Prince Khaled al-Faisal

Mina, (AB/IINA) : Prince Khaled al-Faisal, advisor to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, governor of Makkah Region and chairman of Hajj Central Committee, said the gathering of over two million pilgrims on Mount Arafat in a single time and place and in similar, in an atmosphere of tranquility, is a clear message to the world that Islam is a religion of peace and not of terror and subversion.

At a press conference in Mina on Wednesday, he said the pilgrims’ performance of this great pillar is a response to the lies and slanders directed against Saudi Arabia this year and prior to the beginning of the Hajj season by the enviers and skeptics, who sought to question the Kingdom’s ability to provide services to pilgrims and facilitate performance of their rituals in such a manner that became evident for all today.

Prince Khaled reiterated that this gathering of pilgrims in the holy sites is a clear picture for every skeptic that Islam is a religion of peace.

Asked whether Hajj will be linked with tourism, the prince called for not mixing between worship and tourism, saying: “Hajj is an act of worship not tourism”, pointing out that tourism has a competent body, namely the Tourism and Antiquities Authority which has its future tourism plans. “We don’t accept here in Makkah to mix between Hajj and tourism because Hajj is an act of worship, while tourism is another matter,” he asserted.