Makkah News and Updates

September 05, 2013

MAKKAH – The Administrative Court here Thursday overturned Ministry of Haj’s decision to dissolve the Board of Directors of South Asian Pilgrims Tawafa Establishment.

The board was dissolved at the end of last Haj year.

Thursday’s ruling allows the ministry to appeal the verdict within 30 days. Ali Saleh Al-Khalifa, lawyer for the group of mutawwifs who filed the lawsuit against the ministry, said the verdict quashes the decision purportedly taken by the ministry in public interest. But the court ruled that this premise was insufficient and groundless.

Al-Khalifa said the ministry took the decision hastily without conducting a proper investigation. Similarly, the lawyer said, the ministry’s criminal theory was also not established. The ministry had malafide intentions behind its decision, the lawyer maintained.

Al-Khalifa said the ministry failed to prove criminal intent of the board when it accommodated pilgrims from other nationalities in residences earmarked for pilgrims from Gulf countries. This aberration, he said, does not warrant dissolving the board. “Proper investigations and penalties would have been enough,” he said.

He said the Ministry of Haj erred in taking a decision without investigation. What is intriguing, he said, tis that the ministry set up a probe committee after taking the decision to dissolve the board.

http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index...20130906179486

First Batch of Pilgrims Arrives in Madinah

Friday 6 September 2013

he Al-Haramain Train Project, which is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2014, is expected to reduce traffic jams on highways leading to Makkah, Madinah, Jeddah and Rabigh by up to 80 percent.

In an interview with Arab News, Muhammad Madani, director-general of the Makkah Transport and Road Department, said he expects 100 percent commuter usage of the train service once it is operational.

“There will be full occupancy of these trains, especially by pilgrims performing Haj or Umrah. The service will cut down distances between the four major cities by 80 percent, especially during the Haj and Umrah seasons,” he said.

“Traveling between Jeddah and Makkah would take a maximum of 25 minutes, 50 minutes to Madinah and 25 minutes to Rabigh. Construction work is well under way, with shifts around the clock. So far, we have completed about 40 percent of total construction work. The project is estimated to be worth SR62 billion and will be implemented in three phases. The line has four tracks. There will be 88 stations, 22 of which will be underground,” he added.

“There will be mosques, a helipad and a number of bays for trains at both arrival and departure terminals. There will also be short-stay and long-stay parking lots, a VIP lounge and many stores, restaurants and cafes, for the convenience of passengers.”

The Makkah–Madinah stations were awarded to the Bin Laden Group, while the Rabigh and Jeddah stations were awarded to Saudi Oger. There is a fifth station being constructed at King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah.

Abd Al-Rahman Niazi, a Makkah resident, said he witnessed the implementation of the project in various stages. “It’s a huge project and I am sure it will bear economic fruit. My work requires me to travel continuously between Makkah, Madinah and Rabigh. I do not like to travel by plane since it’s difficult to get a booking. I use my car a lot, so I know what it means to get caught in a nasty travel jam, not to mention the many traffic tickets I get because of speeding. The Al-Haramain train will solve all these problems in a single stroke,” he said.

http://www.arabnews.com/news/463709

Masjid al Haram


First Saudi Extension










King Fahd extension

Saturday 7 September 2013

Haj Minister Bandar Hajjar has instructed his officials to provide extra space to foreign pilgrims at Mina and other holy sites by allotting them 50 percent of tent space dedicated to domestic pilgrims.

The move comes following government cuts to the number of domestic Hajis this year by 50 percent as a result of ongoing expansion work at the Grand Mosque in Makkah.

“We have already begun allocating extra space in Mina among the six Tawafa organizations that serve pilgrims from Arab states, south Asia, southeast Asia, Iran, Africa, Turkey, Europe and the US,” he said.

“The extra space has been distributed on the basis of the numbers of pilgrims served by each Tawafa organization,” he said, adding that the move would help reduce congestion at pilgrim camps.

Deputy Haj Minister Hatim Qadi said domestic Haj firms would serve nearly 100,000 pilgrims this year. Saudis and expats intending to perform the pilgrimage should obtain Haj permits to avoid punishment. Saudi authorities have warned that expats violating Haj rules would be deported immediately and banned from entering the Kingdom for 10 years.

Qadi said the ministry’s teams would conduct regular field tours of the camps to make sure the organizations provide the guests of God with services. “We’ll refer cases of violators to a three-member committee consisting of the Ministries of Interior, Haj and the Commerce and Industry to take punitive action against them,” he added.

