120,761 Haj pilgrims has been back to Indonesia; Total pilgrims who will come back as many as 199,693 people.; Pilgrims impressed by Haj hospitality, improvements

120,761 Haj pilgrims has been back to Indonesia; Total pilgrims who will come back as many as 199,693 people.; Pilgrims impressed by Haj hospitality, improvements



A total of 120 761 (60.47 percent) Indonesian pilgrims until Tuesday (29/11) at 11:12 when Saudi Arabia (WAS) or 15:12 pm is returned to the country. Total pilgrims who will come back as many as 199,693 people.

"The number of pilgrims who returned to Tanai Water every day continues to grow, and vice versa which are in Saudi Arabia diminished," said Haji Head of Integrated Computerized Systems (Siskohat) Mecca Ministry of Religious Affairs, Evi Al Hudhori, in Mecca, Monday (29/11 / 2011).

He said that most pilgrims who had returned to Tanai Air landed at debarkation SUB (Surabaya) 22 271 people, debarkation SOC (Solo) 21 318 people, debarkation JKS (Jakarta) 21 047 people, debarkation JKG (DKI Jakarta) 12 260 persons, and the debarkation BTH (Batam) 8045 people.

While Indonesia who are still pilgrims in Mecca reach 11,331 people. Of that amount, there will be directed to Jeddah for the next return to the country, and partly there to Medina to Arbain.

Indonesian pilgrims in Medina, said Evi reached 61,230 people. After carrying out Arbain, they will return to the Land of Aar, either through an airport in Medina as well as through the airport in Jeddah.

"Jemaah who returned to the country using the two airlines, namely Garuda Indonesia and Saudi Airlines," he explained.

It is said also, the number of pilgrims who died up to now it is 459 people. Most are people with circulatory system diseases 303 people, 112 people respiratory system diseases, endocrine diseases as well as nutrients and metals 14 people.

Most pilgrims died aged 60 years and over 338 people, ages 99 people 50-59 people, people 20 people aged 40-49 and those aged under 40 as much as two people.

Location died most in Mecca 355 people, 54 people in Medina, as well as in Mina 25 people.

Pilgrims impressed by Haj hospitality, improvements

Saudi Arabia, its leadership and people came in for special praise for the excellent service and impeccable organization of the largest gathering of Muslims every year.

At Arafat, the pilgrims instinctively raised their hands and prayed for the well-being of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, Crown Prince Naif and other members of the establishment for pumping billions of riyals into creating massive infrastructure at the holy sites. Those who have been here before say things have changed phenomenally, all for the good of the pilgrims.

Ayub Athman is a Kenyan Muslim. He has been to Haj before. He spoke to Arab News minutes after arriving in Mina from Muzdalifah via the newly introduced Mashair train service.

“This is unbelievable,” he said. “I came here seven or eight years ago. At that time everybody would talk about stampedes and getting stuck in truck for hours. I remember not being able to reach Muzdalifah for seven hours after leaving Arafat that year. We would run in circles and our driver had no idea what to do next. He them dropped us off in Mina and vanished. We had to go back to Muzdalifah on foot and collect the mandatory pebbles to complete the stoning of the devil ritual.”

That was then, he says. “It is a totally different story. Nobody would have believed that we would one day have a train service here. Who would have imagined that a train service could run in this massive throng of people? Who would have thought of these elevated train tracks? It is simply a modern-day wonder. I kept gawking at the overhead trains as they zoomed past Mina on their way to Arafat,” said Athman.

Mohammad Imran, a 25-year-old Pakistani pilgrim from Bahawalpur, says credit must go to the Saudi leadership. “They never shied away from committing billions of riyals into such grand projects. It is because of their service to the Ummah that this place is heaven on earth. The general perception in the outside world is that Muslims are not capable of anything. But Saudis have proved all the skeptics wrong. This train service is the best example of their visionary zeal to help the pilgrims and make their stay comfortable.”

Imran says his elderly parents never miss an opportunity to pray for Saudi Arabia. “This is a citadel of Islam, and that is why there are many people in the outside world who get jittery when this nation progresses. All eyes are on this nation of Islam. May Allah protect it and may Allah shower all His bounties on this Kingdom and its people. We Pakistanis have a special bond with this country.”

Junaid Sajjad, an American pilgrim of Indian origin, says it is not easy to manage 3 million pilgrims. “This is a logistical challenge, and it is not for just one year, it takes place every year. It is an unending exercise. It is a daunting challenge. But look, the Saudis have pulled out all stops to make the journey of pilgrims as easy as possible. I am impressed. Very impressed,” he told Arab News.

Journalist Masoom Moradabadi agreed with Sajjad's views. “Saudi Arabia is a source of strength for the Muslim world. Whenever there is a crisis facing the Muslim world, it looks in this direction. Saudi Arabia has, through its wisdom and practical steps, made us hold our heads high. The Western media can say anything; the Saudis have earned the gratitude and prayers of all Muslims. Their hospitality is legendary. They go out of the way to help us. God bless them.”

Pilgrims perform final hajj rituals


Nearly three million Muslim pilgrims were performing the final rituals of the hajj yesterday as the world's largest annual gathering neared its close without major incident. The most dangerous rite of the annual hajj proceeded peacefully as pilgrims rushed to throw 21 stones at pillars that symbolise the devil in the Saudi village of Mina, the last rite of the annual pilgrimage. "Once I've finished the stoning, I will go to the Grand Mosque in Makkah to say farewell," said Abdallah Hami
d Uglu, a 54-year-old Turk, in the mass of pilgrims rushing to complete the ritual before sunset.

