Saudi Gazette report MAKKAH — Around 500 prominent Muslim leaders, scholars, thinkers and intellectuals from across the world have performed Haj as guests of the Makkah-based Muslim World League (MWL). While speaking to Saudi Gazette, they said in unison that the services and facilities being extended by the Saudi government for Haj pilgrims are remarkable and wonderful, and that no other country in the world could organize such an event. They noted that Saudi Arabia and the MWL were instrumental in bringing together Muslim leaders at one point to perform their rituals as well as to discuss and exchange the problems facing the Islamic Ummah and explore solutions. The leaders thanked the Saudi leadership, led by King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, for implementing landmark projects to provide ease and comfort to the pilgrims. Among the dignitaries hosted by the MWL for this year's Haj were Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, President of the International Union of Muslim Scholars; Saleh Bin Humaid, senior imam of Makkah Grand Mosque and former President of the Shoura Council; Ekrima Saeed Sabri, imam of Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem and President of the Palestine Scholars and Preachers Organization; Maulana Muhammad Khan Sheerani, member of Pakistan Senate and chairman of the Pakistan Council of Islamic Ideology; Sufyan Al-Thawri, Rector of European Islamic University of Rotterdam, Netherlands; Nagip Suenderi, General Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Kosovo; Ameeruddin Saranjani, President of the Supreme Council for Coordination of Islamic Work in the Philippines and former member of MWL foundation committee; prominent Saudi scholar Sheikh Salman Al-Ouda; former Sudanese ministers Essam Al-Bashir and Abdul Basit Seerwaq; and Qutbuddin Hamidi, member of Turkish Parliament. K.A. Hassan, senior lawyer of Kerala High Court and member of Waqaf Board, is among a five-member Indian pilgrim delegation hosted by the MWL. Muhammad Seed Al-Majdouhi, public relations general manager of the MWL, told Saudi Gazette: “All our guests are fine and they were ecstatic about performing the rituals with ease and comfort, thanks to the landmark projects implemented, plus much improved services and facilities made available by the government in the holy cities and at the holy sites.” Sheikh Sabri, who performed Haj for the eighth time, lauded the efforts being made by the Saudi government to extend the best possible services to the pilgrims. “It is amazing to see that Saudi Arabia, under King Abdullah, is rendering outstanding services to pilgrims. We see remarkable improvements in services and facilities every year,” he said. Sheikh Sabri, who headed a 10-member Palestinian Haj delegation, specially noted that there have been no incidents while stoning for the past three years thanks to the landmark Jamarat Complex that provided much ease, comfort and safety for the pilgrims. “The government has mobilized all its resources to do the excellent services for the pilgrims,” he said, while thanking the MWL for giving him an opportunity to have an interaction with a cross section of Muslim leaders from all corners of the world. “I found time to brief them on the latest developments in Jerusalem with the recent storming of Islam's third holy mosque by Jewish extremists,” he added. Maulana Sheerani thanked King Abdullah and the Saudi people for organizing a smooth and hassle-free Haj. “I am very happy to say that the Saudi government spares no efforts to improve the services for pilgrims. However, there should be more focus on crowd control by minimizing the problems caused by squatters,” he said. On his part, Al-Thawri said that Haj gives Muslims a valuable opportunity to learn values of unity, solidarity mercy and compassion. “It is high time for the Muslim Ummah to stand united in addressing its problems and alleviating the suffering of our brothers in various parts of the world,” he said, while emphasizing that Haj is a great unifying force for the Muslim Ummah. Echoing similar views, Saranjani said Muslims from nearly 190 countries united in a single point irrespective of their nationalities, languages, color, as well as social and financial status. “As if from a school, pilgrims get the opportunity to learn many good lessons and exchange their views during Haj, in addition to having exalted moments with a feeling of their proximity to Almighty Allah,” he said, while lauding the organization of the whole Haj experience. Suenderi performed his first Haj as MWL guest. He has no words to express thanks to the Saudi government for organizing the Haj in a superb way. “It is amazing to see smooth conduct of Haj by facilitating everything for nearly four million pilgrims and ensuring their safety, ease and comfort. It's a wonderful experience and a great source of inspiration for us,” he said, while hoping that the MWL would host more Kosovo Muslims, who are struggling to find out money for making pilgrimage to Makkah, over the coming years. The Islamic Community of Kosovo, the largest Muslim organization, funded most of the 875 Kosovo pilgrims to perform Haj this year, he added. K.A. Hassan from Kerala was highly impressed by the uninterrupted flow of water to use by nearly four million pilgrims in the holy city and all parts of the holy sites. “Needless to mention about the electricity, high-tech infrastructure facilities and above all the selfless services being rendered by tens of thousands of civilian officials and security personnel as well as volunteers,” he said, while expressing astonishment on the miraculous crowd control mechanism and smooth conduct of the largest religious gathering in the world.