The ministry has temporarily closed down 304 branch offices of domestic pilgrim service firms, including 94 in Jeddah, 50 in Riyadh, 32 in Makkah, 19 in Madinah and 17 in Dammam, to reduce the number of domestic Hajis.

Muhammad Basarawi, spokesman of the Guides Organization in Madinah, said a new group of Malaysian pilgrims would arrive at Prince Muhammad International Airport Saturday morning. “We have made arrangements to host more than 1.28 million foreign pilgrims this year. From among them, 368,283 pilgrims will arrive at Madinah Airport,” he added.

http://www.arabnews.com/news/463834

Saturday 7 September 2013

The first group of 120 South African pilgrims will arrive at Madinah International Airport on Saturday, South African Consul General Ebrahim Edries announced this here.

Traditionally, South African pilgrims have been among the first to arrive in the Kingdom to perform Haj, and the first to depart, he said.

Edries said some South African pilgrims were disappointed they had their Haj accreditation withdrawn at the last minute, but understood it was done because of the expansion under way at the Grand Mosque.

He said many hope now that a larger Haj contingent would be allowed into the Kingdom next year.

He said South African pilgrims have an unblemished record in not having recorded any overstayers. This was testament to the excellent cooperation and assistance developed over many years between the South African Haj and Umrah Council, now renamed Office of Haj Affairs of South Africa, and the Moassasa under the leadership of Sheikh Abdul Wahid Saifudeen, and Office No. 1 under the leadership of the Qattan brothers.

Edries thanked the Saudi leadership including Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, the crown prince and the Makkah governor for initiating improvements in Makkah and helping pilgrims successfully complete their rituals.

South African pilgrims will travel to the Kingdom on commercial flights. About 90 percent will travel directly to Madinah and then proceed to Makkah. They will later move to Aziziyah to prepare for the culmination of Haj on the plains of Arafat.

http://www.arabnews.com/news/463822

7 September 2013

MAKKAH/MADINAH — The Ummah is passing through difficult times and it is for all Muslims to stay away from sedition and all those elements who incite hatred and propagate devilish ideas to confuse them, imam of the Grand Mosque said in his Friday sermon.

Sheikh Salih Al-Talib warned the Muslims to guard against those spreading malicious propaganda on social networks and other media tools. Most of the stories appearing in media these days do not contain a shred of truth, but are mostly based on hearsay, gossip and rumor, he said.

It is always better to verify any such report before jumping to conclusions or passing it on to others, he said.

Muslims should always seek advice from scholars on contentious issues, he added.

“In times of sedition, we see people who defame Muslims and try to confuse believers by distorting facts about the true meaning of Islam. One should be fair when giving an opinion on a certain issue,” Sheikh Al-Talib said.

When seditions spread and murky times set in and the entire Ummah goes through difficult times and it becomes tough for the believers to sift right from wrong. When doubt is created in the mind, recourse to Almighty Allah is best, he said.

These days, he said, some Muslim countries are experiencing political turmoil. As no one knows the true intention of those who write and spread canard on the social media, some Muslims might go astray and resort to cause commotion based on false reports, he warned.

He called upon Muslims to be patient and cling to their religion and never give up hope because only the pious people are destined to win at the end of the day. He warned Muslims against fabricating news and spreading it on social media websites.

In Madinah, Sheikh Salah Al-Budair, Prophet’s Mosque’s imam, urged Muslims to be pious and keep away from sins and seek repentance from Allah.

The worldy life is short; therefore, a Muslim should not engage in trivial things and should make the best of his time in obeying the commands of Allah and following the path shown by Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), Sheikh Al-Budair said.

http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index...20130907179603

 

Masjid Aisha / Masjid Taneem, Makkah

 

Saturday 7 September 2013

Pakistani Ambassador Muhammad Naeem Khan will welcome the first group of Pakistani Haj pilgrims at Jeddah airport on Monday.

Officials at the Pakistan Embassy told Arab News that 229,000 Pakistanis would perform Haj this year. “The first flight of Haj pilgrims from Lahore arrives on Sept. 9 in Jeddah. In all, 143,000 Pakistanis would perform Haj under the government quota, while over 86,000 pilgrims will be visiting under the private tour operators’ quota,” the officials said.

They said that the PIA will operate a total of 214 Haj flights to Jeddah and Makkah, while Shaheen Air and Saudi Arabian Airlines would operate Haj flights from Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Peshawar, Quetta, Multan and Sialkot.

