JEDDAH, July 29 — The Saudi Arabia government regards the newly introduced Mecca Road initiative for pilgrims from Malaysia to enter the Kingdom for the haj pilgrimage this year as a great success.
Its Minister of Media, Dr Awwad Bin Saleh Al Awwad said the Mecca Road initiative was introduced to facilitate haj procedures by requiring the pilgrims to complete the procedures in their countries of origin, and this year, the facility was also extended to Malaysian and Indonesian pilgrims.
“This project has achieved great success in Malaysia and Indonesia. Thanks to the efforts of the concerned sectors and agencies in the two countries,” he said to a delegation of 11 media editors who were invited by the ministry to cover the pilgrimage preparation in the Holy Land.
He said the Mecca Road was one of the initiatives being implemented within the National Transformation Programs 2020 to achieve the Vision of the Kingdom 2030 to improve services and facilitate pilgrims.
“We expect to increase the number of countries that will be involved in the Mecca Road initiative next year,” he said.
Through the Mecca Road initiative, the airport authority was targeting a 20-minute clearance for pilgrims from the landing process till reaching their buses which would be waiting to send them to their respective hotels in Mecca.
The initiative began with ending the entry visas into Saudi Arabia from the pilgrim’s own country, at the airport where originating flight takes off from, in collaboration with various related Saudi Arabia government agencies to facilitate pilgrimage arrangements and requirements.
The pilgrims who arrive under the Mecca Road initiative have their fingerprints taken and passports stamped at their country of departure and their entry into Saudi Arabia would be facilitated like a domestic flight, while the baggage would be sent direct to their hotels and place of stay.
This initiative also involve pilgrims from Indonesia, but only for those who flew in via Soekarno Hatta Airport in Jakarta.
Dr Awwad said Mecca was a sacred place of worship and a platform for revelation, where Muslims came from every corner of the world to do the haj pilgrimage.
“The pilgrimage is to unite Muslims and there is no room for division and sedition. The pilgrims want to perform the Haj safely and pray in the purest part of the earth that Allah forgive their sins and then return safely to their homeland, God willing,” he added.
He said the Saudi leadership regarded as its duty to serve the pilgrims of the House of God since their entry into the Kingdom and their transfer to the two Holy Mosques, Al-Sharif and then their return to their homeland.
All the ministers in the Saudi government, he said, were in a state of readiness and work around the clock to follow the progress of the Haj arrangements.
“The Haj is a unique event in which more than three million people gather in one place and move in narrow spaces in the same place. Haj is something that you cannot delay as Haj is related to being at the right time and at specific moment,” he added. — Bernama
