Saudi security, service sectors intensify Hajj efforts

Agencies
August 24, 2017

Madinah, Aug 24: The security and service sectors involved in serving pilgrims in Madinah have intensified their efforts to provide the best services possible for visitors of the Prophet’s Mosque.

More than 750,000 pilgrims reached the city up to Tuesday. All general security branches are participating in the implementation of the security plan for the Hajj season. Security forces in Madinah are receiving pilgrims coming by land and directing them to their accommodation.

Security forces responsible for the Prophet’s Mosque organize entrance and exit day and night, and pilgrims’ movement in the mosque, its courtyards and on its roofs, in coordination with the General Presidency for the Affairs of the Prophet’s Mosque and other relevant bodies.

New security posts have been established in various locations in Madinah to provide better services and security for pilgrims.

The General Presidency for the Affairs of the Prophet’s Mosque provides services to pilgrims in the pre-Hajj season by caring for worshippers and visitors and meeting their needs in the mosque.

During the last period of the pre-Hajj season, Prince Mohammed bin Abdul Aziz Airport in Madinah received more than 1,700 flights carrying more than 600,000 pilgrims from different nationalities.

The airport operates at a similar pace in the post-Hajj season, in preparation for the departure of pilgrims to their home countries.

Passport personnel at the airport facilitate their arrival procedures as fast as possible.

The General Administration for Water Services in Madinah maintains a constant supply of water, and more than 6,000 medical staff are on hand to serve pilgrims.

Moreover, there are 700 patrols working around the clock to maintain the safety of all pilgrims, said the commander of security patrols, Col. Mohammed Al-Suhaimi.

The head of traffic in Makkah, Col. Bassem Al-Badri, said more than 3,000 vehicles were impounded on charges of smuggling pilgrims.

“We have secret traffic patrols on the four squares of Makkah to catch pilgrim-smuggling,” he said, adding that the roads toward the areas around Al-Haram are closed for half an hour during each prayer to maintain pilgrims’ safety and control the flow of vehicles.

Assistant commander of Hajj security forces for traffic affairs, Maj. Gen. Khaled Al-Dabbayb, said: “We can track the movement of vehicles and deal with any breakdowns.”

Security forces are working to facilitate the movement of patients, people with special needs and families of martyrs, he added.

The assistant commander of Hajj security forces for security affairs, Maj. Gen. Munir Al-Jabreen, said 29 police stations are maintaining pilgrims’ safety.

Plan in place against rioting at Grand Mosque

There is a plan in place to deal with any riots at the Grand Mosque, security commanders said.

The head of the Security and Control Command Center in Hajj, Maj. Gen. Hassan Al-Zahrani, said the center is fitted with a TV observation system that operates round the clock and has 5,900 state-of-the-art cameras. Drones will be used around the mosque to help implement security plans, he added.

The commander of the forces responsible for security at the mosque, Maj. Gen. Mohammed Al-Ahmadi, said the tawaf (circling) area has been expanded to increase the number of pilgrims this year.

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News Network
May 6,2020

A massive fire engulfed a residential tower in UAE's Sharjah last night. The building has been identified as one Abbco Tower in Al Nahda.

According to the latest inputs, Sharjah Civil Defence teams rushed to the spot and evacuated all residents. 

Firefighters managed to douse the blaze after several hours. The building in question is reportedly a 48-storey structure. Officials are yet to reveal the cause of the fire.

All residents of the building were evacuated while seven incurred minor injuries during the evacuation and were treated at local hospitals, reported the United Arab Emirates' local media.

More details are awaited as this is a developing story.

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Saudi Gazette
May 27,2020

Riyadh, May 27: Following the announcement of easing of lockdown measures, which includes reopening of all mosques for daily congressional as well as Friday prayers across the Kingdom except the holy city of Makkah, the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Call and Guidance has set mandatory guidelines.