“The government of Pakistan, the embassy in Riyadh and the consulate general in Jeddah will provide facilities for Haj pilgrims. Efforts have been made to make the 2013 Haj an exemplary event,” the officials said.

Around 1,000 scouts from Pakistan and 900 from Saudi Arabia have been selected to extend assistance to the pilgrims, while 432 medical missions have been set up in the Kingdom for the benefit of the guests of God.

The Pakistan Ministry of Religion has issued a statement informing Haj pilgrims that the ministry has introduced the Electronic Haj Monitoring System (EHMS) to assist them.

“The system would help Haj pilgrims to register their complaints online regarding any difficulties, and the staff deputed in Pakistan will also try to address their grievances,” the statement said.

“Pilgrims can make free calls around the clock on 08007700 in Pakistan and on 088116622 while in Saudi Arabia to register their complaints.”

The Saudi Arabia has reduced the number of pilgrims by about 20 percent this year due to the deadly coronavirus disease and expansion works at the Grand Mosque in Makkah.

http://www.arabnews.com/news/463821

Sunday 8 September 2013

The first group of 235 Indian pilgrims arrived on an Air India flight in Madinah on Saturday from Goa.

According to Irshad Ahmad, consul for press and information at the Indian Consulate in Jeddah, Ambassador Hamid Ali Rao and Consul General Faiz Ahmad Kidwai welcomed the pilgrims.

The oldest pilgrim is an 82-year-old woman named Aisamma, and the youngest a 24-year-old man named Fawaz. A medical team, with male and female doctors and nurses, was present at the airport. All the pilgrims were in good health and looking forward to performing their Haj rites.

Ahmad said there are 10 housing groups for Indian pilgrims in Madinah. The first batch of pilgrims will stay with Ilyas Group in a building called Safia Ilyas in the Markazia area.

After spending eight days there, they will proceed to Makkah by road.
Welcoming the pilgrims, Rao wished them good health and hoped they would perform their pilgrimage with ease.

Ahmad said an online complaint management system has been provided in both Madinah and Makkah to address any complaints from pilgrims.
Besides the main Indian Haj offices in Makkah and Madinah, there are five branch offices in Madinah, five branch dispensaries and a 10-bed dispensary. There are 13 branch offices in Makkah, 13 branch dispensaries, one 50-bed hospital and one 30-bed hospital in Azizia.

The pilgrims can obtain Adahi coupons (for sacrificial animals) from branch offices in Madinah and Makkah.

They also have the facility to check-in baggage remotely in Makkah and Madinah. All pilgrims will be given cans of Zamzam when they leave for home.
There will be 193 flights to Madinah bringing in 60,800 pilgrims. Air India will fly 88 flights to Madinah and Saudia 105.

http://www.arabnews.com/news/463917

For centuries pilgrims converge towards Makkah through the narrow Mina Valley. Their arrival at Mina marks the beginning of the Hajj. Then for a short time the topography of the place is overwhelmed by housing millions of believers. For only three days Mina is the biggest and most impressive tent city of the world.

April 16, 1997 was a terrible day in the history of the Hajj. The huge tented city in Mina, which accommodates hundreds of thousands of pilgrims, was shaken by an explosion. Shortly after the midday prayer gas bottles exploded in the scorching heat. Strong winds carried the flames through the camp, and 30,000 tents caught fire. Panic broke out among the pilgrims. Hundreds died, thousands were injured. As some two million believers were expected for the spring of 1998, and since the host country of Saudi Arabia is responsible for the security of the holy places, a solution had to be found as quickly as possible to prevent such disasters from ever happening again.

With its proposal to build new, incombustible tents, SL Rasch prevailed over other suggestions from all over the world and was commissioned to realize the project. The considerable experience in the use of membranes for construction and decades of intensive, research on the critical problems facing the Hajj, enabled the team to develop fireproof tents that are in conformity with traditional pilgrims’ tents. In this way the most modern art of engineering converged in harmony with traditional architecture.

Description

In reference to the traditional Hajj tent and to satisfy the needs of pilgrims’ families and groups, twelve different types of tents were designed, based on the 4 x 4 m module. The typical pointed shape was retained, but received a protected ventilation opening around the top of the mast. In not more than seven months the first 10,000 tents for 500,000 people were produced and built on a new town plan.

To handle this task, new factories had to be built, to produce the necessary amount of Teflon coated glass fiber fabric, in patterns as prescribed by SL Rasch. A total of 40,000 new, fireproof tents were built. The tents’ module was a square of 8 x 8 meters. Steel frames fixed to concrete foundations support the membrane walls and the roof, which is suspended from a mast in the center.

