The government should ban worshippers from using social networking sites or other applications on their smartphones at the country’s holy sites so that they can concentrate on the prayers, a senior security officer proposed recently.

Col. Badr bin Saud Al-Saud, who works for the Grand Mosque’s security force, said that people should only use the call functions on their phones. He said many worshippers think they are on a picnic, and get busy taking themselves photographed with well-known individuals.

Pilgrims taking their selfies in front the Holy Kaaba is a common sight.

Al-Saud was speaking at a seminar held by King Fahad Security College on safety and security issues in the Kingdom, according to a report in a local publication.

However, another participant at the seminar, Abdulrahman Al-Farraj, an Egyptian, opposed the move saying that people can use the applications on their smartphones to assist in rescue operations.