SAUDI RECEIVES OVER 80 THOUSAND PILGRIMS FROM MALAYSIA FOR HAJJ AND UMRAH
Jeddah – 7 September 2008
By Bakhit Al Zahrani
“Mr. Hidayat Abdul Hamid”, Consul General of Malaysia in Jeddah emphasized the depth of strong brotherly relations between his country and Saudi Arabia. He said in an interview with the Al Bilad Newspaper: ‘We appreciate the continuing cooperation between Malaysia and The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to serve the people of Saudi and Malaysia’.
He added that Malaysia has become a favourite tourist destination for Saudi families. The number of Saudi tourists traveling to Malaysia last year was over eighty thousand - this will increase communication and relations between our two peoples. Moreover, in Saudi Arabia there are currently about one hundred Malaysian students studying here on scholarship given by the Saudi Government.
In his speech during the National Day Reception, Consul General Hidayat said that Malaysia was very grateful to the Government of the Kingdom for providing enormous service to our pilgrims who come to the Holy Land annually. He noticed that during the Hajj last year, with the new Jamarat Bridge, the flow of pilgrims was smooth and this has greatly facilitated the rituals of performing Hajj. As a Muslim, we pray to Allah Al-Mighty to bless the Government of Saudi Arabia for its efforts in facilitating all Muslims coming to the Holy Land, be it Malaysians or others.
On Malaysians coming to perform Umrah in Ramadan, Mr Hidayat Abdul Hamid said: "Malaysians always look forward to come to Makkah to perform Umrah especially in the month of Ramadan.
He added : I expect the number of Malaysians performing the Umrah this year will be huge, especially in Ramadan. It may be difficult to estimate the exact number of Malaysian pilgrims, but they are over 80 thousand annually. The Consulate General of Malaysia in Jeddah has a Consul and a special office for Hajj Affairs. This office is responsible for assisting pilgrims from Malaysia to perform umrah or hajj. We also have an agency in Malaysia to oversee the welfare and comfort of pilgrims.
--Courtesy of Al-Bilad Newspaper
