Makkah News and Updates

Pilgrims settle in Mina

450 Syrian Pilgrims

are Heading to the Holy Sites

24 October 2012

The basement of al-Jamarat Bridge lies 15 meters underground, and Al Arabiya got the opportunity to see the automated method of gathering, storing and sorting the pebbles used by pilgrims in the stoning ritual that takes place above the three basins.

“This system works according to electric gates. It removes all the pebbles that have been gathered in al-Jamarat’s basin.”

Each of the basins of al-Jamarat has two machine systems that transfer the pebbles from the bottom of the bridge at different speeds. This system has gates that are electronically controlled to manage the pebbles course, quantity and destination. It also features sorting censors that filter and isolate everything that is thrown into the pit.

“The quantities of pebbles, when reached 1000 tons, are relocated after the Hajj period and after the pilgrims have departed from Mashaal. These quantities are sent to special locations.”

The remainders at al-Jamarat Bridge reach 300 tones according to official statistics that have been recorded from previous years’ experiences. The electronic system, which works through electronic gates located in each floor of al-Jamarat Bridge, simplified the process of redirecting the pebbles towards compressors at the bottom of the bridge.

Each corner of the facility shows the quick development that occurred from the top to the bottom of the bridge. The basement houses meticulous organization of surveillance cameras and general safety measures. The routes of the bridge’s vehicles also demonstrate the modernization of al-Jamarat Bridge.

video inside: http://english.alarabiya.net/article...24/245709.html

 

24 October 2012

The East Arafat Hospital, which spans thirty thousand square meters in al-Mashaer region, has been recently opened and on high alert in catering to potential emergencies, and offering its services to pilgrims during the Hajj season.

Medical staff, exceeding 438 qualified consultants, specialists, nurses and others, has been supplied with the latest medical equipment across all departments in the hospital. This year, the Ministry of Health is participating with a large workforce; some twenty thousand highly experienced teams dispatched in Mecca, Medina, and al-Mashaer.

The East Arafat Hospital is set to extend its operation hours past Arafat day, after the pilgrims depart from Mecca.

Prior to the commencement of Hajj, initial reports indicated that the region is clear of infectious diseases, but the Saudi Health Ministry said it will remain on alert until the end of the Hajj season.

video inside: http://english.alarabiya.net/article...24/245711.html

Wednesday, 24 October 2012

Millions of pilgrims arrived this week in Mecca for Islam’s annual Hajj (pilgrimage), which officially starts on Wednesday. Around four million pilgrims were heading to Mina, where they will spend their night before heading to the Mount of Arafat in the early hours of Thursday.

Many pilgrims began leaving for Mina on Tuesday night after circumambulating the Holy Kaaba, the first house of worship on Earth, built by Adam. Prophet Ibrahim and his son Ismail rebuilt it some 5,000 years ago. Most Hajj rituals are related to Prophet Ibrahim, his wife Hager and his son Prophet Ismail, and thus reflect the unity of humanity.

The Saudi government has given top priority to the security and safety of pilgrims and has deployed thousands of security forces in Mecca, Mina, Arafat and Muzdalifah, all cities within a radius of 10 kilometers, to ensure a safe and secure Hajj.

A statement by the Saudi Interior Ministry on Tuesday said that pilgrims were being transported to Mina smoothly without any obstacles, the official Saudi Press Agency reported.

The Grand Mosque, the focal point of the Islamic faith, was already teeming with joyful pilgrims at dawn on Monday, wearing the simple white folds of cloth prescribed for Hajj, many of them having slept on the white marble paving outside.

“I feel proud to be here because it’s a visual message that Muslims are united. People speaking in all kind of languages pray to the one God,” said Fahmi Mohammed al-Nemr, 52, from Egypt.

Hajj must be performed at least once in their lifetime by all Muslims capable of making the expensive, difficult journey, a duty that applies equally to Sunni and Shiite Muslims.

