KUALA LUMPUR: Muslim pilgrims from all over the world would surely havenoticed the frantic pace of development taking place over the past years inthe holy city of Makkah while performing the Hajj and Umrah, Bernamareported.
Similar scenes could be seen at the Prophet’s Mosque in Madina which haswitnessed a huge expansion. This is testament to the seriousness of SaudiArabia in taking its responsibility to ensure the interests of pilgrims aretaken care of in the best possible manner every year.
Indeed, the kingdom, which is home to Islam’s two holy sites of Makkah andMadina, has ambitious plans to accommodate up to 30 million Haj and Umrahpilgrims in the coming years, according to its Vision 2030 introduced bySaudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
What is certain is that the Saudis welcome pilgrims from countries all overthe world, underscoring that no politics should be at play in dischargingits heavy responsibility towards the Muslim Ummah that currently numbersover 1.8 billion.
Saudi Arabia, which considers serving pilgrims as an Islamic duty, rejectsany attempt to politicise Hajj or efforts towards the internationalisationof the Haramain Sharifain (Makkah and Madina) administration since it hasmanaged to organise Hajjj affairs in a peaceful, professional and perfectmanner over the past decades.
“The government of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman binAbdulaziz Al Saud has extended all efforts to serve Haj and Umrah pilgrimsas part of its Islamic duty, and it will keep rendering such services forthe sake of Allah’s guests,” a source at the Saudi Arabian InformationMinistry said in response to queries from Bernama.
Vision 2030 includes a strategic and comprehensive plan to develop thesector to allow the largest number of Muslims possible to perform the Hajand Umrah. More than two million Muslims from all over the world convergeon Saudi Arabia annually to perform the haj in a journey of faith.
For Malaysia, the Saudi Arabian government had given the green light forthe Malaysian haj quota to be increased to 30,200 from 27,900, startingwith the 2017 haj season. Observers said this positive developmentstemmed from the close ties forged between Prime Minister Najib Razak andHis Majesty King Salman who made his maiden state visit to Malaysia lastyear.
Najib is also a frequent guest of the Saudi government, his last workingvisit there was in January during which he was given the rare privilege ofentering the Kaabah which marks the direction that Muslims around the worldface when praying.
For the Saudi government, there is no denying that developing hajj andumrah organisations and services in the kingdom is among its toppriorities, and an extension of the country’s historic role in servingMuslims.
Combating terrorism and projecting moderate values of Islam, initiativeschampioned by Crown Prince Mohammed which have drawn positive response inMalaysia in particular and the international community at large in general– are other major endeavours by Saudi Arabia in the international arena.
Saudi Arabia’s resolve to boost the Haj and Umrah sector partly stems fromits recurring success in managing huge Umrah crowds, allowing nearly 6.5million pilgrims from across the globe to perform their religious duties.
The kingdom has embarked on what is touted as the largest expansion of theMakkah Grand Mosque so as to increase the capacity annually, something thatis urgently needed.
Finding a solution to this issue is the focus of King Salman as he’s makingthe largest expansion in the history of the holy mosque to accommodate morethan 1.6 million worshippers in normal circumstances, as well assignificant numbers of pilgrims during Hajj and Umrah.
Besides strategic development of the holy sites’ facilities and services,Vision 2030 also calls for the development of a world-class Haramain trainnetwork linking Makkah, Jeddah and Madina as well as housing projects andtents for pilgrims.
In addition, it is eyeing the establishment of large modern airports toreceive more guests, as well as completion targets of the expansionprojects.
The Saudis are leaving no stone unturned when it comes to security of theirhaj and umrah guests as the vision calls for providing active securitymanagement to protect pilgrims.
The Saudi government views this as its fundamental duty and it has so farsucceeded in organising peaceful hajj seasons over the years.
“Saudi Arabia will spare no effort in bolstering its security, defendingits stability and preserving interests of the pilgrims,” the Saudi sourcesaid. And it is understandably proud of the meticulous preparation andcareful execution of planning that resulted in a zero-mistake 2017 hajperiod.
Besides security, the Saudis are also concerned with the wellbeing of hajand umrah pilgrims, and this is reflected in the vision itself.
The vision focuses on expanding health and medical services for pilgrims bypreparing hospital and health centres to provide top-of-the-line servicesround-the-clock, in addition to sewage, cleanliness and lighting servicesat the holy sites and the Jamarat Bridge.
A scrutiny of the details contained in Vision 2030 will reveal a shift fromseasonal work to a year-long work system and culture to enhance servicesand meet its objectives. And King Salman is not taking things for grantedas he has directed all relevant agencies to redouble their efforts andprovide all facilities for the benefit of pilgrims. – APP