In previous years, hundreds of people have been trampled to death in stampedes triggered by crowds trying to get close to the pillars to take their vengeance on the devil. To complete the ritual, which is carried out over three days, pilgrims must stone the three pillars said to symbolise the devil. The ritual is an emulation of Ibrahim's (PBUH) stoning of the devil at the three spots where he is said to have appeared trying to dissuade the biblical patriarch from obeying God's order to sacrifice his son,
Ishmael.

Most pilgrims were to leave yesterday, after a farewell circumambulation of the Kaaba, a cube-shaped structure in the Grand Mosque into which is set the Black Stone, Islam's most sacred relic. Others stay for a further day. Saudi authorities have installed a multi-level walkway through the stone-throwing site in a bid to avoid the trampling that caused the deaths of 364 people in 2006, 251 in 2004 and 1,426 in 1990. More than 12,000 security guards organised the movement of pilgrims on the walkway this yea
r with around 400 CCTV security cameras placed there to help manage the crowds.

No major incidents have been reported among the pilgrims, which the Saudi statistics office said numbered 2.93 million this year. The figure included 1.83 million foreigners. "Over 239,000 people have been working on ground" to serve the pilgrims and maintain order, Mecca governor Prince Khaled Al-Faisal told reporters. In the coming years, Makkah will become a "smart" city, said Prince Khaled with Saudi authorities having this year called in the latest electronic aids to help control the vast crowds.

The ministry of religious affairs has been sending 3.25 million text messages each day to the mobile phones of pilgrims to inform them of correct procedures for the hajj rites. Saudi authorities also managed the crowds with electronic monitors which tracked each and every pilgrim during the five-day hajj, Hajj Minister Fuad Al-Farsi said. With motion sensors placed on surveillance cameras, "we are now able to report any excessive crowds" and to react in time, said the commander of the special emergency for
ces, Khaled Al-Mohammadi.

The religious police also posted videos and documents for the guidance of pilgrims on video-sharing website YouTube. For the first time this year, the hajj was streamed live on YouTube in cooperation with the Saudi government. Before leaving, most pilgrims buy up religious souvenirs and Zamzam holy water from a spring inside the Grand Mosque complex. "I'm looking for gifts for my family back home in Jakarta," said Mohammed Islam, a 56-Indonesian, as he strolled among the market stalls scattered across the
holy sites. "A gift from Makkah has a symbolic value because it represents the holiest place on earth," he said. The hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam and must be performed at least once in a lifetime by all those who are able to. -

Pictures:
1.The Hajj in Makkah
2.Muslim pilgrims wait at Saudi Arabia's Jeddah airport for the annual pilgrimage to nearby Mecca
3.Muslim pilgrims wait to move from Mecca to Mina
4. Muslim pilgrims rest in Mina
5. Rain and hail hit Mina valley and Mecca as hundreds of thousands of pilgrims headed to Mecca
6. A man looks at Muslims attending Friday prayers at the Grand Mosque in Mecca during the annual haj pilgrimage
7. After their time in Mina has passed, pilgrims head back to Mecca.
8. While pilgrims are performing these rites, Muslims who are not at Hajj are celebrating the Eid al-Adha holiday.
9.Muslim pilgrims perform prayers upon their arrival in Mecca, during the annual haj pilgrimage in Mecca
10.Muslim pilgrims perform prayers upon their arrival during the annual haj pilgrimage in Mecca
11. Muslim pilgrims arrive on a vehicle for prayers at Mount Arafat during the annual pilgrimage of the haj, outside the holy city of Mecca
12. Muslim pilgrims pray on the plains of Arafat during the annual haj pilgrimage, outside the holy city of Mecca
13. Muslim pilgrims walk to perform prayers at the Grand Mosque upon arrival in Mecca, during the annual haj pilgrimage in Mecca
14. Muslim pilgrims walk outside the Grand Mosque during the annual haj pilgrimage in Mecca
15.Muslim pilgrims arrive to cast stones at pillars symbolizing Satan, which is part of a hajj pilgrimage rite, on the first day of Eid al-Adha in Mena
16. Muslim pilgrims pray on Mount Mercy on the plains of Arafat during the annual haj pilgrimage, outside the holy city of Mecca
17.A Muslim pilgrim prays atop Mount Al-Noor during the annual haj pilgrimage in Mecca
18. Muslim pilgrims stand in line to cast stones at pillars symbolizing Satan, which is part of a hajj pilgrimage rite, on the first day of Eid al-Adha in Mena
19. Muslim pilgrims arrive on a vehicle for prayers at Mena during the annual haj pilgrimage outside the holy city of Mecca
20. Muslim pilgrims pray atop Mount Al-Noor during the annual haj pilgrimage in Mecca
21.Muslim pilgrims take shelter under umbrellas on Mount Mercy on the plains of Arafat during the annual haj pilgrimage, outside the holy city of Mecca
22.Muslim pilgrims sleep on Mount Mercy on the plains of Arafat during the annual haj pilgrimage, outside the holy city of Mecca