Services for Umrah, Haj boosted

Services for Umrah, Haj boostedarabnews

Services for Umrah, Haj boosted

JEDDAH: There has been a significant improvement in the services provided by the Kingdom for Haj and Umrah pilgrims, including a major increase in capacity in Makkah and Madinah, the Cabinet announced on Monday night at its weekly meeting.

At the gathering chaired by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman at Al-Salam Palace in Jeddah, the Cabinet lauded the initiatives ordered by the monarch to expand the Two Holy Mosques, said Minister of Culture and Information Adel Al-Toraifi, according to the Saudi Press Agency.

The Cabinet confirmed that several parts of the massive expansion at the Grand Mosque have been completed, including the surrounding courtyards, the mataf or circumambulation area around the Kaaba, and several of the upper floors where pilgrims can perform the tawaf or circumambulation.

At the outset of the Cabinet session, King Salman thanked Allah Almighty for the advent of the holy month of Ramadan, and for bestowing blessings on the Kingdom. He wished citizens, expatriates and the Muslim world well over the coming month of fasting and hoped that achieving the objectives of this month would help unify the Muslim world. He said Islam was a religion of peace and compassion and rejected violence and extremism.

The king also praised the leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) for their efforts during their 16th consultative meeting, which he said would help ensure prosperity, stability and security in the region. He welcomed the formation of the Economic and Development Affairs Commission, the basic law of the Economic Judicial Commission, and the plan to hold regular meetings of defense, interior and foreign ministers to coordinate policies among the GCC countries.

Al-Toraifi said the Council of Ministers condemned the terrorist attack on the Jordanian intelligence headquarters in Albaqa’a, which resulted in the death of several people. He said the Kingdom stood with the Hashemite Kingdom in its fight against terrorism.

The Cabinet praised the marine mediums project started by the Ministry of Interior, being carried out by the Border Guard; and the project to design and produce unmanned aircraft by Prince Sultan Advanced Technology Research Institute.

The king briefed the Cabinet on the results of his meetings with the Prime Minister of Bangladesh and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Italy Paolo Gentiloni.

Al-Toraifi said that the Cabinet announced several decisions including approving the statute of the Arab Court of Human Rights after reviewing a report submitted by the Minister of Justice, and a Shoura Council resolution on the matter.

After reviewing the report submitted by the Ministry of Economy and Planning, the Cabinet approved the formation of the National Center for Strategic Development Studies, which is an advisory body aimed at providing input on economic development issues by carrying out studies and consultations for public and private sector bodies.

The Cabinet decided to approve the minutes of the Saudi-Jordanian Council of Coordination and the Saudi-UAE Council of Coordination; authorized the Education Ministry to sign a pact with Mauritania; and the Housing Ministry to ink an agreement with India.

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Source: arabnews.com

Makkah ready with comprehensive plan for Ramadan

Makkah ready with comprehensive plan for Ramadan

The Makkah Secretariat has prepared a comprehensive plan to intensify municipal services in view of the large number of visitors and Umrah pilgrims thronging the holy city during Ramadan.
“The secretariat has defined the tasks and responsibilities of each department, along with continuous work of all the other central departments and sub-municipalities,” Makkah Mayor Osama Al-Bar told local media.
He said that officials have been told to personally supervise the work and ensure top quality services.
“The plan was based on intensifying the work, especially in crowded areas such as the central area, shops and commercial centers and neighborhoods surrounding the Grand Mosque,” said Al-Bar.
“All this is aimed at achieving quality control and the safety of food products and water. At the same time, due attention will be paid to continuously clear garbage in areas where Umrah pilgrims stay or frequent,” he said.
The mayor said the municipality will control vendors in the area surrounding the Grand Mosque and monitor the slaughterhouses besides maintaining streetlights and other municipal utilities.
“A total of 11,825 workers, equipped with more than 850 cleaning equipment, will work around the clock to keep the city clean. In addition to this, a number of transitional stations to collect waste within the sub-municipalities will operate along with special teams to eliminate insects and mosquitoes to prevent dengue or other diseases. More than 900 technicians and specialists in the field, equipped with more than 1,000 devices and spraying machines, will be working in this area,” said the mayor.
“All these teams will work in two shifts — morning and evening — and work around the clock.”
In the area of environmental health, Al-Bar said, a number of field committees have been formed to monitor commercial centers and stores that sell food and ensure that they meet the health standards.

