Ain-Al-Yaqeen - January 20, 2006

		January 20, 2006

KING ABDULLAH AND CROWN PRINCE SULTAN IN A JOINT SPEECH TO PILGRIMS:
WE PRAY TO ALMIGHTY ALLAH TO BRING ABOUT SECURITY AND STABILITY IN ALL MUSLIM COUNTRIES AND IN THE ENTIRE WORLD.
THE CUSTODIAN OF THE TWO HOLY MOSQUES AT THE ANNUAL RECEPTION FOR DISTINGUISHED MUSLIM PERSONALITIES:
IF THE UNITY WITNESSED DURING THE DAYS OF HAJJ, WERE TO BECOME APPARENT IN THE DAILY ACTIONS OF MUSLIMS WE WOULD BE IN A MUCH DIFFERENT SITUATION THAN WE ARE NOW.
PRINCE NAIF IBN ABDUL AZIZ CONFIRMS THAT WHOEVER IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE COLLAPSE OF THE BUILDING IN MAKKAH AL-MUKKARAMAH WILL BE PUNISHED.

The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz and Crown Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Deputy Prime Minister, Defense and Aviation Minister and Inspector General, have addressed the citizens, pilgrims and all Muslims on the occasion of the blessed Eid-al-Adha for year 1426 AH.

The address of the King and the Crown Prince was read on their behalf by Minister of Culture and Information Iyad Bin Amin Madani.

"From this blessed place in Mina and the neighbourhood of the Holy Mosque of Makkah, we would like to greet you, and we pray to Almighty Allah to bless his slaves and forgive their sins. Moreover, we pray to Almighty Allah to accept the Hajj of the pilgrims and to forgive their sins, to bestow his mercy and generosity and to accept the Hajj of the pilgrims.

"Brothers and Sisters:

The pilgrims stood on the ninth of this blessed month in Arafat imitating their Prophet Mohammed, Peace Be Upon Him. From Arafat, the pilgrims moved to Muzdalifa where they praised Almighty Allah. They spent their night in Muzdalifa and then returned to Mina to complete the rituals of their Hajj and to ambulate around the Holy Kaaba.

Congratulations to them, and no doubt that was a bounty bestowed on them by Almighty Allah who enabled them to perform the fifth pillar of his religion, and who enabled them to spend these great days in these Holy Places where they expect the mercy of their God and his forgiveness. The pilgrims learn from this great pillar the true meanings of love and mercy.

Brothers and Sisters:

From this blessed land and from the neighbourhood of the Holy Mosque of Makkah, Mina and Arafat, we would like to congratulate all Muslims throughout the world on the occasion of the blessed Eid-al-Adha.

We pray to Almighty Allah to facilitate this Eid to bring about security and stability in all Muslim countries and in the entire world, and to unify the ranks of the Muslims and to enable them to follow the proper path and the right track.

We would also like to congratulate the pilgrims on the occasion of performing their Hajj, and we hope that they will spend happy days and then return to their homelands safely and happily."

Meanwhile the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz Al Saud held at the Royal Court at Mina Palace the annual reception for the distinguished Muslim personalities and heads of Hajj missions performing Hajj rituals this year.

The distinguished Muslim personalities included Senegal's President Abdullah Wade; Gambia's President Yahya Gami; Comoros' President Colonel Othman Ghazali; Djibouti's Prime Minister Mohamed Dileita Dileita; Speaker of Lebanon's House of Representatives Nabih Barri; Sudan's Vice President Ali Othman Mohammed Taha; Lebanon's Prime Minister Fuad Al-Siniorah; Ghana's Vice President Ghilo Mahama; Ivory Coast's Prime Minister Saeedo Diyara and Zanzibar Prime Minister Shams Ghouda.

The reception was attended by Crown Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General; Prince Abdul Rahman Ibn Abdul Aziz, Deputy Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General; Prince Miteb Ibn Abdul Aziz, Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs; Prince Naif Ibn Abdul Aziz, Minister of Interior and Chairman of Hajj Higher Committee; Prince Mamdouh Ibn Abdul Aziz; Prince Abdulilah Ibn Abdul Aziz; Prince Abdul Majeed Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Governor of Makkah Region and Chairman of Hajj Central Committee; Prince Miqren Ibn Abdul Aziz, Chief of General Intelligence and a number of princes.

The reception was also attended by Muslim scholars, ministers, senior officials and ambassadors of Arab and Islamic countries.

The ceremony started with a recitation of verses from the Holy Quran.

A speech ceremony was held on this occasion.

The Minister of Hajj Dr. Fuad Ibn Abdul Salam Al-Farsi recalled the speech delivered by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz at the Extraordinary Islamic Summit recently held in Makkah.

