JEDDAH, 14 May 2008 — Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal yesterday called for a 10-year program to solve Haj-related problems. “Protecting the dignity of the guests of God (pilgrims) should be our main objective,” he told officials attending a workshop on Haj.
The governor criticized Haj-related agencies for delaying their preparations for the annual pilgrimage, the largest global gathering of Muslims. “We mobilize our resources for Haj after Ramadan, as if we are doing it for the first time,” he said.
Referring to criticism in the way pilgrims are received at the Kingdom’s airports, Prince Khaled asked why they are delayed for four to five hours after arriving in and before leaving the Kingdom. “I think this criticism is genuine... We treat pilgrims as mere travelers,” he added.
The governor said there was no shortage in human and material resources. “The government provides us with whatever we demand. We have men and money, and we don’t have a shortage of brains or thinking power. What we need is will power to improve our services,” he said.
Speaking about the poor services offered by irresponsible Haj companies, he said, “Why do we see thousands of pilgrims squatting in public places in Makkah, Mina and Arafat? Haj services are not a new thing for this Ummah. It started during the time of the Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him).”
Considering the significance of the Haj, Prince Khaled emphasized the need to provide services in a more orderly and organized manner. “We honor our ordinary guests and provide them with full care; the guests of God deserve better treatment from us.”
He said Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah has always urged Haj-related agencies to provide the best possible services to pilgrims. “We as Haj officials should bring the Kingdom’s policy into practice,” he added.
Prince Khaled, who is chairman of the Central Haj Committee, said Haj-related departments would not face the same problems every year, if they had worked out a well thoughtout plan to tackle them.
“Every year we face the problem of a lack of accommodation, a lack of transport and traffic bottlenecks in roads leading to the holy sites. We should have a five-year or 10-year program to solve these problems.
“I will not accept that we cannot do better... I will say that we can do a thousand times better,” he said, urging Haj officials to learn lessons from their forefathers who united the Kingdom and developed it into a modern state.
The workshop is being attended by a select group of experts and top officials. Makkah Mayor Dr. Osama Al-Bar said such workshops would be conducted regularly to boost Haj services. Dr. Osama Tayyib, president of King Abdul Aziz University, called for joint efforts to improve the standard of services.
