I performed hajj back in 2006. Thanks to a few secretaries of the government from back then and one former secretary, myself and my roommate from Faujdarhat Cadet College managed to get government passes -- the only benefit being that we we were able to hold on to our passports instead of surrendering them to the Mutwallis’ people. Credit must be given to our Hajj agent MKR. Their people in the holy cities made our time there very comfortable
We were so engrossed in the Hajj rituals and asking for forgiveness from the Almighty, that we didn’t even have the time to look around and inspect our surroundings. I also performed Umrah a few times afterwards, twice during the month of Ramadan. All along, we were more focused on offering our prayers at the holy mosques and performing the required rituals.
Even the most ardent critic among my friends, who once said that he would engage an agent to throw stones at the devil or visit the Haram Sharif after a good night’s sleep, was found to have run into the Haram Sharif once he had sighted the minar. He told me how he could not resist once he saw the “House of Allah.” When I look back now, I can tell you, things were not at all well-organised back then.
From immigration at the airport to every other place of importance, the Saudi police acted arrogantly. Everything was haphazardly managed, with construction work going on in many places, a severe lack of hygiene around us, and most importantly, the total lack of any planning. The Mina experience wasn’t very good either -- the showers and toilets were in miserable conditions. Many pilgrims in Arafat had to walk to Muzdalifah due to the unnecessary traffic jams created by “first time to Arafat/Hajj” drivers. We all kept mum and remained focused on our goal.
This time, while two of my sisters were performing their Hajj in Makkah, our attention was again arrested at the overall Hajj management, and the role of Saudi Arabia as a host and as custodian of the two holy mosques. More than 700 people were reportedly killed and 800 injured during the stampede near Jamarat, where pilgrims throw stones at the devil.
Back in 2006, we were told by some of our friends close to the Saudi bosses that the Saudi government was committed in making Hajj a better experience, how they were going to put up an escalator or an electric walkway between Arafat and Muzdalifah, and had planned a high-rise to be built at Jamarat, where pilgrims can throw stones at the devils from different storeys without falling on each other.
One may obviously have questions about why there are so many accidents even today. The Saudi government expressed its wishes to reduce the number of pilgrims in order to manage the pilgrimage better, and be done with the numerous incomplete construction work everywhere. Ironically, the number of pilgrims reached 3 million in 2012, while the development work to facilitate their safe passage keeps on lagging behind. This year, though the number came down to 2 million, the mis-management keeps continuing.
Another question usually raised is whether it is possible to cater to so many pilgrims, given the state of the location and the rites. Saudi seniors may believe they are doing a great job by allowing so many Muslims to visit the holy mosques and perform Hajj rituals, but the truth is that they are not ready -- the place is not organised, and most pressingly, they are failing to manage non-Arabic speaking pilgrims.
This time, the number of casualties is right up there next to that of the 1990 tunnel incident, which took 1,426 lives. Almost every international media house, not to mention the social network, are full of criticism against Saudi Arabia and its Hajj management. It is all the more worrying when fingers are pointed at a Saudi prince, and the Saudi Police fail to take any actions against a member of the royal family.
It is no doubt a question of management, exacerbated by deeper-rooted issues such as the Saudi Royal Family’s lack of accountability. Capacity comes into play as well. From immigration at the airport, the airport itself, and the roads and the premises of the holy mosques, everything needs to be improved. The Saudi Hajj ministry should consider outsourcing some of the work, if it’s too much for them to handle. The Saudi police, though mostly ill-mannered, are capable of being useful, if they could muster up the courage to say “no” to any offending members of the Saudi royal family.
Certain political seniors, including the religious mullahs, appear to be very rude and unscrupulous, seeing how they just chalked everything up to fatalism. More shocking was the Haram Sharif mufti telling us: “We could not do much against the act of God” -- this statement revealed how helpless a Mufti could be in the supposed Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, where there is no freedom of press, with a massive hole in the shape of a civil society left at its core.
A host should not invite guests unless they are well-prepared and have checked every nook and cranny. How should they be welcomed? What about their belongings? What about food arrangement? What about their individual safety? During Ramadan, when we invite someone to our homes, we first arrange for their iftar and make sure how and where they are going to pray.
Saudi Arabia has no doubt failed to play the role of even an average host. They need to re-evaluate their priorities immediately.