He noted that the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques looked forward to the unity of Muslim nation, eradication of oppression and injustice, comprehensive Muslim development aiming at wiping out poverty, the spread of moderation that embodies Islam's tolerance, Muslim inventors and industrialists, advanced Islamic technology and moderate Muslim youth.

The Minister of Hajj pointed out that the successes in Hajj at this high level have been owing to material and human capabilities provided by the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Dr. Al-Farsi prayed to Almighty Allah to crown the good efforts of the King and the Crown Prince with all success for the continual service and the glory of Islam and Muslims and for permanent services and facilities annually provided for pilgrims to perform their rituals easily and comfortably.

On his part, Dr. Abdullah Al-Turki, the Secretary General of Muslim World League expressed on behalf of all pilgrims and Muslims his best thanks to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz for the great efforts exerted or being exerted for the service of Islam and Muslims.

He noted the King's speech at the Extraordinary Islamic Summit which has greatly contributed to strengthening Muslims' hopes and aspirations to confront the challenges of the era internally or externally.

Dr. Al-Turki expressed his appreciation of and thanks to the King and the Crown Prince for supporting the League.

The guests' speech was delivered by Algeria's Minister of Religious Affairs and Endowments and Head of Algerian Hajj Mission Dr. Bu Abdullah Ghulamullah who praised the efforts of the government under the leadership of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques for spreading Islam, citing in this regard mosques and Islamic schools built all over the world.

He expressed his appreciation of the King's call on the Muslim nation for consultation and his appreciation of the Kingdom's efforts to facilitate Hajj rituals notably the historical expansion of the two Holy Mosques and the developmental projects in the holy sites particularly Al-Jamarat (pebble-pelting) bridge.

Then the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz Al Saud delivered a speech.

Following is the full text of the speech:

In the name of God Almighty who stated in his perfect book:

"Proclaim the pilgrimage among mankind: they will come to you on foot and on every lean beast of burden; coming from every deep ravine."

And may God's peace and blessings be showered upon our Master and Prophet who said:

"A pious pilgrimage earns no reward other than paradise."

Dear Brothers and sisters, Children of this Islamic nation;

Peace be upon you and God's blessings and mercy,

From the holiest and purest of places, I congratulate you on this blessed occasion of Eid Al-Adha, hoping that all pilgrims are granted acceptance of their deeds, have their sins forgiven and enjoy a blessed return.

"Dear respected brothers:

Allow me to share with you on this memorable day some of the thoughts that were impressed upon me after seeing the masses of people gathered serenely in this holy place, answering the call of the most merciful.

The first thought that comes to the mind of everyone who sees the pilgrims assembled is that unity is the key to progress. If the unity witnessed during the days of Hajj, the unity which dissolves the barriers of race and colour, were to become apparent in the daily actions of Muslims when dealing with one another, we would be in a much different situation than we are now.

The second thought I would like to mention is connected to equality. We see, during Hajj, how everyone stands together in front of God almighty; there being no difference between the ruler and the subject, the rich and the poor, the strong and the weak. If this equality which Islam calls to, could become the status quo of our societies, we would then rid ourselves of the ills of poverty and despotism.

" The third thought I had relates to the principle of consultation. We can see with our own eyes how, during the days of Hajj, Muslims are able to interact and relate with each other in spite of their national and ideological differences. This interaction, along with the resulting dialogue and consultation related to it, must become the norm by which we deal with each other; not only during Hajj, but at all times of the year.

The fourth thought relates to the strong spiritual connection that ties this nation to its vivid history spanning from the time of our Master Abraham -- peace be upon him - to the time of the seal of the Messengers and Prophets, our Master Mohammad -- upon him be the best of peace and blessings.

This spiritual connection, in reality, is the true identity of the Muslim Nation. The Muslim nation is not able to divest itself of its identity, unless it rids itself of both its present, past and future.

The fifth thought relates to the principle of mutual love and respect which shines during these blessed days; in them we see the rich sacrificing in order to feed the poor; we see the son carrying his mother or father on his back; we witness the general air of love which envelopes the heart and spirit.

"If this mutual love and respect could only be part of our daily routine in dealing with our brothers in faith, we would not have become victims of differences, disputes, and conflict.

Dear respected brothers:

The meanings of unity, equality, consultation, identity, and mutual love and respect which are epitomized in the noble principles and teachings of Islam, and are realized when fulfilling the obligation of Hajj, provide enough capacity to bring out the faith locked away in our chests and liberate the energy of our souls. Through determination, faith, and good deeds, the path is drawn out in front of us to the bright future which we desire for our nation. A future of nobility, might and victory - God willing - "and Victory comes only from God; Indeed He is Almighty and Wise.

And peace be upon you and God's blessings and mercy ."

Then they all had lunch at the King's banquet.

The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz left Mina heading for Jeddah en route for Riyadh after having supervised the services and facilities provided by the Saudi authorities for the pilgrims to enable them perform their rituals in ease and comfort and having followed-up the general plan to transport the pilgrims among the sacred places.

