IN the newspaper today we report how an unscrupulous private taxi driver wanted SR1,000 for a trip from Makkah to Jeddah's King Abdul Aziz International Airport as the Haj was coming to an end. Normally such trips cost only SR150. His desperate passenger, a Makkah resident, pleaded with him and he reduced the fare to SR500. We also report how pilgrims were being fleeced from as much as SR100 for short trips from Mina to the Grand Mosque in Makkah. This is nothing but criminal behavior. These people are preying on Muslims performing a sacred rite ordained by Allah Almighty. And it is nothing new. Every year we hear and report similar stories – involving not only taxi drivers but those businesspeople involved in many other commercial and service industries – who use the Haj to make exorbitant amounts of money. There is no bar in Islam on making business before, during and after Haj, but there is certainly one against this type of exploitation. The passenger of this taxi driver was able to pay this sum and get to the airport on time. But what about many hundreds of thousands of other poor residents and pilgrims who earn so little that they can barely scrape enough together to come for the Haj itself? The authorities have been cracking down on these operators by issuing fines of SR300 and even confiscating cars. This is welcomed, but perhaps the fines should be higher and tougher. These people should not be allowed to devalue Haj and besmirch the name of the Kingdom. It is encouraging to see, though, that the authorities are determined that the massive new developments taking place in Makkah over the next decade will cater for poor and less well-off pilgrims. This is what the true spirit of Haj is all about. __
