Qur'an Memorisation Competition-Prize-giving ceremony

Qur’an Memorisation Competition:
Saudi Ambassador presents the prizes

Dr. Mozammel Haque

The final prize giving ceremony of the Qur’an memorisation competition for the year 1432 Hijri, organised by the Islamic Cultural Centre, London, in association with the Dawah Office of the Ministry of Islamic Affairs of Saudi Arabia, was held at the Saudi Embassy at London, on Friday, 17th of February, 2012, after the Jumah prayer, and the prizes for the winners of this competition were presented by His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Nawaf bin Abdulaziz, the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the United Kingdom and Ireland.

The prize-giving ceremony of the Qur’an Memorisation Competition was conducted by Mr. Abdul Rahman Aneezi of the Saudi Embassy at London.

Islamic Cultural Centre, London, every year organised Qur’an Memorisation Competition during Ramadan and it took two months. There were 90 participants in the competition who belonged to London, Birmingham, Cardiff and Edinburgh. The competition was according to the memorisation of the Qur’an into five categories; i) 30 chapter, ii) 20 chapter, iii) 10 chapter, iv) 5 chapter and v) one chapter and not according to age. The winners are mainly from London and Birmingham.

While distributing the prizes to the winners of the Qur’an Memorisation Competition, Prince Mohammed reminded how important the Qur’an is in the lives of Muslims. He also said, it is very important for every Muslim to give some of their times to study the Qur’an and memorise part of it.

Prince Mohammed also mentioned that the Holy Qur’an is, of course, the last revelation from Allah the Almighty. The Qur’an we have it now today, the Ambassador said, is the same as it was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) more than 1400 years ago.

The Saudi Ambassador described all the participants as winners in the Competition. While commending the Islamic Cultural Centre and the Dawah Office for their efforts, Prince Mohammed also thanked the parents and teachers of the competitors for their role in making it a success.

Prince Mohammed also congratulated the parents and the children and he showed his happiness to be with them and distributed the prizes at the Embassy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The competition was organised into five categories, according to the Memorisation of the Holy Qur’an, first category - the memorisation of the entire Qur’an, second category - the memorisation of the 20 chapter of the Holy Qur’an, the third category - the memorisation of the 10 chapter of the Holy Qur’an, the fourth category - the memorisation of the 5 chapter of the Holy Qur’an and the fifth category - the memorisation of the one chapter of the Holy Qur’an.

Out of 90 participants in the Qur’an Memorisation Competition in the year 1432 Hijri, 12 boys and girls won the memorisation of the Holy Qur’an Competition this year, and received prizes, among them only one who is 24 years old named Hafiz Attaur Rahman completed memorising the entire Qur’an.

Among the rest 11 boys and girls, in the second category of the memorisation of 20 chapter of the Holy Qur’an, there were two winners; First Rahmah Abdun Nasser, aged 11 and second Abdullah A-Mashhud, aged 10.

In the third category of the memorisation of 10 chapter of the Holy Qur’an, there were three winners, First; Hanifa Abdi Naser Ahmed, aged eight; Khaled Abdi Naser Ahmed, aged nine and second Khalil Abdi Naser Ahmed, aged seven.

In the fourth category of the memorisation of 5 chapter of the Holy Qur’an, there were three winners, First; Husna Abdi Naser Ahmed, aged eight; Second, Abu Baqer Mansh, aged 16 and Third, Osama Yasir Chihani, aged 11.

In the fifth category of the memorisation of one chapter of the Holy Qur’an, there were three winners; First, Ismael Asif, aged nine; Second, Abdur Raheem Naeem, aged nine and Third, Muhammad Ebrahim Bah, aged 11.

All of them received prizes from the Ambassador of Saudi Arabia to the United Kingdom, Prince Mohammed bin Nawaf bin Abdulaziz.

Earlier, Dr. Ahmed al-Dubayan, Director General of the Islamic Cultural Centre, London, while describing about the importance of the Holy Qur’an mentioned, The Holy Qur’an is very important for everybody, for all of Muslims. Qur’an is the last revelation of Allah the Almighty to his Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). It is our duty to take care of this precious Book where Allah the Almighty gives instructions and it is also our duty to spread the message of Islam.

