MINA — All the King's guests are selected carefully every year according to accurate standards, said Abdullah Midlij, secretary general of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques' Guests Program. This year the number of guests reached 2,400 with pilgrims from 74 countries in Asia, Europe, and Africa representing the elite groups in their countries. The Ministry of Haj allocates 40 percent seats to academics and university presidents, 40 percent to Islamic centers, and 20 percent to doctors, military leaders, new Muslims including former priests. After the end of the last Haj season, the program's executive committee started working on the new plan for the next season with more emphasis on avoiding the negative points of the previous plan. “Every year the program improves its services, thanks to the training courses offered to all staff running the program,” he said, adding that the last course given to the staff focused on the management of crowds and was offered by Naif Arab University for Security Sciences. Selection process The standards and criteria used to select guests are studied and reviewed several times every year before getting the nod from the minister of Islamic affairs. Universities, Islamic centers and societies, new Muslims, and women are assigned certain percentages. The focus is on important social figures because they have the influence to make a difference upon their return to their countries after performing Haj and meeting eminent scholars in the Kingdom. The guests attend various lessons given by the imams of the Two Holy Mosques and get to visit important places such as the Kiswah Factory and archaeological sites. After the list of guests is finalized, it goes to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for further whetting. Objectives The program sets objectives every year and accomplishes them under the supervision of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman, who spends generously on the program. “One of our objectives is to constantly develop our website, which is accessed by a large number of guests. Our website has detailed information about the program,” he said. The Haj Research Institute also contributes to developing the objectives and services of the program to offer top-notch services to the guests. Training courses As the program provides services to 2,400 pilgrims, which is a big number, the executive committee follows meticulous criteria in selecting staff. Employees have to enroll in a crow management course as well as a crisis management course. “Serving 2,400 pilgrims means that you 55 buses will be used in addition to small vehicles, scouts, and guides. It also means handling pilgrims from different nationalities speaking different languages. You are dealing here with groups of people who need constant supervision and guidance,” he noted. That is why the Ministry of Islamic Affairs has formed 14 committees supervised by the executive committee to ensure that everything goes as planned. Medical services The minister of health himself supervises medical services offered to guests. Each pilgrim is assigned a bar code containing all his personal and health information as well as his medical history. If anything happens to him, God forbid, the bar code will be used to extract necessary information and deal properly with his medical condition.
