Makkah News and Updates

22 December 2013

Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, who was hitherto governor of the Makkah region, has been appointed minister of education, replacing Prince Faisal bin Abdullah. Prince Mishaal bin Abdullah, who was the governor of Najran, will take charge as the new Makkah governor.

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah made the new appointments by issuing a Royal Decree, which said Prince Faisal bin Abdullah was relieved of his position as education minister upon his request.

Prince Khaled, the third son of the late King Faisal, has previously worked as the governor of the Asir region from 1971 to 2007 and at the Ministry of Social Affairs. The Arab Gulf soccer championship was his brainchild. Since 2007 he has been the governor of Makkah.

Prince Khaled is a member of the Allegiance Council, representing his father. He has been widely regarded by Saudis as a good administrator who has been doing his work with clarity and determination.

He was the chairman of a ministerial committee that was set up to find out the culprits behind 2009 Jeddah floods. He supervised a large number of giant projects that were carried out during the past three years to prevent flooding in Jeddah. He has won the applause of Jeddawis for spurring the city’s development.

Prince Mishaal is the sixth son of King Abdullah. He was appointed governor of Najran in March 2009. After obtaining a bachelor’s degree in political science from King Saud University in Riyadh, he pursued his higher education in the UK. He has worked as head of the computer department at the National Guard from 1997 to 2003. He was later appointed minister plenipotentiary at the Foreign Ministry where he worked until 2006. He has also worked as an adviser at the Royal Court.

http://www.arabnews.com/news/496746 December 23, 2013

RIYADH: In a rolling reshuffle of senior ruling-family members, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia on Sunday appointed his son Prince Mishaal as governor of Makkah Province, one of the most prominent positions in the kingdom.

Prince Mishaal replaces Prince Khaled al-Faisal, who has been made education minister, a move that may revive stalled educational reforms aimed at reducing the influence of religious conservatives, Saudi analysts said.

The appointments were announced in a royal decree carried by state media. Since 2011, a series of deaths, retirements and promotions mean most top government positions held by princes, plus the three top provincial governor jobs, have changed hands after decades.

Analysts have said the changes reflect a desire by King Abdullah, who is thought to be 90, to establish his sons and other allies in key positions for the future.

“Appointing a son of the king to one of the major governorates in the kingdom is noteworthy. He is giving his sons a big chance to have a place in the succession process,” said Khaled al-Dakhil, a Saudi political scientist.

http://tribune.com.pk/story/649276/s...kkah-governor/

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s official news agency says King Abdullah has appointed his son, Prince Mishaal, as the new governor of Makkah, home to Islam’s holiest site.

The new post for the 43-year-old prince, who is the king’s sixth son, is considered one of the most prestigious positions in Saudi Arabia. The province contains the Kaaba, the black cube-shaped structure toward which Muslims pray, as well as the large Red Sea city of Jiddah.

Prince Mishaal was previously governor of Najran, which borders Yemen. He takes over from 73-year-old Prince Khalid, who oversaw Makkah’s affairs for six years.

The Saudi Press Agency reported on Sunday that Prince Khalid is now the new Education Minister after the outgoing minister, Prince Faisal, requested he be relieved of the post.

By moving Prince Khaled to the Education Ministry, King Abdullah may also be signalling that he intends to revive stalled reforms to the country’s creaking school system. “Khaled Al Faisal was very critical of extremism in our educational system.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-New...akkah-governor

23 December 2013

One type of the manifestation of our deep respect and love for Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is to show the utmost respect to his name and preserve its sanctity by preventing its use for any common purpose such as calling expatriate workers ‘Muhammad’ just because we don’t know their names.

A group of students from the Faculty of Economics and Administration in the King Abdul Aziz University (KAAU) in Jeddah recently started a campaign aimed at honoring the name of the Prophet (pbuh) and are trying to halt the spread of the phenomenon where Saudis use his name to call any stranger, even non-Muslims, in restaurants or supermarkets. The name of the Prophet (pbuh) has come to denote inferiority when used in this manner and the speaker usually has a sullen expression which is not only impolite but an insult to the Prophet (pbuh).

The students started to garner support for their campaign by sending text messages via social networking services or through the mobile phone’s “WhatsApp” application where the message reads, “Assalamu alaikum, this is a campaign carried out by the Saudi community aimed at honoring the name of our Prophet (pbuh) and stopping the use of his name to call people whose names we don't know, workers and sometimes even non-Muslims.”

As a result of this misuse, the name Mohammad has come to be associated with any person whose name we don’t know and denotes inferiority which contradicts our love and respect for the Prophet (pbuh).

A long time ago, we used to call unknown people with the term, “Oh brother” or “Mr.” So why don’t we use those instead of calling the person with the name of our Prophet (pbuh).

Commenting on the campaign, Saleh Salem, a lecturer at the Faculty of Arts and Humanities in the KAAU, said: “It is a commendable initiative by our students who are aware of the malpractices of some people in our community and are willing to change this phenomenon by raising awareness in society of the importance of showing the ultimate respect to our Prophet (pbuh) in all possible ways.”

He said the campaign was expected to be launched by the students of the Islamic Studies Department in the faculty, but the students of the Economics Department beat them to it.

“The prevalence of using ‘Mohammad’ in this inappropriate way surfaced around 15 years ago and I remember we never used this name to call unknown people or workers before. Unfortunately, we as Muslims and members of the Saudi community disregarded the sanctity of the name until we arrived at a point that we began to use it to show our resentment toward strangers,” he said.