Dr. Al-Dubayan said, Alhamdo Lillah, the Muslim communities in the West take care of the Qur’an itself, memorising the Qur’an, encouraging their children to memorise the Qur’an al-Kareem and to study it in many mosques and Islamic centres in the UK and Europe.

He also mentioned you will find those children and those young boys and girls who can memorize some of the Qur’an, also try to learn Arabic language and understand what Allah the Almighty said in His Precious Holy Book.

In this connection, Dr. Al-Dubayan also mentioned about the King Fahd Holy Qur’an Complex in Madinah al-Munawwarah. He said the government and the people of Saudi Arabia have been taking a special care of the Qur’an itself. He extended his thanks to King Fahd bin Abdulaziz Qur’an Printing Complex in Madinah al-Munawwarah for the continuous publication of the Qur’an al-Kareem from this complex.

Dr. Al-Dubayan also mentioned the Islamic Cultural Centre, London, distributes more than 10,000 copies of the Holy Qur’an in different languages, i.e. about 15 languages, in London to many mosques and many Islamic centres.

Dr. Al-Dubayan also expressed his thanks to Mr. Abdul Aziz al-Harbi, Mr. Sayeed and all the staff of the Dawah Office, London and also to the Sheikhs and the Imams who made the judgement of the Competitors; who listened to the students when they recited the Qur’an and of course we have to congratulate the parents those who take care about their children and encourage their children day and night to memorize the Qur’an. May Allah the Almighty accept their good deeds.

This organising and holding the Qur’an Memorisation Competition annually is no doubt a good initiative which works as a great boost to the propagation of Islamic religion, throughout the world, in general and particularly in this country. It also provided the opportunity to showcase the knowledge and excellence of the country’s teeming young boys and girls as well as unearth the unique talents that the nation is endowed with.

Like the previous competitions, the organisation of this year’s prize giving ceremony saw all the 12 young boys and girls receiving their awards to the excitement of those present at the event, including religious Sheikhs and community leaders.

Prince Charles inaugurates Hajj Exhibition at British Museum

Prince Charles inaugurates the Hajj Exhibition
at the British Museum

Dr. Mozammel Haque

I cannot tell you what a pleasure it is to have been asked to open this splendid exhibition celebrating the Hajj; one of the five pillars of Islam and thus of the greatest possible significance to the spiritual and temporal lives of Muslim people across the entire world – said His Royal Highness Prince Charles, Heir to the British Throne, while inaugurating the Hajj Exhibition at the British Museum, yesterday, Thursday, the 26th of January 2012.

The official opening of the Hajj Exhibition: “A Journey into the heart of Islam” was made in the presence of a large gathering of politicians, parliamentarians, academics and important figures in Britain, led by His Royal Highness Prince Abdul Aziz bin Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Member of the Board of King Abdul Aziz Public Library; HRH Prince Mohammed bin Nawaf bin Abdul Aziz, Ambassador of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques in London and HE Mr. Faisal bin Abdul Rahman bin Muammar, General Supervisor of King Abdul Aziz Public Library.

Prince Abdulaziz bin Abdullah bin Abdulaziz
In the beginning of the ceremony, hosted by Prince Charles, Crown Prince of Britain and Prince of Wales, Prince Abdul Aziz bin Abdullah delivered a speech in which he welcomed Prince Charles, the audience and the guests of the exhibition. He appreciated the initiative of the British Museum and having the partnership of the first exhibition on the Hajj in Britain with the participation of King Abdul Aziz Public Library. He highlighted the importance of pilgrimage for being the largest gathering of Islam, goodness and devotion to God the Creator on the plan of Makkah; a safe sanctuary devoid of harm and violence and where pilgrims are devoted for the pure and lofty worship of the Creator.

Prince Abdul Aziz also pointed out that Saudi Arabia’s participation in this cultural exhibition aims to introduce the pilgrimage and to highlight the humanitarian aspects of pilgrimage since ancient time until now, and to display in this Museum the rare objects and artefacts as living evidences of the humanitarian values from diverse Muslim cultures and civilizations.

Prince Abdul Aziz addressed the efforts of King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz saying: “Tangible efforts exerted by Saudi Arabia to spread peace all over the world through the initiatives of the Man of Peace, King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz and his humanitarian projects include the service of the Hajj and the development of the Holy Sites’ facilities in Makkah.