Saudi leaders have emphasized it is a strictly religious occasion and they are prepared to deal with any troublemaking.

Last year nearly 3 million pilgrims performed the Hajj, with roughly a third from inside the conservative kingdom. The Saudi authorities said there have so far been 1.7 million arrivals from abroad and about 200,000 from inside Saudi Arabia.

Mecca’s merchants, famed across the Arab world, are already doing a thriving trade as pilgrims stock up on souvenirs such as prayer beads and mats, Qurans, dates, gold and Zamzam water, pumped from a holy well.

“The first time I saw the Kaaba I cried with joy. I prayed for myself and all Muslims,” said Nafisa Rangrez, 36, from Gujarat in India, who had waited five years for a Hajj visa, according to Reuters.

All Muslims must face towards the Kaaba, the huge black cube at the center of the Grand Mosque, five times a day for prayer, making a visit to the sanctuary a powerful experience. Pilgrims must circle it seven times when they arrive in Mecca.

Wednesday is the first official day of the pilgrimage, with Muslims following a set form of rites laid out by the Prophet Mohammed and culminating on Friday with the Eid al-Adha (Feast of the Sacrifice), a holiday across the Islamic world.

“I would love to live here for the rest of my life. There’s no such place in the entire world. This is a blessed country,” said Ziad Adam, 23, a theology student from Kenya.

“It’s my first time in Mecca for pilgrimage. I can’t wait to pray in Arafat,” 32-year-old Koara Abdul Rahman, a businessman from Burkina Faso, told AFP.

“Right now, I’ve got all the good feelings you can think of,” said an Iranian pilgrim, her voice quivering and tears welling.

Saudi Arabia’s king is formally titled Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and the ruling family has long reigned on its guardianship of Islam’s birthplace.

Over the past decade it has spent billions of dollars expanding the Grand Mosque and building new infrastructure to avert the stampedes and tent fires that marred past pilgrimages with hundreds of deaths.

In 2011, Saudi Arabia began the biggest expansion yet of the Grand Mosque, to increase its capacity to 2 million. A new railway will link the holy sites around Mecca.

This year alone, the kingdom spent more than 1.1 billion riyals ($293.3 million) on development projects in the holy sites of Mina, Arafat and Muzdalifah, all outside Mecca, according to AFP.

http://english.alarabiya.net/article...24/245606.html

Seeking illumination:

 

Stunning night-time shots

 

of Muslim pilgrims

 

at the top of Noor Mountain

 

Holy site: A devotee sits atop Mount Noor looking over the Hira cave where Muslims believe
Prophet Mohammad received the first words of the Koran in the city of Mecca


A stunning view of the Grand Mosque captured from the top of Noor Mountain.
Over two million Muslims are expected to make the pilgrimage to Mecca this year


Beacon: The clock tower of the Grand Mosque looms above above the city of Mecca in this stunning view from the top of Noor Mountain


Top of the world: Officials say the main events, which begin on Wednesday, are expected to attract more than two million devotees

Wednesday 24 October 2012

The ongoing Two Holy Mosques Exhibition is quite unique, showcasing architectural and historical features of the Two Holy Mosques of the ancient days.

The exhibition, covering an area of 1,200 sq m in a building close to the Kiswah Factory at Umm Joud in Makkah, is designed to suit visitors who are curious to learn about the chronological developments in the history of the Two Holy Mosques.

The exhibition, which opened in 1999, is divided into seven halls. The reception hall, where visitors first enter, is decorated with a replica of the Grand Mosque accompanied by both old and recent photos.

The Grand Mosque hall showcases a Kaaba ladder dating back to 1824. The Kaaba hall showcases models of its kiswah wrapping of the ancient days in addition to its old doors and a pillar, which is believed to have been removed around the 65th year of Hijra.

Another hall houses rare photos including the photos of Makkah and Madinah donated by the late Prince Sultan, former crown prince.

