RIYADH: King Abdullah, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, has issued an order for 1,300 Muslims to be hosted for Haj this year from around the world, as part of the Hosting Program supervised by the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Endowments, Call and Guidance. The Muslims are from Turkey, Ukraine, Moldavia, Belarus, Georgia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Czech Republic, Austria, Bulgaria, Romania, Bosnia Herzegovina, Macedonia, Kosovo, Serbia, Slovakia, Croatia, Seychelles, Vietnam, China, Indonesia, Turkish Cyprus, and several South American and African countries. Sheikh Saleh Bin Abdulaziz Bin Mohammed Aal Al–Sheikh, the Minister of Islamic Affairs, Endowments, Call and Guidance, who is also Supervisor General of the Hosting Program, said the total number amounted to 15,368 pilgrims hosted by the program since its inception up until last year's Haj season.