Khalid Al-Madani, a flight attendant, told Arab News that he gets annoyed when some passengers call him Mohammad. He said that when someone does that he usually points to his badge implying that he be called by his name.

“I know that it is such an honor for every Muslim to be called by the name of the Prophet (pbuh). However, the name in our society has regrettably come to denote a lowly person,” said Madani.

Well-known Saudi scholar Sheikh Abdullah Al-Muslih told Arab News in a telephone interview that any initiative based on Islamic rules, which aims to honor the personality of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) or any aspect related to him including his name is regarded as praiseworthy and is rewarded by Allah.

To the specific question whether it is permissible under the Shariah to call someone whose name is not known Mohammad, Al-Muslih said: “Calling a Muslim person whose name we don’t know with the word Mohammad was originally considered an honor. Moreover, it is not prohibited to do so for a Muslim as he is a follower of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). As for non-Muslims, it is better to call them with a title such as ‘Fellow’, ‘Friend’ or even ‘Abdullah’ as we are all servants of Allah.

“However, if the use of the name of our Prophet (pbuh) has conventionally become a norm or sign of contempt when calling unknown or low-class people and workers, it is unacceptable in Islam and could amount to a lack of respect for the Prophet (pbuh) and his honorable name,” expounded the sheikh.

Tawfeeq Al-Saqqa, an Egyptian engineer, said that when he came to Saudi Arabia 10 years ago he was surprised at seeing many people here using the word Mohammad to call workers or cleaners. He said that in his country people use “Man” or “Brother” to call unknown people.

“My son told me that his friends at school just shout ‘Hey, Mohammad’ at the canteen’s Nepalese guy, a non-Muslim, when they want to buy something. My son asked me why people didn’t call the canteen guy 'Ammo' (uncle) as we usually do in our schools in Egypt. I really commend this campaign for preserving our Prophet’s name,” concluded Al-Saqqa.

Usamah Al-Ajlan, a Saudi businessman, said that we should never ever use the name of our Prophet (pbuh) in this inappropriate and unacceptable way which indicates a lack of Islamic and religious basics of respecting our Prophet (pbuh). He said that in his frequent travels around the world on business trips he has never heard people in the West use Jesus as a common name or to call unknown people by that name.

“We, as Saudis living in this country of the Two Holy Mosques, should be the first to show the utmost respect to the name of Prophet (pbuh) and preserve it from any misuse. I support this campaign wholeheartedly. I have received the text messages on my cell phone and forwarded them to as many contacts as I could. I also suggest that the campaign be supported by the local media and senior scholars,” added Al-Ajlan.

http://www.arabnews.com/news/497146

 

Oath-taking ceremony
___________________

Prince Khalid Al-Faisal and Prince Mishaal bin Abdullah
take Oath before King Abdullah
 

26 December 2013

Saudi academics and businessmen have welcomed the appointment of Prince Mishaal bin Abdullah as the new Makkah governor and urged him to follow in the footsteps of his predecessor Prince Khaled Al-Faisal by continuing to expand and upgrade the holy city.

This comes as Prince Mishaal issued his first statement after his appointment. “I’m proud to serve this great country … I consider it a great honor to take on this responsibility of serving the Grand Mosque and pilgrims,” he said.

He thanked Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah and Crown Prince Salman for showing confidence in him and asked Allah Almighty to help him carry out his duties.

“I’m looking forward to working with the people of Makkah. I will dedicate myself to implementing the king’s policies and plans for the development of the holy city, expand facilities and improve services for pilgrims,” the prince said, while praising Prince Khaled for his work in the city.

Mohammed Badahdah, assistant secretary general of the World Assembly of Muslim Youth, said Prince Mishaal had a great responsibility because he was tasked with providing services for Muslims from all over the world.

“Makkah is not like other regions of the Kingdom. It has the Grand Mosque and the holy places of Mina, Arafat and Muzdalifah that are highly valued by Muslims all over the world,” he told Arab News. “We expect the new governor to improve Haj and pilgrim services,” he said.

Badahdah called on the governor to set up special panels of highly qualified people in all areas to advise him. “These panels should convey to the governor what the common people are looking for and what areas need development.”

Saad Al-Qurashi, president of the Haj and Umrah Committee at the Makkah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said Prince Mishaal has many important projects to handle including the expansion of the Grand Mosque and holy sites, the development of underdeveloped residential districts, and the expansion of the Mashair Railway. He disclosed plans to establish an exhibition center along the Makkah-Jeddah Highway to showcase products made in Makkah.

Hassan Al-Ahdal, secretary general of the International Media Organization based in Makkah, expressed hope that the young and energetic governor would continue Prince Khaled’s efforts to modernize the city, and realize the hopes and aspirations of all Muslims. “I also wish that the new governor implements all the ongoing projects in Makkah and the holy sites as quickly as possible to improve services.”

Mansour Aburayash, chairman of the real estate committee at the Makkah chamber, called on Prince Mishaal to remove obstacles facing investors in the city. “We have to prepare a roadmap to welcome the increasing number of pilgrims, especially after the completion of the Haram expansion.”

He said the city should provide investors with statistics on the yearly growth in pilgrim numbers, so that they could invest with confidence in hotels and other real estate projects. He said investors suffered big losses this year because of the 20 percent cut in the number of foreign Haj pilgrims. He disclosed plans to establish 3,000 new hotels in Sharashif and Dahlat Rushd after demolishing 12,000 old buildings in the area.

http://www.arabnews.com/news/498736