Kingdom does not meddle in affairs
of Muslim countries: Emir of Makkah
August 13, 2019
MINA – Saudi Arabia does not take advantage of the Islamic gathering in the holy sites to interfere in the affairs of Muslims countries as the concept of Haj is worship only, Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, adviser to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, was quoted as saying by Saudi Press Agency (SPA).
“During the Haj no other issue is discussed and the Kingdom does not have the right to discuss with any Muslim pilgrim — who is coming to this country for worship and to perform one of the pillars of Islam — the economic, political or social conditions in his home country. Our basic task in the Kingdom is to ensure the pilgrims’ comfort, tranquility and peace of mind so that he can devote his time to perform acts of worship, as ordained by Allah Almighty,” said Prince Khaled, who is also Emir of Makkah Region and chairman of the Central Hajj Committee, during a press conference here on Tuesday to mark the end of the Haj.
Prince Al-Khaled thanked Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman, deputy premier and minister of defense, for their supervision of the services extended by the authorities to pilgrims, making this year's Haj a great success.
At the conclusion of the press conference, Prince Al-Khaled was asked about the Saudi-Emirati relations and he replied: “An Emirati is a Saudi and a Saudi is an Emirati.”
The Emir of Makkah said he is proud of every Saudi citizen who has contributed to serving the pilgrims and making this year’s Haj a success and every year, whether in the past or future. These include all the male and female volunteers.
He made special mention of the security staff who spared no effort to serve the pilgrims, including elderly pilgrims, women and children.
He reiterated the Kingdom’s keenness to see all the remaining Muslim countries joining the Makkah Route Initiative (MRI) so that every single Muslim is able to make the most of the initiative during his spiritual journey to the Kingdom. He said that the MRI system has become so efficient that it has reduced waiting time down to just about half an hour whether at King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah or any Saudi airport.
Asked about the reason for varying prices for Haj on the basis of nationalities and countries, Prince Al-Khaled said the prices are fixed for each category. If there are any issues with regard to implementation of the agreements between the pilgrim and the Haj establishment, then the pilgrim can write to the Emir of Makkah seeking redress of the grievance because what is of concern to the Kingdom is the pilgrims’ comfort.
Prince Khaled thanked the local and foreign media representatives for attending this great occasion and for their efforts in this year's Haj season.