Saudi Gazette JEDDAH — "Jeddah as a principal gateway to the holiest cities in Islam, Makkah Al-Mukarramah and Madinah Al-Munawwarah, has always been a place of attraction to the millions of people. In 1976, Jeddah was too small. But the modern city has now rapidly expanded beyond its old boundaries and I always find Saudis and expatriates living in Jeddah very warm and welcoming," said Mohammed Khalid Ali Khan, a Dutch businessman, addressing a reception dinner gathering. "I still recall my first Haj pilgrimage in 1956 with my grandfather. Since 1976 I have been a regular visitor to the Kingdom. Since then I have very good relations with many well-known Saudi families," he added. "The firm, in which I was employed as a consultant, was actively involved in many massive projects in different parts of the Kingdom and that gave me the opportunity to have more in depth knowledge of the culture of the Kingdom," said Khan, who lives in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, since 1971. Khan was in the Kingdom to perform Umrah. Mohammed Khalid Khan, born in the state of Rampur UP in a noted Muslim family on April 9, 1944, Khan is now director-cum-owner of Abbabil Continental. He was all praise for his homeland, the Netherlands, that he adopted. He began his career as a commercial administration attaché in Indian Embassy in Holland. "Almost 6% of the population in the Netherlands adheres to Islam. The people tend to view themselves as modest, independent and self-reliant. They value ability over dependency," he said, while praising the Dutch Muslims. "My wife is Dutch Muslimah and famous among Muslim women of the Netherlands and EU," he added. He also shed light on the social life of Muslims of Holland. "In Amsterdam Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi Muslims live amicably. The Pakistanis are around 100,000 while the majority are Moroccans and Turks. Tunisians, Algerians, Indonesians and Surinamese are also there. The Urdu language is widely spoken among Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Surinamese communities and there are plus- minus 520 mosques. The Eid Al- Fitr and Eid Al-Adha festivals are celebrated with great pomp and show," he revealed. Muhammad Mukhtar Ali, a famous Pakistani artist and poet, hosted a lavish dinner to welcome Khan. Khan thanked Muhammad Mukhtar Ali and the attendees for their hospitality and keen interest on his impressions regarding Muslims of the Netherlands.
