at the holy sites. She described the crowd management by Saudi security forces as “miraculous”.
Subarja said she had noticed Saudi officers doing their work promptly and efficiently. “I cannot explain my feelings about this spiritual journey,” she said.
“I was very happy when I got the news that I had been selected to be among the guests of King Abdullah because I never expected that I would be able to come to the holy places at this point in my life because of the huge expenses. I cried when I saw the Holy Kaaba for the first time with my naked eyes.”
Subarja pointed out that pilgrims required more Haj awareness as many people squat in public places, carry heavy luggage while going to stone the Jamrat and ignore safety instructions.
Mohammed Butin, a Malaysian of Indian origin who converted to Islam from Christianity, thanked King Abdullah for helping him to realize his dream of performing Haj.
Butin is currently working with an Islamic organization in Malaysia to disseminate the message of Islam.
Dr. Saiful Haque from China praised the king for his support to Muslim minorities everywhere.
“King Abdullah is a great Muslim leader and we hope he can unite the Ummah,” Haque said.
