Radio Islam International | 03 Dhul hijjah 1437/05 September 2016

 

Malaysian Pilgrims to be transported to Arafah early

Tabung Haji (TH) is confident that their preparations to bring 22,000 Malaysian haj pilgrims to perform haj rituals such as the “wukuf” in Arafah, spending nights in Muzdalifah and Mina, as well as the ‘stoning of devil’ at Jamrat al-Aqabah will go well. 

The head of the Malaysian haj delegation, Datuk Syed Saleh Syed Abdul Rahman said as Wukuf day falls on Sept 11, it gives them the advantage of bringing the haj pilgrims to Arafah a day earlier.

“The Saudi Arabian government has announced that Wukuf day will fall on a Sunday, thus enabling us to be ready to transport the pilgrims on Saturday, if not they would be stuck in traffic congestion,” he said after a meeting with the Southeast Asia Muassasah at the Tabung Haji (TH) headquarters in Makkah, here on Thursday.

Also present was Southeast Asia Muassasah chairman, Muhammad Amin Hassan Andarqiri.

Syed Saleh said TH staff were working closely with the muassasah (pilgrim delegations) in ensuring the smooth running of preparations. 
 
Meanwhile, Muhammad Amin said they were in their final stages of preparing for amenities in Arafah, Muzdalifah and Mina. All that was left was the supply of electricity and water at the camp sites before Wukuf day.

The Saudi Arabian government had announced that Arafah day (Wukuf day) would fall on Sept 11 (Sunday) and on the following day Aidiladha would be celebrated.

The date was set after the Saudi government declared tomorrow as 1 Zulhijjah 1437 Hijrah.

Qatar Hujaaj Arrive

The first group of Qatar pilgrims arrived in Makkah yesterday via land with the rest set to arrive by Monday via air transport.

Qatar’s 12,000 pilgrims are divided over 10 missions, nine of which are reaching Makkah via air. The Qatari Haj delegation had arrived several days earlier to ensure the readiness of the residential locations of pilgrims in Makkah as well as Mina, Arafat and Muzdalifah.

The delegation works throughout the Haj duration to make sure that Qatar’s pilgrims are provided with specialised services and are in the best conditions that facilitate the rituals for them safely and easily.

Qatar’s pilgrims can reach the Haj delegation by calling 132 inside Qatar or on the toll-free number 800-3040444 in Saudi Arabia. They can also download a dedicated mobile app which is compatible with all smartphones and offers a wide variety of information about Haj rituals and how to contact the delegation.

Uganda: Museveni Sponsors 100 Pilgrims to Mecca

President Museveni has sponsored 103 Muslim pilgrims to the Holy City of Mecca for hajj, the annual Islamic pilgrimage.

Although it’s not yet clear how the beneficiaries were selected, the delegation of 68 male and 35 female pilgrims led by a senior presidential advisor on political affairs and State minister for Micro Finance Haruna Kyeyune Kasolo, departs Entebbe International Airport for Saudi Arabia today for the hajj ceremony expected to begin on September 9.

A statement released yesterday and signed by Mr Rogers Mulindwa, the information and communications officer at the NRM Secretariat, did not explain how much the President is spending on each pilgrim and whether he is using his personal money or state resources.

“NRM pledges its continued support towards the promotion and protection of the freedom of worship among Ugandans and will always place its keen eye on encouraging unity among believers of different religious sects,” the statement read in part.

The annual hajj pilgrimage is one of the five pillars of Islamic faith. According to Islamic doctrine, every financially stable Muslim is duty bound to visit Mecca at one point in his or her lifetime. Because of the big sums involved, some Muslims cannot afford.

Officials at the NRM secretariat declined to reveal the cost of the sponsorship.