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Article by: arabnews.com

More than 4.6m Umrah visas issued in 5 months

source: flickr

More than 4.6m Umrah visas issued in 5 months

JEDDAH — As many as 4.650 million Umrah visas were issued by the end of the fifth month of the Umrah season which began on Nov. 13 and will continue until late July, Al-Eqtisadiah business daily reported on Tuesday quoting a senior member of the National Haj and Umrah Committee.
“So far 4.1 million Umrah pilgrims have arrived in the Kingdom,” deputy chairman of the committee Abdullah Al-Qadi said.
He noted that during the past two months, the number of Umrah pilgrims from certain countries has gone up raising the number of pilgrims by about two percent over their number at the same time last year.
Qadi attributed the increase in the Umrah pilgrims during the past two months to good marketing and good cooperation between the Haj Ministry and Umrah companies.
He expected the number of pilgrims to further increase during the three remaining months of the season and said Egypt is leading the countries in the number of the Umrah pilgrims followed by Pakistan and Indonesia.
Waleed Abu Sabaah, an expert in the Umrah sector, said that there has been a noticeable drop in the number of Umrah pilgrims from some countries especially Turkey.
He referred to reports that the Haj Ministry might limit the number of pilgrims for each Umrah company and said that this would have an adverse effect on the success of the season.
According to reports, the ministry was planning not to have more than 500,000 Umrah pilgrims staying in the Kingdom at one time.
“This measure will hurt the market badly if it is applied,” he warned. Abu Sabaah said the companies are waiting for the coming three months to make some financial gains that will reduce their losses, but if the ministry is adamant on its plan of specifying certain number of pilgrims for each Umrah company.

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Source: saudigazette

Al-Khayyat charitable center provides dialysis facilities to Umrah and Haj pilgrims

provides dialysis facilities to Umrah and Haj pilgrimsimage by: saudigazette

Al-Khayyat charitable center provides dialysis facilities to Umrah and Haj pilgrims

JEDDAH — “Al-Khayyat charitable center for dialysis of Kidney in Makkah will help and provide dialysis facilities to the Umrah and Haj pilgrims,” said Basim Sulaiman Khayyat chairman of Al-Khayyat charitable center in a press briefing at the center recently.
Khayyat said the center has started functioning this year and on the basis of humanitarian and religious duty we decided to provide treatment, all care and attention to the needy pilgrims, on Umrah and Haj, especially those needing kidney dialysis.
He said my father Sheikh Sulaiman Ali Khayyat (may Allah’s mercy be upon him) laid the foundation of the center in 1430H at the area of 5,000 sq. meters to facilitate help for kidney patients with the vision that everyone should have access to the services free of charge.
My  father spent SR20 million to equip dialysis machine according to international specifications and now we are spending SR1 million every month to run this center by the Grace of Allah, Khayyat added.
He explained the center has 215 beds for men and women separately. The clinic is working in three  shifts. There are 30 staff included doctors, a laboratory, a pharmacy and an outpatient clinic to examine patients with ambulances.
He said kidney failure is the most severe stage of Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD). Kidney failure is when your kidneys are no longer working well enough for you to live without dialysis or a kidney transplant.
He said the center provided best atmosphere for patients and with various kinds of medicine, which is required by the patients before, after or during the dialysis.
Khadija Malik a noted social activist also attended the press briefing  highlighted about Al-Khayyat’s mission and the spirit of Islamic brotherhood.
She said this is a complete center located in a neat and clean area of Al-Ka’aki district of Makkah. She  also spoke about the importance of women’s participation in society. She hoped that Al-Khayyat’s charity projects will help low income families and needy patients satisfactorily.