The photos were taken in 1879 and 1890 by Egyptian photographer Sadeq Bek. Another fascinating section of the exhibition is the Manuscripts hall, which showcases a copy of the Othmani Mushaf, which was prepared during the time of the third Caliph Uthman bin Affan, (peace be upon him). The hall also houses some other rare manuscripts of the Holy Qur’an, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

The attractions at the Prophet’s Mosques hall includes a door of the Othmani pulpit dating back to 1589, and other interesting pieces of furniture. The Zamzam hall contains parts of an old top of the Zamzam well, replicas of the well and supplies details about the well.

Another attraction in this hall is a sun dial from 1614, and the first clock installed in the Grand Mosque during the reign of King Abdul Aziz in 1933.
Visitors can view the exhibition in both morning and evening sessions.

http://www.arabnews.com/makkah-exhib...o-holy-mosques

Thursday 25 October 2012

The valley of Mina yesterday reverberated with the chants of “Labaik Allahuma Labaik … Here I am at Thy service O God,” as more than three million pilgrims from around the world converged on the tent city on their first stop to the plains of Arafat.

Once in the city and in their fire-proof tents, the pilgrims busied themselves in reciting the awe-inspiring talbiyah or the verses from the Holy Qur’an or trying to locate their near and dear ones. Many were seen trying to catch some sleep after an energy-sapping journey from Jeddah and Makkah.

The flow of pilgrims from Makkah to Mina and Jeddah to Mina was smooth and without any major hiccups. Foreign diplomats heaped fulsome praise on the Saudi authorities for excellent arrangements.

“Most of our pilgrims reached Mina in time and there were no major hassles,” said Indian Consul General Faiz Ahmed Kidwai. “The arrangements are exceptionally good this year and the Saudi authorities deserve our praise,” he told Arab News from his camp in Mina.

Security forces in helicopters kept a close eye on possible bottlenecks on the Makkah-Mina artery and constantly relayed the situation to their men on ground.

The pilgrims could barely control their excitement on reaching Mina.
“I have been dreaming of performing Haj all my life,” said a teary-eyed Ibrahim Abdu Rabbo, a 65-year-old pilgrim from Java, Indonesia. “I have always been praying and beseeching Allah to grant my wish to come to this cradle of Islam and do what our beloved Prophet (peace be upon him) have instructed us to do.”

He refused to take the bus to Mina from Makkah and instead walked all the way into the tent city.

“My legs may be weak, but my spirit is unshakable and unwavering … I walked this distance because I wanted to follow into the footsteps of our Prophet. Just by being in this place has sent my morale soaring,” he told Arab News.

Sikandar Hayat, a 40-year-old Pathan from Mardan, Pakistan, was similarly excited.

“I am overwhelmed by this sea of white tents. My relatives did give me an idea about what to expect but then the picture in my mind’s eye was nowhere near what I am experiencing here today,” he said.

Syrian pilgrims who were once very shy of speaking out were this time very outspoken. “We suffered a lot under Bashar Assad and we were afraid of saying anything which was not politically correct,” said 51-year-old Mohammed Rajab. “Things have gone for the worse for average Syrians in last 14 months. At Arafat, we will beseech God to protect our brethren who are being killed without mercy,” he said and wiped his tears.

Mohammad Abdul Wajed, from Moradabad, India, did not how to react.
“It is a great feeling to be a part of such a big community … Now I know I am not alone … All these people in ihram are my community and it gives me a great sense of relief,” he said in a voice choked with emotions. “We are more than one billion, we are not a minority.”

Forty-one-year-old Haruna Sayibu from Tamahel, Ghana, was overwhelmed by his emotions. “I can’t believe that I am here in Mina. There are thousands and thousands of Muslims who yearn to come here and perform Haj but only the lucky ones manage to come here,” he told Arab News. “I really don’t know what to pray for. All these while I would pray for coming here, and now that I don’t know what more to ask for. Allah has been very kind to me.”

