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Saudi urges Haj pilgrims not to cause trouble
EFI Saudi Arabiaâs King Fahd has urged some 900,000 pilgrims [there are country by country quotas; with 1 billion moslems in the world, the quotas effectively prevent over 90% of moslems from carrying out one of the 5 top commandments of Islam] who have already converged on the kingdomâs Muslim holy cities to take part in this yearâs Haj to abide by local rules, newspapers reported Tuesday. "The kingdom has taken the necessary measures to ... provide the conditions that would enable the pilgrims to perform rituals in peace," [lots of non Saudi guards have been hired] Fahd told the cabinet on Monday. The Saudi monarch urged the faithful not to violate Saudi laws and regulations and to "avoid anything that might desecrate the pilgrimage or undermine the pilgrimsâ security." The daily Arab News said some 900,000 faithful had already arrived in Mecca and Medina ahead of the Haj, which begins on January 30. More than two million pilgrims, including 1.3 million foreigners, are expected this year, it said.... Saudi authorities, who have rounded up hundreds of suspected extremists since the bombings blamed on sympathisers of the al-Qaeda militant network, have also stepped up security in Mecca. Riyadh has warned pilgrims against causing trouble every year since 1987.... Meetings or the raising of political slogans are firmly banned. [just like every day in the Kingdom] Posted by: mhw 2004-01-21 |
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