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Article by: http://saudigazette.com.sa

Jeddah airport busy with Umrah pilgrims

Jeddah airport busy with Umrah pilgrims

JEDDAH — Some 2.859 million Umrah pilgrims arrived and departed the Kingdom through Jeddah’s King Abdul Aziz International Airport (KAIA) since the start of Umrah season in the middle of December, according to an airport official.
About 1.7 million Umrah pilgrims arrived and nearly 1.159 million departed the Kingdom through the Jeddah airport, said Turki Altheeb, Manager of Public Relations & Media at KAIA.
Umrah passengers arrived on 13,046 flights and departed on 6,542 flights, he said, adding that over 7,000 employees have been assigned from the public and private sectors to serve them.
A statistical report issued by KAIA said that 18,036 Umrah pilgrims on 137 flights arrived on Monday evening, while 14,004 departed on the same day on board 72 international flights.
The Haj and Umrah terminal complex at KAIA has 14 arrival and departure lounges totally dedicated to serve Umrah and Haj pilgrims.
The complex has 26 airplane parking bays, 10 passenger boarding bridges, two operation centers, a control tower, 18 travel gates, 14 travel lounges for pilgrims, 143 immigration counters, 120 counters for Ministry of Haj commissions, 224 counters for United agent offices and 254 travel counters. The length of the luggage conveyor belt is 1.180 meters, which also features a first class and VIP lounges.
The terminal had a 123-room hotel, which includes a food court and a commercial area measuring 9.418 SQM in total.
There are 20 waiting lounges at the Haj Plaza, as well as 40 praying areas, in addition to 32 bathroom facilities.

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Article by: saudigazette.com.sa

The Haj selfie: a sign of the times or should phone be left at home?

hajj-selfie
The selfie – a photograph of oneself, typically taken with a smartphone, and usually shared on social media – has become a fixture of modern life.
However, when the hashtag #Hajjselfie went viral on Twitter last year before the Haj season even started, it sparked outrage among some religious leaders, who warned against the narcissism of taking snaps during the pilgrimage, which is one of Islam’s five pillars and should be performed at least once in a lifetime by all Muslims who can afford it.
Does the Haj selfie go against the spirituality that is a prerequisite for pilgrims, or is it simply a sign of the times? We talk to Muslims from around the world, some of whom have eagerly posed in Mecca for a self-portrait to document the completion of the Haj, and others who stuck to tradition and chose to leave their smartphones at home.

Dana Abusalhieh, Jordanian-Canadian, Lives in Dubai

Abusalhieh, who teaches English as second language, completed the Haj in 2006 and has been on several Umrahs – a non-­mandatory, lesser pilgrimage to Mecca that may be performed at any time of the year. The last of these was in December 2013, and she took several selfies during that trip.
“I have been to Haj long before selfies became a trend. I snapped a few pictures secretly on my Blackberry back then.
“I proudly take selfies when I go to Umrah with my parents now, but I don’t check in and share pictures live on social media. I just share them when the moment is right. Mainly, I think it’s good to share the experience once it’s over, as the time there should be used for spirituality only.
“I think sharing personal photos, selfies or otherwise, with friends who have not yet had the privilege of journeying to Mecca would help make the idea of the trip less intimidating and more inviting.”

Noor Al Khatib, Palestinian-Jordanian, Lives in Dubai

The regional business development manager performed her “seventh or eighth Haj” this year with her mother.
“Personally, I prefer not to take selfies in Haj. I am not a selfie or social-media person – I’m a private person by character. Each moment in Haj is sacred and I would rather reflect and pray.
“On the other hand, my mother, who lives in Jeddah, is a person who likes to take photos and share them with her family in the United States.
“For safety reasons, it’s not safe to use selfie sticks in the Haram. It’s crowded and you can harm people if you use your stick. Also, you can harm yourself while taking a selfie. No one will wait for you to take a selfie. And you can be pushed on the ground while you are smiling for a picture.”

Sabine Lenkeit, German, Lives in Germany

Lenkeit completed her Haj pilgrimage in 2009 and has been on two Umrahs, the first in 2008 and the second in April this year.
“I am not a fan of selfies. In my opinion, it is like showing off. I would never publish my pictures on a social network, because Haj is for Allah and the intention has to be clear. How can I expect to get the reward if my intention is to show off on Facebook?
“Of course, I told my experience to the people around me – the intention here is to motivate them to make this journey, too. But posting selfies is totally different, in my opinion. I can post a picture of the Kaaba, but why do I have to show myself to all those people? I sent some pictures only to my family to let them know that I was fine and happy.”