Prince Charles
Then the patron of the event HRH Prince Charles delivered a speech in which he said: “I cannot tell you what a pleasure it is to open this splendid exhibition celebrating the Hajj, one of the pillars of Islam.” He went on to say that the Hajj is of the greatest possible significance to the spiritual and temporal lives of Muslim people across the entire world.”

The Prince of Wales welcomed Prince Abdul Aziz bin Abdullah who came to London especially for the exhibition which demonstrates the value of the exhibition for Muslims and non-Muslims alike. Prince Charles emphasized the spiritual aspect of this trip made by Muslims to Mecca every year which is reflected in the subtitle of the exhibition: “Journey to the Heart of Islam”.

Prince Charles also took note of the twenty five thousand Muslims of the United Kingdom who go on Hajj every year which explains how it affects Muslims performing this ritual, and reflects the unity of the human race from all over the world through the continued pilgrimage over the centuries. He said, “The exhibition reflects the universality of the Hajj.”

Prince Charles also pointed out, “like me, you will see that, by gathering together a remarkable collection of treasures from across the world, this exhibition brings to life the very human stories of the countless generations who have completed the Hajj through the ages – from Singapore to Istanbul, from Nanjing to Mombasa. Through the vivid images and artefacts on display, the exhibition reveals the truly universal character of the Hajj.”

The Prince of Wales also offered special tribute to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz on the hospitality, saying: “I wanted to pay particular tribute, if I may, to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques who, in accordance with Islamic teaching, generously hosts Hajjis making the pilgrimage to Mecca, providing remarkable practical all facilities to them.” Prince of Wales also mentioned, this recalls the hospitality shown to earlier pilgrims taking example from the guidance of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and the Islamic tradition dating back to the era of Abraham (peace be upon him) who built the Ka’aba.

Prince Charles also commended the British Museum and its partners, including H.S.B.C., for their vision and foresight in developing this exhibition and persuading so many distinguished collectors to lend their artefacts.”

In the concluding part of his speech, Prince Charles said, “I can only pray, Insha Allah that this exhibition will be, for all who see it, a source of education, of understanding and of delight. It therefore gives me the greatest possible pleasure to declare the British Museum’s Hajj Exhibition open.”

Mr. Neil McGregor
Neil McGregor, Director of the British Museum, spoke a few words on the objectives of the exhibition and its sections indicating the importance of the Hajj as the fifth pillar of Islam and the greatest phenomenon in the world which has a great impact in the lives of many people. Mr. McGregor said that the exhibition offers a look into the Hajj as a spiritual experience and explaining its logistics.

The Director of the British Museum thanked all those involved in providing artefacts to the exhibition, led by King Abdul Aziz Public Library and pointed to the efforts of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the service of pilgrims and hospitality accorded to them under the leadership of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz.

At the end of his speech, Mr. McGregor thanked the Ambassador of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, Prince Mohammed bin Nawaf bin Abdul Aziz and Mr. Faisal bin Muammar, Advisor to the Custodian of theTwo Holy Mosques and the General Supervisor of the Library on their efforts to make the exhibition a success.

After the short ceremony, guests toured the exhibition enjoying all departments and watching a short film on pilgrimage.

King Abdul Aziz Public Library contributed to the exhibition some of the items reflecting the achievements and the expansion of the Two Holy Mosques since the reign of King Abdul Aziz until now. The Library has worked as a coordinator between the British Museum and museums and institutions in Saudi Arabia to display 51 rare pieces including parts of the curtain of the Ka’aba and rare pictures of Makkah and Madinah, in addition to artefacts from Darb Zubaydah, manuscripts, photographs and films on the Hajj.

ICC London and the Saudi Ministry of Islamic Affairs sign a MOU to promote real Islam

ICC London and the Saudi Ministry of Islamic
Affairs sign a MOU to promote real image of Islam

Dr. Mozammel Haque

The Islamic Cultural Centre (ICC), London, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for cooperation and coordination with the Saudi Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Daw’ah and Endowment on Tuesday, the 10th of May, 2011 in the presence of Prince Mohammad bin Nawaf bin Abdul Aziz, the Saudi Ambassador to the United Kingdom and Ireland, Kuwaiti Ambassador Mr. Khaled al-Duwaisan and the Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates and the Muslim community leaders and media personalities.

