The Cooperative Office for Call and Guidance here that works under the Islamic Affairs Ministry is organizing free Haj tours for new Muslims who have embraced Islam while working in Saudi Arabia. Nouh N. Al-Qarain, the organization's director in Riyadh, said that the number of new Muslims applying for Haj is on the rise every year. He said that the Center in downtown Batha requires funding of SR1.25 million for organizing free Haj package tours for around 500 new Muslims this year. “The number of applications from new Muslims has reached 500 for this year's Haj, which can be compared with 300 for Haj in 2008 and even smaller numbers in previous years,” he said. The center applies strict rules before selecting pilgrims for its Haj program, he added. The foreign workers who visit Batha Center with the intention to embrace Islam must first recite the Islamic testimony (Shahada) that “There is no God but Allah and Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is His Messenger.” The expatriates are of different nationalities including Filipinos, Indians, Nepalese and Sri Lankans, he said. However, he said at the Batha Office, Filipino workers form the majority among the new converts to Islam. When applicants submit their nomination form for the Haj program, their respective sponsors are contacted and asked for their approval. “We do this to avoid last-minute hurdles that may arise if the sponsor does not allow workers the week's leave that is required for a Haj tour,” said Al-Qarain. He said that once sponsors have approved leave for Haj, a month-long orientation program is held for the intending pilgrims. The applicants have to then fill out a 15-point question paper in an attempt to ascertain if the new Muslims applying for the Haj program have learned the basics of Islam such as memorizing Sura-e-Fatihah (The Opening) and two other Surahs, or chapters, from the Holy Qur'an. “An oral examination is conducted to ensure that the applicant has memorized these Surahs, a necessity for offering the five daily prayers,” said Al-Qarain. If the applicants fail the oral test, they are disqualified from attending the Haj orientation program and from being selected for the free Haj package tour. Those candidates short-listed after completing all the procedural formalities will undergo a vigorous orientation program that prepares them to perform Haj in the correct manner, he said. The Cooperative Call and Guidance Office offers transport to and from Makkah and accommodation in Mina and Arafat. While in Makkah and other ritual sites during Haj, the pilgrims will be provided with all the required facilities including an ihram (a two-piece white cloth) that the pilgrims wear before embarking on the holy journey, food and other day-to-day necessities including toothpaste and toothbrushes. Each pilgrim will also be provided with a coupon for sacrificing a goat, as part of the Haj ritual. The cost of Haj for each pilgrim is approximately SR2,500, which includes all expenditures for transport, accommodation, sacrificial goat and food served during the stay in Mina, Arafat and other ritual sites, he said. Al-Qarain said the Dawa (Islamic propagation) will continue even as the new Muslims perform their rituals during Haj. “We offer pilgrims the chance to make long-distance calls to speak to their families back home. This helps them (the pilgrims) express their feeling about their spiritual journey,” he said. The effect of long-distance telephone calls has been very positive, he explained. He said that many of the family members of new Muslims reportedly embraced Islam after talking to their relatives who performed Haj. “They (relatives back home) were so affected by what they heard that they decided to embrace Islam,” he said, adding that “at least 73 family members of new Muslims embraced Islam through propagation during Haj 2008.” Based on rules of the Haj program, new Muslims should first learn to practice basic Islamic teachings such as offering the five daily obligatory prayers, which requires a Muslim to memorize Sura-e-Fatihah and other Surahs from the Holy Qur'an. Haj is the last pillar of Islam and obligatory on those who can afford it and are able-bodied enough to physically endure all the hardships involved with the pilgrimage. According to Nasser A. Al-Hussein, assistant director, Cooperative Office for Call and Guidance at Batha Center, an average of 80 people of various nationalities and creeds embrace Islam every month. “However, about 90 percent of those who embrace Islam are Filipino nationals working in Riyadh,” he said. The basic idea behind organizing Haj tours free of cost is to strengthen the faith of new Muslims and their identity in Muslim society, he said.