Rania Wreikat, Jordanian, Lives in Abu Dhabi

The marketing communication manager went on the pilgrimage last year.
“I am very active on social media, which is a great distraction, it is hard for me to resist it. I left my phone behind and chose to be offline during Haj so that I could focus – I only checked Facebook a few times from my mother’s phone to see who had sent me a message asking me to pray for them.
“I did take several pictures during Haj, but I tried not to overdo it as you want to concentrate on the pilgrimage duties and worship. There is also the privacy of other people that you need to take into consideration, since you’re mostly in an extremely crowded place.
“Having the company of my mother, who lives in Jordan, made me want to have the pictures as we aren’t together for most of the year. You also want to document the amazing steps that you completed and the sacredness of the trip – for the memories.
“I did post some selfies on Facebook once I returned home from Haj.”

Noha Safar, Jordanian, Lives in Jeddah

The ESL teacher was in Mecca last year.
“I took a few selfies during the main Haj rituals, such as on Mount Arafat and at the Jamarat [stoning of Satan].
“Not everyone has the opportunity to perform the Haj and I was just so happy to be there, I wanted to remember it, so I took pictures for the memories. Plus last year, there was the selfie trend.
“I think a selfie is the last thing to take away from the religious experience. It only takes a few seconds to do and an additional few seconds to post on Facebook.”

Abdelrahim Syed, Pakistani, Lives in Sharjah

The 37-year-old went on Haj with his mother and wife two years ago.
“I was worried about the ladies when they would stop in the middle of the Haj rituals to take a picture. It is an extremely crowded place and people are constantly moving, so to stop in the middle of all this to take a picture can be dangerous – you might get trampled. I would always tell them to hurry up.
“I understand why they want to take pictures – to record these memories and have tangible proof of this wonderful, sacred place we are in – but you only need one or two pictures for that, not dozens. For me, I took a picture at the very end, when I completed my Haj and was feeling euphoric.”
Mohammed Rashid, Emirati, Lives in Abu Dhabi
The computer engineer completed Haj last year.
“I was very annoyed by all of the people stopping to take selfies. It would really break my concentration when I was praying or trying to let the spirituality overtake me – having to move out of the way of people taking pictures and stopping suddenly to pose. What’s the point of all these pictures? To show off?
“I don’t need pictures to remind myself of the beauty of Haj or how lucky I was to be there, worshipping God as I was meant to do. This selfie thing is really too much these days.”
What the scholars say
Until a few years ago, pilgrims had to hand over their cameras and phones to security before entering the holy mosques in Mecca and Medina. Some, of course, managed to sneak them in and take a few photos to commemorate their Haj or Umrah.
These days, authorities have relaxed the rules to allow phones. Professional cameras, however, are still prohibited and selfie sticks are frowned upon.
“There are still those who will admonish pilgrims when there is excessive camera use,” says Rania Wreikat, who performed the Haj pilgrimage last year. Still, it is not uncommon to see people posing by the Kaaba and clicking away.
Last year was dubbed “The Year of the Selfie” after the star-studded selfie taken at the Oscars by host Ellen DeGeneres and when the tag #Hajjselfie went viral on social media before the start of that year’s Haj season. Consequently, some Muslim clerics spoke out against the encroaching trend.
Sheikh Taleb Al Shehi, who oversees the Friday sermons in the new mosque on Abu Dhabi’s Reem Island, says taking selfies should depend on the person’s motivations. “People’s actions are judged according to their intention,” he says. “If their reason for taking this selfie is pure and to remember this holy place they have been lucky to visit, then where is the harm? But if they are being disrespectful to the worshippers around them and spending their entire time taking pictures rather than in prayer and remembrance of God, just to show off where they are, then that is the wrong intention.”
Sheikh Assim Al-Hakeem, a popular scholar in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, echoes Al Shehi’s sentiments. “Photography without a legitimate reason is an issue of dispute among scholars,” he says. “However, despite this difference of opinion, there shouldn’t be any dispute when it comes to the real meaning of Haj and the essence behind it. It is based on sincerity and following the Sunnah. The Prophet, when he went for Haj, he said: ‘O Allah, I ask of you a pilgrimage that contains no boasting or showing off.’ ”
Ali Gomaa, Islamic scholar, jurist and the 18th Grand Mufti of Egypt from 2003 to 2013, once said in an interview on the CBC TV channel: “Those who photograph themselves through selfies with the Holy Kaaba for fun are being disrespectful and it displeases God.”

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Article by: thenational.ae