Beggary gangs work in shifts outside Prophet’s Mosque

MADINAH — The courtyards of the Prophet's Mosque in Madinah has witnessed an increase in the number of female beggars who give a bad impression to visitors of the mosque, Al-Madina newspaper reported. It said a gang of female beggars was spotted panhandling in the mosque's courtyards at various times of the day and night and they worked in shifts. Someone working behind the scenes is in charge of fixing their shifts and making transportation arrangements for these women to commute to the mosque. The day shift leaves at sunset and another group of beggars takes their place and they beg throughout the night. One of the workers at the Prophet's Mosque said there are gangs of different nationalities that commute women beggars to the courtyards after sunset prayers and then come later to pick them up. Dr. Ahmed Bin Abdul Jabbar, a university professor, said begging inside the Prophet's Mosque is not correct religiously because these beggars distract people who come to worship. "They also wear the traditional Saudi clothes, giving the visitors a bad impression about the social status of the natives," he added. Ali Bin Al-Ghamdi, director general of the Ministry of Labor and Social Development in Madinah, said their role in combating begging in the region is based on cooperation with the related committees of the Public Security. "The Public Security is an important pillar in the fight against this phenomenon. Begging is considered a crime under the country's law," he said, noting that the number of beggars has decreased over the past two years.