The MOU agreement was signed by Sheikh Khaled al-Suwailem, head of Daw’ah (Overseas) on behalf of the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Daw’ah and Endowment of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Kuwaiti ambassador Mr. Khaled al-Duwaisan, on behalf of the Trust of the Islamic Cultural Centre, London, as the vice-chairman of the Trust, to promote the real image of Islam.

After the signing of the MOU, the Kuwaiti ambassador, who signed the MOU as vice-chairman of the ICC Trust, gave a brief speech in Arabic expressing his gratefulness and thanks to Sheikh Khaled Suwailem, Dr. Fahd Ali Slihem and to all the members of the delegation from Saudi Arabia and to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia “for giving us this support”.

According to the terms of the agreement, the Saudi Ministry of Islamic Affairs will cooperate to serve the Muslim community in the field of education, teaching Arabic language and training teachers and training for anybody who is dealing with the Muslim community especially in the field of education. Under the MOU, there will be cooperation and coordination in organising seminars, holding conferences and meetings and visit of delegation.

MINAB Vice-Chair. Seyyed Ferjani
On behalf of the British Muslim Community as well as on behalf of the Mosques and Imams National Advisory Board (MINAB), Mr. Seyyed Ferjani, the vice-chair of the MINAB, expressed thank and gratefulness for the agreement between the ICC, London and the Saudi Ministry of Islamic Affairs and said, the Muslims here and the Muslims in the Muslim majority countries should play the role of a bridge between this country and other countries. “The minority here wishes to bring a lot of good and benefit to this country as well as to the Muslim world and to the other Muslims,” he said.

Mr. Ferjani is also the President of the Muslim Association of Britain (MAB).

Mr. Ferjani also expressed his gratitude and prayed for those countries and individuals who played a major role in establishing mosques in almost all the major cities in the West. “We are grateful to those who helped for building the infrastructure for the Muslim community specially for this Mosque. I specially pray for those countries and individuals who really played a major role in establishing those mosques, we see, in almost all the major cities in the west. These mosques played a great role for the Muslim community. We wish and pray to Allah Almighty and thank them,” Mr. Ferjani said.

Saudi Ambassador Prince Mohammad
Prince Mohammad reminded that the most important thing is, not to forget Allah the Almighty. He said, “This is our duty, at the end of the day, the duty of all of us, not only Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Arab Emirates, Egypt, Morocco and Yemen. All of us are doing what we have to do to help our brothers in Islam. The most important thing: not to forget Allah the Almighty. If you forget Allah, Allah will forget you. We are doing what we have to do as a duty of Muslim to our brothers. We think we are not doing enough. We have to do more.”

Thanking Kuwaiti and Emirates Ambassadors, the Saudi Ambassador said, “I am here with my colleagues my friends and my brothers the Kuwaiti Ambassador and the Arab Emirates Ambassador along with others to demonstrate that we are committed to help as much as we can our Muslim brothers here as long as they always put the God in their eyes. And as a part of the community here, they should obey and abide by the laws and take part in all their works and activities and this is very important for our works also.”

Ambassador Khaled al-Duwaisan
As the Kuwaiti ambassador Khaled al-Duwaisan spoke in Arabic earlier, I interviewed him after the signing of the MOU agreement and he told me, “We are grateful to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. They are always doing the great job for Islam. The MOU agreement for cooperation between the Ministry of Islamic Affairs of Saudi Arabia and the Islamic Cultural Centre, London, is a step for more cooperation so that we can preserve the right Islam; the Islam that we wanted to show the West that this is the real Islam and the ICC is taking the lead for giving all the Muslims their essence of Islam. This cooperation will help us to increase our activities here, in the Centre and we hope to reach to every city of the United Kingdom to give the real Islam what the Centre is doing.”

Dr. Fahd Ali Slihem
Dr. Fahd Ali Slihem, Director of Daw'ah for Europe at the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Daw’ah and Endowment, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, who was present at the time of MOU agreement, told me we take good care looking after Islamic centres, supporting them whatever they need; supplying them the translations of the Qur’an and Islamic materials that they do need. He also mentioned about the support and care of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia for the Muslim community worldwide. Dr. Slihem said, “Our Minister Shaikh Saleh bin Abdul Aziz al-Shaikh takes special care and asking us to move on to sign an agreement with the Islamic Centres around the world first and then to be good Muslims.”