In a circular issued to mosque staff, Minister of Islamic Affairs, Call and Guidance Sheikh Abdullatif Al-Asheikh has instructed that all mosques must comply with the following precautionary measures and instructions:

1. Open mosques 15 minutes before the Adhan and close them 10 minutes after prayer

2. Reduce the waiting period between the Adhan and Iqamah to 10 minutes

3. Open windows and doors from entering time to the end of the prayer

4. Remove copies of Holy Qur’an and other books temporarily from mosques

5. Ensure attendees keep a distance of two meters between each other

6. Ensure one space is left between each row

7. Close all water coolers and refrigerators

8. Do not allow distribution of water or food in mosques

9. Close toilets and places of ablution

Precautionary measures on Friday prayers are as follows:

1. Open mosques 20 minutes before Friday prayer and closing them 20 minutes after prayer.

2. Friday sermon with prayer should not exceed 15 minutes.

The circular also stipulates to keep the suspension of the religious courses, programs and lectures, as well as the memorizing Holy Qur'an sessions in the mosques and to continue education and lectures remotely until further notice.

The circular pointed out that the imams of mosques should urge the worshipers to take the following precautionary measures:

1. Wear a face mask

2. Bring their own prayer rugs and not leave them after the prayer

3. Prevent accompanying children under 15 years of age from entering mosques

4. Perform ablution at home

5. Avoid crowding when entering or exiting mosques

Meanwhile, the spokesman of the Ministry of Interior clarified later in the day that people are allowed to perform congressional prayers in their locality during the time of curfew.

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Agencies
July 31,2020

Mount Arafat, July 30: Muslim pilgrims converged Thursday on Saudi Arabia's Mount Arafat for the climax of this year's hajj, the smallest in modern times and a sharp contrast to the massive crowds of previous years.

A tight security cordon has been erected all around the foot of the rocky hill outside Mecca, also known as Jabal al-Rahma or Mount of Mercy.

Pilgrims, donning masks and observing social distancing, were brought in buses from neighbouring Mina, state television showed, as Saudi authorities impose measures to prevent a coronavirus outbreak.

They were subject to temperature checks and attended a sermon -- which state media said was translated into 10 languages -- before they set off on the climb to the summit for hours of Koran recitals and prayers to atone for their sins.

The scene was strikingly different to last year's ritual when a sea of pilgrims ascended Mount Arafat, marshalled by tens of thousands of stewards in a bid to prevent any crushes.

After sunset prayers, pilgrims will make their way down Mount Arafat to Muzdalifah, another holy site where they will sleep under the stars to prepare for the final stage of hajj, the symbolic "stoning of the devil".

It takes place on Friday and also marks the beginning of Eid al-Adha, the festival of sacrifice.

The hajj, one of the five pillars of Islam and a must for able-bodied Muslims at least once in their lifetime, is usually one of the world's largest religious gatherings.

But only up to 10,000 people already residing in the kingdom will participate in this year's ritual, compared with 2019's gathering of some 2.5 million from around the world.

"You are not our guests but those of God, the custodian of the two holy mosques (Saudi Arabia's King Salman) and the nation," Hajj Minister Mohammad Benten said in a video released by the media ministry on Wednesday.

Security cordon

A security cordon has been thrown around the holy sites to prevent any security breaches, an interior ministry spokesman said.

Riyadh faced strong criticism in 2015 when some 2,300 worshippers were killed in the deadliest stampede in the gathering's history.

But this year, those risks are greatly reduced by the much smaller crowd.

The pilgrims have all been tested for the virus, and foreign journalists were barred from this year's hajj, usually a huge global media event.

As part of the rites completed over five days in the holy city of Mecca and its surroundings, the pilgrims converged on Mount Arafat after spending the night in Mina.

A district of Mecca, Mina sits in a narrow valley surrounded by rocky mountains, and is transformed each year into a vast encampment for pilgrims.

They began the hajj on Wednesday with their first "tawaf", the circumambulation of the Kaaba, a large structure in Mecca’s Grand Mosque towards which Muslims around the world pray.

The Kaaba is draped in a black cloth embroidered in gold with Koranic verses and known as the kiswa, which is changed each year during the pilgrimage.

Pilgrims were brought inside the mosque in small batches, walking along paths marked on the floor, in sharp contrast to the normal sea of humanity that swirls around the Kaaba during hajj.

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