Wiring for the illumination of the tents passes through the tubes of the structure. In addition to natural ventilation a desert cooler mounted on the roof edge supplies air conditioning for each tent. The 8 x 8 m tents can be subdivided by canvas into 4 x 4 m spaces. Several tents can be combined to larger units. Walls can be rolled up for better ventilation. When the pilgrims have left, the tent walls are rolled up and carefully stored under the tent roofs. This way the tent city of Muna has become a permanent installation. But the chosen form keeps the Hajj-tradition and safeguards a very old man-made landscape. In recent time plans for two-floor tents are being developed, to accommodate ever increasing crowds of pilgrims safely and comfortably, but without destroying the character of the valley and the tent city.

http://www.sl-rasch.de/p_175.html

9 September 2013 - 04 Thul-Qedah 1434 H

MAKKAH – Work on the demolition of two minarets close to Al-Umrah Gate of the Grand Mosque started on Sunday so as to facilitate the ongoing expansion of the mataf (circumambulation area around the Holy Ka’aba).

Electricity to the minarets has been disconnected. Engineers and technicians from the company, which is implementing the expansion of the Grand Mosque and the mataf, have started removing loudspeakers, lamps and electrical appliances from the minarets.

Work is progressing under the supervision of officials and experts from a specialized committee under the contracting company, and that is in coordination with the Presidency for the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques.

The minarets will be reconstructed after completion of the mataf expansion, according to well-informed sources.

Sheikh Abdul Rahman Al-Sudais, head of the Presidency, said that the demolition work of the minarets will be carried out without causing any disturbance to pilgrims and visitors to the Grand Mosque.

“As part of the tradition of the Presidency in preserving the remains of the Grand Mosque, the pillars of the old mosque and minarets and carvings on them will be packed and kept safely,” he said.

The Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah are currently witnessing the largest-ever expansions in their history, and that will increase their capacity to more than two million worshipers each.

Tipped as the ‘Project of the Century,’ the King Abdullah Expansion of the Grand Mosque is estimated to cost more than SR100 billion. The total area of the existing mosque is 356,000 square meters with a capacity to accommodate 770,000 worshipers while the new expansion will accommodate an additional 1.2 million. The project includes expansion of mataf in order to increase its capacity from 48,000 to 130,000 per hour.

http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index...20130909179837

9 September 2013

Saudi Arabia is determined to make this year’s pilgrimage free of illegal Hajis as senior security officials vowed that they would apply advanced technology to stop individuals trying to sneak into the holy sites without permits.

“We will apply advanced technologies for the first time this year to detect fake Haj permits,” said Maj. Gen. Ayed Al-Harbi, commander of the Passport Department’s Haj force and its assistant director general.

He said the new technologies would help security officers at checkpoints carry out their mission efficiently. “They will also be provided with devices to check fingerprints of illegal pilgrims trying to enter the holy sites,” he said. “Data of violators will be uploaded onto the electronic system to deport them.”

Al-Harbi’s statement follows a stern warning issued by Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal that expats violating Haj rules would be deported immediately and banned for 10 years. The governor also warned Saudi drivers carrying illegal pilgrims, saying they would face maximum punishment. Fake Haj service operators will be arrested and face punitive action.

Al-Harbi said adequate number of officers would be deployed at eight Makkah entrances: Shumaysi Saree, Shumaysi Qadeem, Bahitah, Taneem, Kaakiyah, Al-Karr, Husseiniyah and Akishiyah. Helicopters will be used to monitor illegals using desert paths.

“We’ll also deploy female officers at all entry points to check women pilgrims,” said Maj. Gen. Al-Harbi. “We’ll not allow anybody to cross checkpoints without being checked for IDs and Haj permits,” he said, adding that violators would be denied services such as iqama renewal and transfer of sponsorships.

Hundreds of foreign pilgrims have already arrived for Haj which begins on Oct. 13. This year the number of pilgrims will be less than last year’s as the government has slapped a 20 percent cut on foreign pilgrims and 50 percent cut on domestic pilgrims because of ongoing expansion work at the Grand Mosque in Makkah.

Investors in the housing sector said they would suffer a loss of SR2 billion as they had signed contracts with hotels for accommodation of pilgrims before the decision to slash the number of pilgrims.