Today, the pilgrims will move toward Mount Arafat, the plains from where the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) delivered his last sermon more than 14 centuries ago. The pilgrims will then return to Mina to sacrifice an animal, generally sheep, marking Eid Al-Adha, which starts on Friday to mark the culmination of the pilgrimage.

http://www.arabnews.com/mina-valley-...rates-talbiyah Thursday 25 October 2012

Interior Minister Prince Ahmed, who is chairman of the Supreme Haj Committee, said 1,752,932 foreign pilgrims have arrived for Haj this year, including 801,126 women (46 percent).

He said the number was 4 percent (77,968) less than that of last year. He said the foreign pilgrims came from 189 countries.

Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal said nearly three million pilgrims had arrived in Mina and the process was completed successfully without any major incidents. “The health condition of pilgrims is satisfactory,” he said.

More than 82,000 security officers have been deployed to ensure smooth Haj operation.

Asked about the number of domestic pilgrims, Prince Khaled said: “I cannot give you an exact number because unfortunately a large number of people enter the holy sites without Haj permits.”

All measures have been taken for the smooth flow of pilgrims to Arafat today in the climax of Haj, he said.

Commerce and Industry Minister Dr. Tawfiq Al-Rabiah said a large number of cold-storage trucks carrying foodstuffs, juices, beverages and water have been sent to the holy sites to ensure enough supply of foodstuffs for pilgrims.

The ministry has confiscated and destroyed about 7,500 fast-food meals and dairy products for violating health regulations.

Health Ministry spokesman Dr. Khaled Mirghalani said no cases of contagious diseases among pilgrims have been reported so far.

Civil defense officials said they had taken precautionary measures to assist pilgrims in case of rains in Arafat.

Interior Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Mansour Al-Turki said new projects implemented by the government would facilitate the movement of pilgrims to the Jamrat for the stoning ritual.

http://www.arabnews.com/over-175-m-foreign-pilgrims-haj Thursday 25 October 2012

The Civil Defense has taken extra precautionary measures to save pilgrims from possible flash floods during this Haj season, following heavy rains in Makkah and the surrounding holy sites in the past few days.

“We have studied potential dangers during the Haj season in the light of previous pilgrimages and taken adequate measures to deal with them by deploying trained staff,” said Lt. Gen. Saad Al-Tuwaijri, head of civil defense.
The department has mobilized about 26,000 men with 6,900 advanced equipment and devices to protect pilgrims from accidents, floods, fires, stampedes and other dangers.

The department has appointed 300 firefighters who can move on motorbikes to extinguish fire in difficult locations. “We make use of modern
communication technology to locate accident spots quickly,” Al-Tuwaijri said.
Maj. Gen. Mansour Al-Turki, spokesman of the Interior Ministry, said 13,000 security training students have been deployed to prevent squatting in the streets and public places in Makkah and other holy sites.

“We have taken all measures to reduce squatting in Mina and other holy sites by some groups of pilgrims. We’ll not allow anybody to sit in the way to the Jamrat,” he added.

Al-Turki said he had not received any reports regarding pilgrims shouting slogans during this Haj season. “This shows that pilgrims are well aware of Haj regulations.”

Maj. Gen. Abdullah Al-Ghasham, director of civil protection, said his department has readied four camps with a total capacity of 60,000 people to accommodate pilgrims during emergency situations.

He said all the four camps are provided with healthcare and food facilities. “We have also identified a number of government buildings to accommodate pilgrims,” he pointed out.

There is a camp in Muaisem with a capacity of 10,000 pilgrims, two camps in Arafat with a total capacity of 20,000 pilgrims, and a model camp in Muzdalifa that can house more than 30,000 pilgrims.

A number of government schools as well as buildings of Um Al-Qura University and private hotels and furnished apartments would be used to accommodate pilgrims during emergency situations, he added.

