MINA — Pilgrims reassembled in Mina on Monday to complete the remaining Haj rituals which included stoning of the devil, slaughtering of sacrificial animals, shaving of hairs, getting out of the state of ihram. A large number of them headed toward the Grand Mosque for Tawaf Al-Ifada, which is an important pillar of the pilgrimage. The authorities have introduced a number of safety measures to avoid crowding near the Jamarat bridge, which is now a multistory structure to accommodate the huge number of pilgrims. Pilgrims threw pebbles they had collected in nearby Muzdalifah at Jamarat Al-Aqaba (the big Satan). Commander of Haj Security Forces Gen. Khalid Al-Harbi said that the stoning ritual was incident-free. He said that more than 500,000 pilgrims stoned the devil from the ground floor of the Jamarat bridge, while more than 350,000 performed the stoning ritual from the first floor. The rest of the pilgrims were distributed over the other floors of the bridge. The second floor received the least number of Hajis who came from the direction of Makkah. Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman arrived in Mina on Sunday to ensure that pilgrims perform their rituals with ease and comfort. The King was also briefed on preparations for the safe movement of pilgrims between Muzdalifah and Mina. Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Naif, deputy prime minister and minister of interior as well as the chairman of the Supreme Haj Committee, praised the efforts of security men to maintain peace and security during Haj. Inspecting the preparations by the security forces participating in Haj, the Crown Prince said, "Everyone knows that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is targeted by several parties which must be repelled. You are able, God willing, to face any threat to security of our country and its citizens." The Crown Prince also inspected the common security operations center (911) in Makkah. Pilgrims said they feel safe. "The Saudis organize everything for us. We are truly at ease here," Youssef Al-Mehri, 24, from Oman said with a prayer rug slung over his shoulder. In cables to King Salman and Crown Prince Muhammad, Emir of Makkah Prince Khaled Al-Faisal described the ascent from Arafat to Muzdalifah as smooth, well organized and incident-free. In a TV interview, the Emir said the number of illegal pilgrims have decreased remarkably, standing only at five percent this year from nine precent last year and about 70 percent the previous year. "Due to the strict measures we are using to organize Haj, I expect the number of violating pilgrims to go down to zero percent," he said. Minister of Haj and Umrah Muhammad Saleh Bentan said the grouping of pilgrims to the Jamarat area was monitored electronically and by field observers to make sure that their movement to the Jamarat was smooth and well-organized. He said the bracelets for pilgrims will be supplied with special chips from next year to make sure that they do not go to the Jamarat area unless all the roads are open and safe. The Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Call and Guidance will distribute copies of the Holy Qur'an in various languages among pilgrims before they depart for their respective homes. The ministry also said its gifts to the pilgrims include religious books and CDs.