“It is our duty here to encourage the Muslims through our activities, lectures and giving translations of the Holy Qur’an and Islamic literature. All theses activities are taking place all over the world and we are taking good care of the Islamic centres in Europe especially in London. We are happy to sign this agreement which is to support. This is the first and right step to encourage and help Muslims in the right way by signing this kind of agreement. This is the right way to give push to Muslims in their community work,” he said.

Dr. Ahmad al-Dubayan
Dr. Ahmad al-Dubayan, Director General of the Centre, described the signing of the MOU as “one of the great achievements.” “Today it is one of the great achievements we have. We manage to sign this Memorandum of Understanding for cooperation and coordination with the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Daw’ah and Endowment of Saudi Arabia,” he said.

“The MOU has come in the field of serving the community and the society at large. It is, of course, one of our aims and objectives to serve in the education sector in this country, especially for the Muslim community; Islamic education, teaching Arabic language and training for teachers, training for anybody who is dealing with the Muslim community especially in the field of education,” Dr. al-Dubayan said.
.
Under the MOU, the cooperation and coordination comes in the area of organising seminars, holding conferences and meetings; visit of delegation. “This agreement will really open more doors, more horizons, for our work to serve the British society and the Muslim community in the UK,” said Dr. al-Dubayan and mentioned, “This is actually we are building bridges with different countries to bring all these more ideas, more funds for activities and more experience to have it here.”

Speaking about future programme, Dr. al-Dubayan said, “We are going to move to have Memorandum of Understanding with other Muslim organisations, such as ISESCO in Morocco; then we are going to have soon with the Hasan Foundation in Morocco; another one with Al-Azhar in Cairo, Egypt. We are going to have one each with the Ministry of Islamic Affairs in Kuwait, Qatar and Arab Emirates.”

Background of the MOU Agreement
It is more than two years the Saudi Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Daw’ah and Endowment has been studying about this sort of cooperation. The Saudi Ministry of Islamic Affairs is concerned about spreading the real message of Islam to the West and everywhere among the Muslim communities. “They would like to establish relations with the main organisations, helping them in correcting the image of Islam and building more bridges among the Muslim communities and other faith communities and others, supporting more tolerance. All these things are actually the aims and objectives of the Ministry itself and also that of the Centre itself, as a western Islamic organisation,” said Dr. Al-Dubayan.

“Since the two institutions have the same concern, have the same objectives; we come to this cooperation and coordination Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to sit together and to sign it. Hopefully, we are going to suggest to the Ministry some activities to be done in the UK; some services to be rendered to the Muslim communities, giving chances also for the Muslim communities for more bridges, supporting, what you call it, integration in the society both as Muslim and British at the same time,” said Dr. al-Dubayan in an interview with me and mentioned, “This is the extension of the message the Ministry is really trying its relations to serve and to do with us. This is also our message here, of course, supporting Arabic language; since it is the language of the Qur’an; supporting the classes of the Qur’an, and supporting more awareness for the youth. This is very very important for the new generation and that’s why we come to this Memorandum, Insha Allah, trying together to reach this target.”

In this connection, it should be recalled that King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia has given a call for interfaith initiatives and dialogue in 2007 and continued his journey of interfaith dialogue in Makkah and Madrid, Spain. Accordingly, the Saudi Ministry of Islamic Affairs continues this approach to build bridges with Muslim communities worldwide.

Dr. al-Dubayan said, The Ministry of Islamic Affairs has this interest. We are working together and may be arranging for training for some people working in the field of charity. The ICC Director also mentioned that the Centre “gets support from the Ministry” regarding its activity in the centre.

Foreign Secretary David Miliband launches 10th Hajj Delegation 2009

Foreign Secretary David Miliband Launches

Tenth Hajj Delegation 2009

Dr. Mozammel Haque

British Foreign Secretary David Miliband has launched this year’s UK Hajj Delegation to Saudi Arabia, yesterday, Tuesday, the 27th of October 2009 from the Blue Room of the Foreign Secretary’s Residence, London, in the presence of Saudi Ambassador Prince Mohammed Bin Nawaf bin Abdul Aziz, Lord Adam Patel and diplomats and other members of the Hajj Delegation, guests and community leaders. Twenty-five thousand UK Muslims will go this year to perform the annual pilgrimage in Makkah with the British government offering advice, support and medical care to its citizens going there. British Hajj Delegation is a team that will provide on the ground medical and consular support for British pilgrims attending the Hajj later next month.

