Private sector hires 294,000 Saudis during last 9 months    Saleh Al Shehri strike seals Al Ittihad's Sea Derby win over Al Ahli    HONOR unveils pre-order of the stunning HONOR MagicBook Art 14 Featuring an ultra-slim design, HONOR Eye Comfort Display and AI Cross-OS WorkStation    Economy minister emphasizes global partnerships to address pressing challenges Private investments in non-oil sector soar 70%    Saudi Arabia's GDP grows 2.8% in Q3, driven by non-oil sectors    PIF, HKMA sign MoU to establish $1 billion investment fund    Israeli soldiers forced Palestinian men to take off clothes as they evacuated war-torn Jabalya    North Korea fires suspected intercontinental missile    India celebrates Diwali, the festival of lights    Saudi Arabia and India agree to study feasibility of establishing power grid    Saudi Awwal Bank records SR5.9 billion net profit after Zakat and Income Tax for YTD Q3    'It was like a tsunami': Spaniards recount horror of deadly floods    Bahrain Crown Prince receives Saudi Interior Minister    Derby Week makes its debut in the Roshn Saudi League    HR Ministry takes penal action against 568 violators of Domestic Workers' Regulation    Al Nassr eliminated from King's Cup after a defeat to Al Taawoun    Teri Garr, Young Frankenstein and Tootsie star, dies at 79    Othman Al Omeir receives Legacy of Change Medal at the UK Parliament for advocacy in media    Neymar joins Saudi fashion trend, donning traditional attire at Al Hilal match    Indonesia Days event celebrates cultural diversity at Al Suwaidi Park    India puts blockbuster Pakistani film on hold    The Vikings and the Islamic world    Filipino pilgrim's incredible evolution from an enemy of Islam to its staunch advocate    Muted Eid celebrations for millions of Nigerian Muslims    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Pilgrims to take Haj pledge to quit smoking
By Shahid Ali Khan
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 05 - 12 - 2008

Saudi Arabia under the Tobacco Control Program will launch a no-smoking campaign during Haj to ensure that the two holy cities and other ritual sites remain tobacco-free areas.
Dr. Abdullah Muhammad Bidah, Supervisor-General of the Tobacco Control Program (TCP), Ministry of Health, said preparations are underway to educate pilgrims about the harmful effects of smoking and other uses of tobacco.
He said for a pilgrim who is addicted to smoking, Haj would be the ideal time to quit the habit. “As part of our campaign we coined a slogan for this Haj – “Make Arafat Day, a Quit Smoking Day.” The slogan will serve as a pledge taken on the spiritual day of Haj that will enable a pilgrim to quit smoking for the rest of his life,” he said.
Among the total number of pilgrims coming from various countries for Haj this year, an estimated 700,000 will be smokers, Bidah said adding that the TCP has printed around 1.5 million leaflets in 14 different languages for distribution among pilgrims including both smokers and non-smokers.
The printed educational material will be in languages such as Arabic, English, French, Persian, Urdu, Turkish, Indonesia and Swahili, Bidah said.
Besides, he added, there will be paid advertisements in seven languages on different satellite television channels. Anti-smoking advertisements will also be deployed on electronic screens located in the ritual sites.
He said TCP will also distribute a kit containing a prayer mat and a colorful gift card with an anti-smoking message, and information about the harmful effects of tobacco on health will be given as souvenirs to the pilgrims, who can take them to their home countries as reminders of the pledge they made during Haj to quit smoking.
Pilgrims, who are non-smokers, will help to disseminate information to people back home, he said. He added that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been requested to gather information when Haj visas are issued in order to ascertain the number of smokers among the pilgrims coming for Haj.
Bidah said the draft of a national anti-tobacco law has been submitted to higher authorities for approval.
He said efforts are underway to make Makkah and Madina tobacco-free cities. There are, however, difficulties in making the two holy cities 100 percent tobacco-free because pilgrims coming from different backgrounds and cultures are addicted to smoking.
“We require the cooperation of pilgrims in order to make the two holy cities among those with the lowest tobacco consumption in the world,” he said, adding that the area within five-kilometers of the Holy Haram in Makkah and Madina is tobacco-free with the sale of tobacco strictly banned.
He said even as the anti-smoking laws are being considered for approval, a central committee has been formed with representatives from the ministries of Health, Education and Commerce and other related agencies in order to study the ways and means of creating 100 percent tobacco


Clic here to read the story from its source.