“We have also arranged 200 buses to transport pilgrims in such situations,” he added.

http://www.arabnews.com/extra-precau...ods-during-haj

Thursday 25 October 2012

Amid tightened security at all entry points of the holy city of Makkah, the Haj pilgrimage and the preventive measures to curb entry of illegal pilgrims is the talk of the day among many expatriates in Jeddah.

Mohammed Qurshid, however, hardly is concerned about it. His sole goal is to reach Mina irrespective of method. The 94-year-old man, who is hailing from Uttar Pradesh in India, is not in possession of any valid documents nor a Haj permit, but he is unfazed and confident that he will make his journey to Haj.

Qurshid arrived in Jeddah a few months ago on an Umrah visa of 15 days validity with support of his two sons, who are working in Jeddah as embroidery tailors for abayas. He also has six grandchildren working in the city.

He says that although he came to perform Umrah in the holy month of Ramadan, his aim is to perform Haj. Therefore, he didn’t return home after his visa expired, but, instead, opted to stay in the Kingdom. He performed Haj 30 years ago, but he is very enthusiastic to do it again, despite having to violate the rules.

The Passports Department said this week that it turned away 26,000 undocumented pilgrims and advises that pilgrims without permits should not enter Makkah.

Qurshid’s sons found some agents who quoted a price of SR 4,500 to SR 5,000. One of his grandsons contacted a middleman who demanded SR 3,000, but even that amount was too high for his children. Finally, they agreed on the price of SR 2,000 for Haj with an unknown operator.

Tuesday night, Qurshid left Jeddah to an assembly point on the old Makkah Road along with his son, from where he was promised to be picked up by the agent who would smuggle him into Makkah and make his dream to perform Haj one more time come true.

Qurshid is only an example of a phenomenon that prevails among the working expatriate community in Jeddah. He is just the tip of the iceberg.

Bangladeshi Iman Hussain, 39 years, is neither in possession of a Haj permit nor does he intend to apply for one, given the hefty fee. He has been watching developments of Haj for quite some time. Last week, he approached a middleman in Al-Nuzlah district, who promised to take him to Haj for just SR 1,700, telling him to go to a gathering point, from where he would board a bus to Makkah.

Abdul Hakeem, hailing from Bangladesh, and Yemeni Alwan Hussain Sham feel that spending money on a Haj operator makes no sense. For them, Haj is merely a matter of paying SR 200 to get them into the holy city. They are hopeful that they will find arrangements in the holy sites of Mina, Arafat and Muzdalifah. They keep silent on the animal sacrifice ritual, unable to answer how and when they will do it. A significant number of Hajis fall in this last category, which consists mainly of expatriates.

Law authorities say that illegal pilgrims are posing real problems for the lawful pilgrims.

Most of such illegal pilgrims proceeded to Makkah on Tuesday night, and the remaining number has left Wednesday morning from Jeddah. It is uncertain whether these people have been able to make it into the holy city or not. Many feel that these pilgrims are probably dropped ahead of the checkpoints near Makkah.

http://www.arabnews.com/unfazed-ille...way-pilgrimage Thursday 25 October 2012

Mahe Zarina, Khairunnisa Azimi and Umme Faisal -– all from Pakistan -– are not related to each other. But they count themselves among those lucky women whose sons have facilitated their pilgrimage to the holy land. And the sons consider themselves equally lucky to have been instrumental in getting their mothers to perform Haj.

The deep lines etched on Mahe Zarina’s radiant face speaks volumes about her life of eight summers. But being 81 has not dimmed her passion for performing the pilgrimage. Flanked by her 40-year-old son, Sikandar Hayat, and two grandsons, she is happy at having arrived in Mina for a journey about which she dreamed all her life.

“It is thanks to Allah and my son that I finally managed to come here,” she told Arab News. “I am very happy. Who wouldn’t be?”