New Malaysian Hajj organisation Apps

On the Masyair operations this year, Syed Saleh said among the new measures was the use of a Haj Mobility app to track the movement of buses ferrying Malaysian pilgrims. “We can track how many buses have taken passengers to various destinations and how many passengers had disembarked. “If the buses take too long to reach their destinations, we will know immediately and enquire.” Previously, this was done through checks via communication devices. Another new feature this year is the use of LED displays to alert pilgrims to board buses according to their hostels. A new service called SafariWukuf to ferry critically ill pilgrims will also be introduced. Essentially, those too weak to perform their rituals on their own but are conscious will be brought to the areas in Masyair for a short period of time. It is a haj requirement to stay briefly in Arafah and Muzdalifah. However, most pilgrims stay longer to make the most of their haj. In last year’s stampede in Mina on Sept 23, one Malaysian pilgrim was killed. Zulkifly Samad, 50, of Taman Ukay Bistari, Ampang, Selangor, was believed to have joined pilgrims from other countries while making their trip to Mina when the tragedy happened.

(New Straits Times)

Yemeni Hujaaj stranded at border

Several thousands of Yemenis heading to Saudi Arabia to perform Haj have been stranded at the kingdom’s border crossing in the Empty Quarter, witnesses and officials said on Saturday.

“I have been waiting on the Saudi side of the border for more than 30 hours. There are roughly 300 buses parked in a long queue waiting for security checks,” a young man from the province of Hadramout told Gulf News on Saturday.

The pilgrims have been sleeping in the desert and are running out of food and water.

“There are no toilets or even shelters to protect us from the scorching desert heat,” the young man said.

Since Yemeni government forces gained control of the Al Wadea border crossing in Hadramout province, it has been largely peaceful.

Other border crossings into Saudi Arabia have been closed due to ongoing Al Houthi militant attacks against Saudi Arabia.

Flights from Yemen to Saudi Arabia have also been suspended making Al Wadea the sole entry point into Saudi Arabia.

Due to the large number of pilgrims funnelled into one border crossing, security checks are taking a very long time.

Local tourism agencies responsible for organising Haj groups also say there have been delays on the part of Saudi Arabia in issuing the visas.

“We all were given the passports back in one day, so we rushed to send the pilgrims as soon as possible,” a stranded head of a local travel agency told Gulf News on the condition of anonymity.

Local charities have started to send food and water to the stranded pilgrims.

In Riyadh, Yemen’s foreign minister, Abdul Malik Al Mikhlafi, said on Friday the government had formed a committee comprising some ministers and asked them to visit the stranded pilgrims.

But the government blamed the agencies for not adhering to an agreed date to bring their pilgrims to the border.

Fuad Omar Bin Al Shaikh Abu Baker, minister of endowment, told Gulf News on Saturday that the agencies rushed to the border out of fear of not arriving in Makkah on time.

Abu Baker said that more than 11,200 Yemeni pilgrims have crossed into Saudi Arabia and 6,000 are still stranded on the border.

“We are heading today to the border to provide the stranded people with food and tents,” Abu Baker said.

60 Indonesian Hujaaj have passed away

A total of 60 Indonesian pilgrims have died, as of reports on Saturday, even as the peak of Hajj pilgrimage is a week away when the devout Muslims worship and pray in the plain of Arafah.

Six pilgrims passed away on Saturday following illness of some sort, according to data obtained from the Computerized Information Systems of Hajj Pilgrimage.

The six were identified as Nipi binti Mad Ambri Mungkar (69), Marfuah Amina Toyib binti Mustofa (76), Hawang binti Bungku Ilham (59), Boniatun binti Dulkahir Kartak (60), Hariri bin Mustafa M. Soleh (73), and Dain Nariya bin Satimin (69).

In the last three days, at least five pilgrims died every day, according to the spokesman of the countrys hajj pilgrimage organizing committee, Dr. Ramon Andrias.

“The Jamaah (hajj pilgrims) have begun to experience fatigue after conducting a lot of Sunnah, part of the pilgrimage,” Ramon pointed out.

On September 11, all the pilgrims including those from Indonesia, will proceed to the plain of Arafah, located around 25 kilometers from Mecca, to conduct the Wuquf before heading to Mina through Muzdalifah.

In the meantime, data obtained from the Computerized Information Systems of Hajj Pilgrimage (Siskohat) showed that so far, a total of 140,856 Indonesian pilgrims or 90 percent of the total 155,200 pilgrims, have arrived in Mecca.

