| Saudi Government Warns Against Anyone Undermining Security Of Haj Pilgrims |
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MECCA, Nov 3 (Bernama) -- The Council of Ministers has warned that Saudi Arabia will not allow anyone to undermine the security and safety of pilgrims during the upcoming Haj season beginning Nov 25.
It also warned against moves by certain quarters to create divisions among Muslims and called on pilgrims to keep away from all activities that could affect Haj security, Saudi Arabian English daily Arab News reported the Cabinet as saying.
The weekly Cabinet meeting, chaired by King Abdullah, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, urged pilgrims to make use of their valuable time in the holy places to establish closer relations with God by engaging in worship, prayer and meditation.
"Let there be no sexual relations, nor sin, nor dispute during the Haj," the Cabinet said, quoting a verse from the Quran. The statement came after comments made by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in an apparent move to politicise Haj.
Haj Minister Fouad Al-Farsy and Shoura Council president Abdullah Al-Asheikh have denounced the move to undermine security during the annual pilgrimage.
They highlighted Saudi Arabia's efforts to improve facilities for pilgrims to perform their rituals comfortably.
The Islamic Fiqh Academy also called on pilgrims to abide by the teachings of Islam while performing the Haj rituals. "Pilgrims should feel the sacredness of the place and time during their stay in the holy places," said its secretary-general Abdussalam Al-Abadi.
He said pilgrims should not get involved in any activity that could disturb the order of Haj, undermine its security and violate its peace and tranquility.
Meanwhile, as part of a drive to prevent the spread of swine flu, the Ministry of Health will begin vaccinating local Haj pilgrims and workers in Mecca and Madinah since the vaccine will be effective only 10 days after vaccination.
The flu has affected 7,000 people in the Kingdom and caused 62 deaths.
On Monday, the ministry assigned 74 health centres in 18 governorates to receive suspected swine flu patients until midnight every day.
Ziad Al-Memish, assistant deputy minister of health for preventive medicine was reported as saying that mobile surveillance machines had been distributed to health officials who work in the holy cities and that a Central Command Office would be established to monitor the spread of the virus.
Vaccinations will be available to public and private sector workers as well as to people who live in Mecca and Madinah.
Around two million pilgrims perform the Haj each year. In order to avoid crowding during the pilgrimage, the Kingdom allows local pilgrims to perform Haj only once every five years.
-- BERNAMA
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