As she spoke excitedly about the pilgrimage, her son felt a lump in his throat.
“I consider myself to be the most fortunate son. She is everything to me. And I always wanted to bring her here and perform the pilgrimage with her. Allah has answered my prayers. There is no shade better than the shade of a mother,” said Hayat, a Pathan from Mardan in Pakistan.

Umme Faisal’s excitement was writ large on her cheerful face. Her son, Faisal Shabbir, from Karachi, Pakistan, did not interrupt her as she spoke of her experience in Makkah.

“The first time I cast my eye on the Holy Kaaba, I nearly fainted. All your life you dream about something, and when it suddenly manifests itself right before your eyes, you don’t know how to respond. You can’t calibrate your response at such moments. That is exactly what happened to me,” she said.
Umme Faisal is thankful to Allah and her son for making her dream come true.

“Of course, my son and my children are in my prayers here. Then I am praying for Pakistan’s well being. Our enemies have grown in number and they seem hell-bent on destroying our country. Our prayers will defeat the plans of our enemies,” she said.

Such is the impact of the pilgrimage that Umme Faisal says she forgets what exactly to pray for. “It becomes difficult to remember everything. I am just enjoying my presence here. Let us hope we are able to perform all the rituals the way our Prophet (peace be upon him) has instructed us to perform,” she said.

The women at Haj are adept at striking up spontaneous conversations with their co-religionists from other countries. At times, in the absence of a common language, they communicate through gestures. They laugh and cry and sympathize and hug each other. They spread cheer and are clearly overwhelmed by the extent of the event.

“We heard that there are more than a billion followers of our religion, but we never realized that they came from so many countries and so many cultures,” said Khairunnisa Azimi from Karachi in Pakistan. “I am simply amazed and a.m. very happy that I belong to a religion which has worldwide acceptance.” Her young son, Imran Khan, nodded his in agreement with his mother.

Azimi felt confident in her son’s presence. “This pilgrimage is not easy. But if your young and able son is by your side, then everything seems doable and easy. That is exactly how I feel,” she added.

http://www.arabnews.com/proud-mother...proud-sons-haj Thursday 25 October 2012

Mina, Oct. 25

The drive from Jeddah to Mina on Tuesday evening was easier than any of us anticipated. Along the way we passed busloads of pilgrims. The three checkpoints were a breeze and we glided right through, without any major delays or incidents, arriving at Mina by dusk. We left our car at the outskirts of Mina, as only 4x4 vehicles are permitted into the city.

Mina was a quiet refuge from the hustle and bustle of Makkah. However, the stillness didn’t last long. By midnight, the trickle of incoming pilgrims had turned into a surge. Some pilgrims wore an expression of confused bewilderment, as they were unable to locate their camps, amid the sea of white tents.

***
For those who are unaware of the topography of the holy sites, Mina is about 5 km from the Grand Mosque in Makkah. It is a small valley and during Haj season tents occupy the entire landscape as far as the eye can see. The entrances to many of the tents, especially the ones for Pakistanis, Indians and Africans, are decorated with banners and festoons. These decorations help the pilgrims identify their temporary residences, from among the sea of white tents enveloping them. Huge balloons also hung in the sky in certain locations, to help pilgrims find their tents. Security officers could also be seen everywhere.

***
Most of the pilgrims carry cell phones and smart phones, but these devices provide them with a false sense of security. When a pilgrim is lost he/she has a tendency to telephone his group leader for instructions. Unfortunately, since most pilgrims have absolutely no idea of the geography of Mina they can neither give a clear description of their location, nor are they able to follow directions to their camps. The only usefulness achieved from contacting the group leader, is notifying someone that you are lost.

***
The pilgrims arrive in Mina with mixed feelings of trepidation, joy and introspection. Pilgrims undergo a natural phase of contemplation throughout their Haj journey, as they reflect upon deeds committed, and pray for forgiveness and inspiration.

