MAKKAH: The sight of people distributing packets of food close to sunset at the Grand Mosque in Makkah is common during the holy month of Ramadan. Although such acts are both virtuous and humanitarian, food at times goes off and the disorderly way people queue up causes injuries as crowds jostle. Packets of food are often trampled upon. More often than not, the food — having been prepared in the morning or afternoon, and left in the heat — goes bad.
Then, when the time for distribution comes, large crowds of pilgrims flock to distributors, pushing and shoving. This creates confusion, leading to food falling on the ground, and pilgrims falling and injuring themselves in the midst of hungry crowds.
On the other hand, unofficial food distributors divert the attention of pilgrims from going to official committees that have been set up specifically to distribute food in a systematic and orderly fashion both inside and outside the Grand Mosque. Many pilgrims are also seen collecting food packets to eat later — something that increases the likelihood of food poisoning.
Dr. Abdul Rahman Malabari, assistant director of the King Faisal Hospital in Makkah, said that there is a high probability that edibles — apart from dates and water — that are exposed to the high temperatures will go off. “We advise our generous brothers to take necessary precautions when distributing by choosing dry foods and avoiding cooked dishes. They should also include messages in food packets warning that the food is not meant to be kept but should be eaten as early as possible,” he said.
Najla Rida, head of the Umm Al-Qura Charitable Society for Women, lamented that a good number of donors refuse to hand their charity to the society or other official organizations, which distribute food safely and hygienically. She blamed district councils in Makkah for not raising awareness about the need to entrust charity food to official agencies for distribution. “Official organizations distribute 2,300 Ramadan baskets to the poor,” she added.
An official at the Red Crescent Society in Makkah told Arab News that the society often deals with cases of people suffering from exhaustion and sickness as a result of food poisoning and the disorderly distribution of food at sunset.
Ahmad Al-Ghamdi, director of the Makkah branch of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice, called on people to distribute food carefully without harming pilgrims and ensuring the food was fit for consumption.
“A generous donor may commit a sinful act by not taking proper care for the safety of his beneficiaries,” he said, urging philanthropists to hand their charity to authorized organizations which distribute food in an orderly fashion.