The Indonesian Religious Affairs Ministry has sent a total of 3,250 officers, including paramedics, to help the countrys pilgrims during the pilgrimage season.

The annual Hajj pilgrimage is the fifth pillar of Islam. It is an obligation for Muslims to undertake a pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in their lifetime, if they are physically fit and financially able.

Thousands of Indonesian Muslims are now in queue and the wait could be of up to 25 years to be able to go for Hajj pilgrimage due to the restricted quota set by the Saudi government.

Nigerian Hujaaj want home food

The 2016 Nigerian pilgrims have stated why they demand for the establishment of a Nigerian Kitchen in Saudi Arabia.

Among reasons given was that it will address the perennial issues of hygiene and indecent eating habit of pilgrims in the Holy Land.

Many pilgrims who spoke on the issue urged the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria, NAHCON, to borrow a leaf from other countries whose pilgrims have for long been enjoying these services established by their government across their hotel accommodations in Medina, Makkah and Muna.

Jafaru Ahmed, a pilgrim from Yobe said the kitchen is a welcome idea, provided that the same food vendors will be allowed to operate in the kitchen, in addition to those that must also be recruited from Nigeria.

“Government should also make sure that, the cost of the food, if not subsidised, should not exceed what is obtainable with the current food vendors that we patronise in our hotels,” he said.

Halima Isah, a Kaduna female pilgrim and a Food Technologist from the Department of Hospitality Management (formerly Catering and Hotel Management) said quality of ingredients, personal hygiene of operators, utensils and environmental hygiene can only be addressed if food is prepared in a controlled and fully equipped kitchen.

“Yes, establishing a kitchen across all state accommodations to serve food mainly consumed from that state, will address all problems of hygiene and even food poisoning as well as the eating culture of our pilgrims.

“Portion control, cost and provision of popular delicacies from at least three major geographical zones of Nigeria should be considered,” she said.

Kaduna-based volunteer Journalists had observed the lack of personal hygiene, eating habit and other important health issues by Nigerian pilgrims, especially in Medina, Makkah, Muna, Arafat and Muzdalifa.

They gathered that, in the past Hajj exercise in Muna, some pilgrims cultivated the habit of eating food next to refuse bins.

Pilgrims at accommodations in Medina and Makkah, also eat from overnight food vendors level of hygiene is not encouraging.

Garba Muhammad, Chairman of Kaduna Council of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), leader of the volunteer Journalists and Nasiru Yakubu Birnin Yero, Reporter, Voice of America (VOA) Hausa Service, had called on the authorities concerned to address issues of food and eating habits, toilets, bath and environment, and most importantly, behaviour.

“It is only in Nigerian accommodations that you see all manner of food vendors and pilgrims eating on streets in an unhygienic environment. The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) should introduce Nigerian Kitchen in all state accommodations as observed in other country’s pilgrim accommodations,” the leader said.

He commended NAHCON’s newly introduced National Medical Team as part of the reforms aimed at improving services, increased efficiency, improved coordination and collaboration with the states, “and most importantly, responding to the fiscal situation facing Nigeria.

“Our findings in Medina and Makkah confirmed that, Nigerian pilgrims now access better medicare with the harmonisation of all the medical teams into what is now called National Medical Team.

“Pilgrims are however, urged to take advantage of the facilities when they are sick but not to abuse it.

“The provision of electronic wrist band to all pilgrims, introduction of DNA sample data, provision of accommodation next to Prophet Muhammad SAW mosque in Medina as well as the scheduled airlift of pilgrims to the Holy Land is also commended by pilgrims and encouraged by the Saudi authorities,” he added.

He advised pilgrims to adhere to the 12-hour ban on grouping of regular pilgrims from their tents in Mina to the Jamarat area to throw pebbles at the pillars symbolising Satan during the three days from Dhul Hijjah 10-12 (Sept. 11-13).

While commending NAHCON for early transport and distribution of Zam Zam to states, the   leader advised pilgrims to desist from carrying it in their luggage “as each five liter packages already awaits pilgrims at their various states.”