Al-Hamdulillah, all praises and thanks are due to Allaah for giving me the opportunity to write these few lines on behalf of the Muslims who consider it their rights and responsibility to express their frustration and suggestion to the Saudia Government for their bad administration during the period of Hajj, when the millions of Pilgrims {guests of Allaah} are performing the Holy Pilgrimage. In the very same breadth Al-Hikmat calls on Muslim organizations in America and worldwide to voice their opinions on writing to Saudia Government, pertaining to the administrative system during the Hajj days. Muslim Organizations in the U.S.A. should consider it their Islamic duty to ensure that the procedures for the 5th pillar of Islam are carried out Islamically, professionally and in a good humanitarian manner for the guests of Allaah. While it is good to stand for civil rights in America, I think it would be of more priority to correct the administrative system for the 5th pillar of Islam in Saudi Arabia. I know that in some cases leaders, scholars and directors of Muslim organizations in the U.S.A. are afraid to voice their opinions to the Saudia Government, due to monetary reasons and other psychological inferior complex. Most leaders have performed the Hajj and know exactly what I’m referring too.
The following are also some of the problems during the Hajj:
* Lack of proper law enforcement - while there may be a lot of uneducated pilgrims, the toilets facilities should be kept cleaned with full-time workers, to ensure proper hygiene - especially in the Hajj terminals, Arafat, Muzdalifah, Mina and in the rest areas between Makkah and Medina.
* People should not be allowed to sleep on the roads and walkways especially in Mina. This would help create a faster and safer flow of traffic.
* Concrete dividers should not only be placed to separate traffic going in the opposite directions, but should also be used for a fast lane, slow lane and a shoulder where pilgrims could be dropped off and picked up in Mina, Muzdalifah and other places where necessary. Police officers should be used to enforce the law at strategic places.
* While building more bridges would help at the Jamraat {stoning Shaitaan}, it would be better to place concrete dividers in the middle of the Jamraat, making it a one way flow from the beginning of the small Jamraat to the end of the big Jamraat. The sides of the Jamraat should only be used as exits. Pilgrims walking in all different directions before and after stoning the Shaitaan, is one of the major reason for the stampede. Once more, I would like to reiterate the fact that, I know most of the pilgrims are uneducated and are the cause themselves for the road blocks and unhygienic toilets facilities - hence the reason why I’m emphasizing on a having a better system and stronger law enforcement. I hope and pray that this message would be taken in good faith by the Saudia Government and those responsible for the Pilgrimage procedures. Readers, who would like to e-mail this message to the Saudia authorities, could go to www.alhikmat.com for a copy Inshaa Allaah.