He was seen off by Prince Mit'eb Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs; Prince Naif Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Minister of Interior; Prince Abdul Majeed Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Governor of Makkah Region and Chairman of Hajj Central Committee; Prince Mohammed Ibn Naif Ibn Abdul Aziz, Assistant Minister of Interior for Security Affairs; Prince Turki Ibn Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz; Prince Abdul Aziz Ibn Fahd Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Minister of State, Member of the Cabinet and Chief of the Court of the Cabinet's Presidency; princes; ministers; and a number of officials.

The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz arrived in Riyadh coming from Jeddah.

At King Khalid International Airport, he was received by Prince Mohammed Ibn Abdullah Ibn Juluwe; Prince Badr Ibn Abdul Aziz, Deputy Commander of the National Guard; Prince Salman Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Governor of Riyadh Region, other princes; ministers; and senior civil and military of officials.

The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques was accompanied by Prince Miqren Ibn Abdul Aziz, Chief of General Intelligence; Prince Faisal Ibn Abdullah Ibn Mohammed Al Saud, Assistant Chief of General Intelligence; Prince Bandar Ibn Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Secretary General of the National Security Council; Prince Turki Ibn Abdullah Ibn Mohammed Al Saud, Advisor to the King; Prince Abdulaziz Ibn Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz, Advisor to the King; Prince Mansour Ibn Nassir Ibn Abdul Aziz; Prince Dr. Bandar Ibn Salman Ibn Mohammed Al Saud, Advisor to the King; Prince Saud Ibn Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz; Prince Majed Ibn Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz; Prince Saad Ibn Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz; and senior protocol officials.

Crown Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General, left Mina heading for Jeddah after having co-supervised with the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz the services and facilities provided by the Saudi authorities for the pilgrims to enable them perform their rituals in ease and comfort and having followed-up the general plan to transport the pilgrims from one place to another.

He was seen off by Prince Abdul Rahman Ibn Abdul Aziz, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General; Prince Mit'eb Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs; Prince Naif Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Minister of Interior; Prince Abdul Aziz Ibn Fahd Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Minister of State, Member of the Cabinet and Chief of the Court of the Cabinet's Presidency; princes; and senior civil and military officials.

Crown Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General, arrived in Jeddah coming from Mina after having co-supervised with the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz the services and facilities provided by the Saudi authorities for the pilgrims to enable them perform their rituals in ease and comfort and having followed-up the general plan to transport the pilgrims among the sacred places.

He was received by Prince Khalid Ibn Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz, Assistant Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General for Military Affairs; Prince Fahd Ibn Abdullah Ibn Mohammed, Assistant Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General for Civil Aviation Affairs; Prince Bandar Ibn Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Secretary General of the National Security Council; Prince Mishaal Ibn Majed Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Governor of Jeddah Province; Major General Abdul Aziz Al-Saif; and a number of officials.

On the other hand Prince Naif Ibn Abdul Aziz conveyed the gratitude of members of police to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd Ibn Abdul Aziz who had thanked them in his speech for their efforts during Hajj rituals.

Minister of Interior Prince Naif Ibn Abdul Aziz, who is also the Chairman of the Higher Hajj Committee, received the Iranian ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Hossein Sadeghi, who was accompanied by Iranian Consul General in Jeddah Mahmoud Mourtazaei Fa'r.

During the meeting, they discussed issues of mutual interest between the two countries.

Meantime Eid Al-Adha prayers were performed in all regions of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on Tuesday morning.

Millions of citizens and residents offered Eid Al-Adha prayers at the Grand Mosque in Makkah and the Prophet's Mosque in Madinah.

In Makkah, citizens and pilgrims performed prayers in the Grand Mosque. The prayer was led by the Grand Mosque's Imam and Speaker Sheikh Abdul Rahman Al-Sudais.

Sheikh Abdul Rahman Al-Sudais, the imam of the Grand Mosque, in his sermon called on Muslims to respond to the hate campaign against Islam.

"Islam is the religion of moderates and yet a vicious campaign has been unleashed to tarnish its image. For the misdeeds of a few, the entire community is being held to ransom," he said. "We all must realize that they are always on the lookout for the mistakes of a few Muslims so that Islam gets a bad name and people all over start hating it."

Calling for more moderation among Muslims, he said deviation of thoughts and concepts had assumed "dangerous" levels.

"We now see fights and challenges taking place in the form of intellectual invasion globally for more freedom," he said.

"Fight terrorism and extremism," he told Muslims and urged them to spread the message that Islam does not preach terrorism, and moderates should not be held responsible for the crimes and killings being committed by a few in the Muslim world. He appealed to the few disgruntled elements that have strayed from the path of peace to return to their senses.