“We have to pay the amount to hotel owners in accordance with the contracts or face imprisonment,” one investor said. Sharief Mansour, head of the real estate committee at Makkah Chamber, urged the government to intervene to offset the losses of investors.

http://www.arabnews.com/news/463991

Monday 9 September 2013

The Second World Congress on Mass-Gathering Medicine will be held in Riyadh on Sept. 21, the Ministry of Health (MoH) announced on Sunday.
Dr. Ziad Al-Memish, MOH undersecretary to Public Health, said that the three-day event will be held under the patronage of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah and also thanked the Saudi leadership and Health Minister Dr. Abdullah Al- Rabeeah for giving their fullest cooperation in this effort.

Al-Rabeeah has appointed a high-powered committee headed by Al-Memish to make organizational arrangements for the event. It has several sub-committees headed by heads of departments. The conference is expected to be attended by the secretary general of the Arab League, the GCC secretary general, the director-general of the World Health Organization and the regional director of the WHO’s Eastern Mediterranean Office in Alexandria.

Other attendees will include health ministers from the United States, France, Cuba, Canada, Turkey, Malaysia, Pakistan, Indonesia and South Korea.
Al-Memish said that the conference aims to study ways and means to enhance the effectiveness of health measures taken to deal with mass gatherings during the Umrah and Haj seasons.

The Kingdom, he said, will be in a position to project its experience in handling mass gatherings. “International experts could enlighten us more on our experiences for the benefit of the other participating countries,” he noted.

The first conference on the impact of mass gatherings on public health was held in Jeddah in 2010 under the patronage of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah.

It was attended by more than 500 experts and 30 speakers and specialists from all over the world. It was decided to establish a Kingdom-based international referential entity specialized in mass-gathering medicine. Such an entity is to be tasked with the classification and definition of the concepts, tasks and activities of mass health.

It shall also be responsible for spreading the culture, programs and regulations of mass-gathering health, all of which based on the premises and output of the considerable, fact-based researches.

The conference adopted the Jeddah Declaration on mass-gathering health, the first regional and global declaration emphasizing the importance of providing holistic and health care services to beneficiaries. The most tangible outcome of the conference were the strategies and benefits gleaned for upgrading mass-gathering medicine worldwide, Al-Memish said, emphasizing the need to establish an international reference authority for mass-gathering medicine, which would preferably be based in the Kingdom.

This authority would be commissioned with several tasks, such as classifying and defining tasks and missions of mass-gathering health, developing mass-gathering health culture, developing programs and systems based on the coordinates and outputs of potential and established research, conducting in-depth analytical studies on aspects of mass-gathering health and creating a database to study and monitor the present situation to assess the extent of progress achieved in embedding this concept.

“The recommendations also called for feedback and futuristic studies, adopting measures to redress health systems on the national, regional and international levels, providing consultations and advice to various countries to develop mass-gathering health plans and programs and exchanging successful experiences in the area of mass-gathering health in cooperation with international agencies and organizations,” Al-Memish said.

It also called for developing plans to develop health awareness and information to educate people about mass gatherings during and after the event.

Many experts emphasized the need to involve civil society and those involved in mass gatherings, such as pilgrims and Haj guides, in health education awareness programs.

Al-Memish urged the WHO to adopt the creation of a specialized awareness program on mass-gathering health.

http://www.arabnews.com/news/463998
9 Sept 2013

RIYADH – The National Committee for Contagious Diseases discussed here on Sunday the measures being taken to safeguard the health of citizens, expatriates and pilgrims this Haj season.

Deputy Minister of Health for Health Affairs Dr. Mansour Al-Hawasi chaired the meeting of the National Committee for Contagious Diseases.

It reiterated the conditions and guidelines set for pilgrims, urging those above 65 years of age, with chronic diseases and with immune deficiency, malignancy and terminal illnesses, pregnant women and children under 12 years of age to postpone Haj for their own safety.

The advisory comes in the wake of the MERS-coronavirus infection which has claimed the lives of 47 people in the Kingdom so far.

The committee reviewed the latest developments relating to coronavirus and reviewed scientific research on the virus.

To curb the spread of respiratory infectious disease, the Ministry of Health advised all intending pilgrims to comply with common public health guidelines.

The ministry recommended that international pilgrims as well the Kingdom’s residents planning to perform Haj should be vaccinated against seasonal influenza. It also said that in accordance with the International Health Regulations 2005, all travelers arriving from countries or areas at risk of yellow fever must present a valid yellow fever vaccination certificate showing that the person was vaccinated at least 10 days before arrival.

All travelers arriving from polio-endemic countries should receive a dose of oral polio vaccine.

http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index...20130909179839