Saudi Gazette

JEDDAH — By organizing awareness and orientation programs for intending Haj pilgrims, many foreign countries have played an important role in the smooth and successful conduct of Haj this year, according to Minister of Haj and Umrah Mohammed Saleh Benten.

Delivering a speech at a reception held here to celebrate the successful conclusion of Haj, the minister said the success of the pilgrimage operations largely depended on adherence to rules and regulations by foreign pilgrims.

The minister said orientation programs conducted by foreign countries contributed to enrich Haj knowledge and the true spirit of the Islamic ritual among pilgrims. He thanked foreign Haj missions for their close cooperation and coordination.

“We communicated in different foreign languages with pilgrims during their stay in Kingdom," Benten said.

He urged Muslim countries to adopt recommendations and observations made by the Haj symposium conducted in Makkah by his ministry to promote global peace.

He said organizing the Haj symposium for first time with wide participation by Muslim intellectuals from different parts of the world was a milestone for his ministry.

Benten said Custodian of Two Holy Mosques King Salman and Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman were determined to provide all possible facilities to the pilgrims. The ministry worked hard to align with the goals of Vision 2030 in this regard, he added.

Haj symbolizes peace and the Saudi leadership used the occasion to promote peace and tolerance among Muslims, said Sheikh Abbas Sulaiman Shoman, vice rector of Al-Azhar University in Cairo, the world's leading seat of Islamic learning.

The renowned scholar said by effectively and successfully holding the Haj operations with more numbers of pilgrims this year, the Kingdom and its leadership succeeded in preventing the spread of evil in the Ummah.

The Islamic world remains thankful to Saudi Arabia, which is the custodian of Two Holy Mosques and sacred places attached to the Haj, said Jordan’s Minister for Islamic Affairs and Awqaf Wael Abdallah Arabiyat.

He hailed organizational skills of the Saudi leadership in such massive gathering.

The Jordanian minister also explained how infrastructure was being developed by the Saudi authorities for the comfort of pilgrims right from their arrival till departure.

Benten congratulated the ministry's employees for their role in making the Haj operation a success. He honored several officials including Ali Bin Mohammed Al-Ghamdi, Hatem Bin Qadi, Hisham Al-Abbas and Yousef Al-Fadhil, among others.