Referring to recently held Eid Reception at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Foreign Secretary said three messages came through for the non-Muslims to understand better some of the importance of the Hajj; “one is the message of empathy for others that was brought home to me by the various conversations I had. The second is the Islamic belief in the interconnectiveness of all people, which I think is a very important theme. And thirdly the values of Islam of compassion, of equality, of sacrifice, that are an important part of this important time of the year. And I think these are very important messages for all of us, whether or not we’re Muslim or non Muslim, and the chance for the whole of Britain to be educated about the faith and commitments of two million of our fellow citizens is I think an important wider message that comes through this Hajj Delegation that is now such an important part of British Muslim life,” mentioned Foreign Secretary.

Referring to French Hajj Delegation, Miliband, M.P. said, “I gather that our French friends have now copied us and now have a French Hajj Delegation. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery and so we should welcome the fact, in a funny way, that Britain is not now the only European country with a Government sponsored Hajj Delegation, but it certainly gives me great pleasure that ours is the first and the best Hajj Delegation. And I’m confident that this year’s Hajj Delegation will live up to the enormously high standard of its predecessors and make the contribution to British society as well as more broadly, that I think is very, very important.”

Prince Mohammed Bin Nawaf bin Abdulaziz, the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the United Kingdom and Ireland, said, “During Hajj, millions of Muslims from all over the world gather in the same spots to perform the same rituals at the same times, standing together on equal footing and dressed as one.”

Speaking about the importance of Hajj, Prince Mohammad said, “Hajj is a true reflection of the exalted principles of equality, modesty and human brotherhood that are at the heart of Islam. This also makes Hajj the most impressive manifestation of Islam’s ability to cross borders and cultures and unite nations.”

Speaking about the recent development of the Haramain for the convenience of the Pilgrims, the Saudi Ambassador mentioned the massive expansion programme and new projects have been implemented. He said, “Those who will perform Hajj this year will see stunning developments.”

“The huge expansion of the Mas’a, the extensive development of the Mena area and the expansion of the open courtyard around the Holy Mosque are just a few examples of such accomplishments,” mentioned the Saudi Ambassador.

Prince Mohammad also spoke about the Swine Flu and the medical preparation that the Government of Saudi Arabia has undertaken. As regards the vaccination against HINI Flu, the Saudi Ambassador said, “This year, however, the Saudi Health Authorities have taken additional measures to deal with any adverse effects of this new strain of flu.”

“The Kingdom has taken additional precautions by stockpiling sufficient quantities of anti-viral drugs. There will be three laboratories in Makkah and a fourth at the Holy places of Mina and Muzdalifah, specially dedicated to conducting tests on anyone displaying symptoms of the HINI flu Virus. Moreover an additional 15,000 medical personnel have been recruited to serve the needs of the pilgrims in Makkah, Madinah and the other Holy places,” mentioned the Saudi Ambassador.

Prince Mohammad also added, “In addition the Saudi Health authorities have launched a system for the automated tracking of epidemics during the Hajj season which will create a centralised database, which will assist the development of health services for pilgrims this year and beyond.,”

The Saudi Ambassador also informed, “Out of approximately two million British Muslims in the United Kingdom, about 50,000 on average, performed Hajj or Umrah last year and the year before. A similar or a larger number is expected this year. Mentioning about the British Hujjaj, the Saudi Ambassador assured that the Government of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques will do everything it can to ensure that this year’s pilgrimage begins and concludes safely and peacefully, that the mission of the British Hajj Delegation is a successful one, and that the British Pilgrims’ journey to the Holy places in Saudi Arabia is a safe and fulfilling one.”

Praising the British Hajj Delegation, the Saudi Ambassador expressed his “sincere thanks and appreciation firstly to the Foreign Secretary and secondly to the Hajj Desk at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office – for the invaluable support they extend annually to the British Hajj Delegation, said Prince Mohammad and also thanked the chairman and all members of the British Hajj Delegation “for their contribution to the success of the Hajj pilgrimage.”

The Saudi Ambassador concluded his speech by “wishing the British Hajj Delegation and all British Muslims who are performing Hajj this year, a safe journey, a blissful visit to the Holy Places, an accepted Hajj and a safe return to their homes and loved ones.”

The British Hajj Delegation teams will leave for Jeddah on 11 November and is scheduled to return on 5 December.