On the 9th of Dul Hijjah, which this year falls on Thursday, Oct. 25, pilgrims will bare their hearts before Almighty Allah on the plains of Arafat and beseech Him to forgive them and bless them with their greatest desires. What tops the list of their prayers is often secret, perhaps something that they would admit to no one but God. However, most prayers are for the general good of humanity, especially a prayer for peace in countries like Syria, Lebanon, Afghanistan, Palestine, Kashmir, Myanmar and Libya.

***
All the pilgrims who performed Haj during previous years, expressed to Arab News reporters their awe at the changes that have taken place over the last two decades in the two holy cities. The great changes in the infrastructure and roads, as well as the rail network, are all remarkable developments.
Moreover, managing over three million people year after year is a huge logistical challenge. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has not only measured up to this challenge, but has also done an excellent job. In the past, the journey to the two holy cities was full of adventure, perils and danger. Traveling the long distance to the holy cities usually meant being part of a caravan, as there were no airplanes to transfer eager pilgrims to the holy sites.

According to one writer, there were three main caravans for pilgrims: The Egyptian caravan originating in Cairo, the Iraqi one from Baghdad and the Syrian one, which, after the fall of Constantinople in 1453, originated in Istanbul.

“As the journey took months if all went well,” the writer notes, “the pilgrims carried with them the provisions they needed to sustain them on their trip. The caravans were elaborately supplied with amenities and security, if the people onboard were rich. However, the poor often ran out of provisions and had to interrupt their journey in order to work, save their earnings and then continue their journey. This resulted in long journeys which, in some cases, spanned 10 years or more.”

***
Many journalists from newspapers, news agencies, and television channels, are covering Haj. Among these journalists is Jamal Elshayyal, a news producer with Al Jazeera English television channel. In his poignant reflections about Haj, he writes, “As millions of Muslims circuit the Kaaba, it is impossible to differentiate the rich from the poor, the educated from the illiterate, the prince from the pauper – each one of them is wearing the same type of cloth, each has shed their worldly belongings in submission to their Lord. In recognition, that ultimately, when they stand before their Lord, it is not their status in society, nor their bank balance or job title that matters. It is what is in their heart that is infinitely more meaningful.”

http://www.arabnews.com/haj-diary-fa...pen-space-mina
Thursday 25 October 2012

The Muslim World League has called upon Islamic countries to intensify their efforts to put an end to the bloodbath in Syria and held Bashar Assad’s regime for the country’s tragedy.

In a statement on the eve of the large congregation of pilgrims on the plain of Arafat, near Makkah, MWL Secretary-General Dr. Abdullah Al-Turki also called upon the Palestinians to unify their ranks.

“We have to embrace the lofty meaning of Haj,” he told the millions of pilgrims and urged them to make a self assessment and work together for improving the Ummah’s condition.

“The Haj congregation instills in our minds the spirit of unity and brotherhood,” the MWL chief said. “We can retain our past glory only by returning to Islam,” he added.

Al-Turki called for bold initiatives to solve the problems facing the Ummah, most importantly the Palestinian issue.

“The continuous Israeli aggression on Al-Aqsa Mosque and other Islamic sanctuaries in Jerusalem and violation of human rights in occupied territories demand the unity of Muslims to support their Palestinian brethren,” he added.
The MWL leader called upon Muslims to follow moderation and shun extremism, following the teachings of the Qur’an.

In a similar statement, Professor Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, secretary-general of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, thanked the Saudi government and people for providing all facilities for the millions of pilgrims.

He called upon Muslims to strengthen their unity and solidarity, supporting one another and getting rid of conflicts and divisions.

“Muslim leaders who have understood the danger posed by disunity and responded to the call of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah to attend an emergency Islamic solidarity summit in Makkah last Ramadan,” he said.

It was essential to ward off the problems created by sectarian conflicts, he added.

http://www.arabnews.com/haj-strength...nd-brotherhood