"Let's start with ourselves. However, reforms should not be imposed on us. They should come from within us and in keeping with the tenets of Islam," the imam said.

Referring to the Al-Aqsa Mosque issue, which remains unsolved, he called a halt to the ongoing killings and destruction of homes and property by Israelis. "They are trying to destroy the mosque," he said.

He reminded the Ummah not to forget the people of Iraq who are in a hopeless situation struggling for peace and prosperity.

In Madinah, Eid Al-Adha prayer was performed in the Prophet's Mosque. The prayer was led by Sheikh Salah Al-Budair.

Prince Abdul Aziz Ibn Majid Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Governor of Madinah Region attended the prayer.

In Riyadh, groups of worshippers performed Eid prayer in Imam Turki Ibn Abdullah Mosque. The prayer was attended by Prince Salman Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Governor of Riyadh Region; Prince Mohammed Ibn Abdullah Ibn Jelawi; princes; Muslim scholars (Ulema); ministers and groups of citizens.

In his sermon, Sheikh Abdul Mohsin Ibn Ibrahim Al Al-Sheikh emphasized the importance of combating and eradicating terrorism, calling for commitment to the religion which is characterized by moderation.

On the other hand Prince Naif Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Minister of Interior and Chairman of Hajj Central Committee, chaired the committee's meeting designed to get reported on the latest developments of the Makkah building collapse t in which scores of pilgrims and others were killed or injured.

At the outset of the meeting, Prince Naif urged the investigation committee to expedite its work and submit its findings to this committee. He also instructed the investigation committee to remain on alert and in a state of emergency until ending its mission.

However, he lauded the rescue works and removal of the debris done by the civil defense forces and supported by all Hajj-related authorities.

The meeting was attended by Prince Abdul Majeed Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Governor of Makkah Region; Prince Abdul aziz Ibn Majed Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Governor of Al Madinah Al Munawarah; Prince Mohammed Ibn Naif Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Assistant Minister of Interior for Security Affairs; senior Haram officials, ministers and senior officials.

Following the meeting, Prince Naif described the incident of the collapse of a building temporarily housing pilgrims as sad. He said the matter is of great concern for the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz and Crown Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General.

He said the Hajj Central Committee has formed two sub-committees; a general committee representing all official authorities and a technical committee to probe the reasons of the collapse of the hostel.

He said the outcome of the work of the committees will be announced in due course. All those killed or injured in the accident will receive the Saudi government's utmost interest and care.

He said responsibility of the incident should be determined and that facts should be reached.

An official source of the Ministry of Hajj of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia today refuted comments issued by Iraq's outgoing Prime Minister Ibrahim Al-Jaafary in which he said the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have not facilitated the entrance of Iraqi pilgrims wishing to perform Hajj and that the Kingdom has not taken into consideration the wish of increasing numbers of Iraqis to perform the ritual since the collapse of Saddam Hussein regime.

The source said Ibrahim Al-Jaafary has led his country's Hajj mission before being appointed prime minister in Iraq and he well knows the great understanding, the unprecedented efforts and considerable flexibility demonstrated by all Hajj concerned authorities in the Kingdom to facilitate matters for Iraqi pilgrims and how the number of Iraqis coming to perform Hajj has increase over the last two years by more than 40 percent of the official quota of Iraq as per resolutions of the OIC foreign ministers who fixed one thousand pilgrims for every million of any country's Muslim population and how the number has more than doubled than during Saddam Hussein's rule.

The source noted that the Kingdom has also accepted the exaggerated estimated number of Iraq's population and noted the lack of fairness of the Iraqi authorities, then led by Ibrahim Al-Jaafary, in distributing the Iraqi quota among their people or the control of issuing travel documents for Iraqis wishing to perform Hajj, putting them subject to regional, racial and even sectarian considerations.

The source went on to say that the Kingdom has more than once lent its generous hand of cooperation to avail the biggest possible number of Iraqi pilgrims of the opportunity to come to the Kingdom by air rather than by land and disregarded the failure of Mr. Ibrahim Al-Jaafary to strike a fair agreement to charger planes badly needed to transport those pilgrims and noted his hesitation to take the proper decision every time and then.

Over the past years, the Kingdom was and remains to be Iraq's best supporter for its pilgrims, providing them with on-border entry visas, the source added.

He said Iraq's Hajj mission received the Kingdom's utmost understanding to help them overcome the difficulties they were facing, including the violations of the Hajj entrance permits, numbers of allowed pilgrims and other numerous problems. The source also drew the attention to the fact that the Kingdom has hosted thousands of pilgrims, upon the Iraqi side's request and particularly to help Mr. Ibrahim Al-Jaafary to fulfill his job successfully.

Finally, the source scoffed the use of the Iraqi outgoing prime minister of the Hajj card to improve his declining political profile inside his country by thrusting the pilgrims matters to win electoral gains.