by admin | May 25, 2021 | Muslim World
Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi
New Delhi : The Indian government’s proposal to send Haj pilgrims through the sea route has got the green signal from the Saudi Arabian government, Union Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said on Monday.
The discussion on reviving the sea route came up during the signing of the annual bilateral Haj agreement for 2018 between India and Saudi Arabia in the presence of Naqvi and Saudi Minister for Haj and Umrah Mohammad Saleh bin Taher in Mecca on Sunday.
Naqvi said officials from both the countries will discuss all the necessary formalities and technicalities so that Haj pilgrimage through the sea route can commence in the coming years.
“Sending pilgrims through ships will help cut down travel expenses significantly. It will be a revolutionary, pro-poor, pilgrim-friendly decision,” Naqvi said.
The ferrying of Haj pilgrims between Mumbai and Jeddah by waterway was stopped in 1995.
The Minister said that another advantage with ships available these days is they are modern and well-equipped to ferry 4,000 to 5,000 persons at a time. They can cover the 2,300-odd nautical miles one-side distance between Mumbai and Jeddah in just three to four days.
The old ships used to take 12 to 15 days to cover this distance.
Naqvi said that last year he had discussed the option to revive sea route for Haj pilgrimage with Transport and Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari.
He said that Haj 2018 has been made fully digital.
On the issue of Indian Muslim women going to Haj for the first time without mehram (male guardian), the Minister said that separate accommodation and transport has been arranged for these women.
Also, female Haj Assistants will be deployed for their help.
More than 1,300 women have applied to go for Haj without mehram and all of these women will be exempted from the lucky draw. These women would be travelling in groups of four or more women, according to the new Haj policy of India.
So far, around 3.59 lakh applications have been received for Haj 2018, against the quota of around 1.70 lakh pilgrims.
“For the first time, we have given option to Haj pilgrims to opt for another embarkation point. This will ensure that there is no financial burden on Haj pilgrims even after removal of Haj subsidy. This decision has received overwhelming response,” Naqvi said.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Muslim World
Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi (R) shakes hands with Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita during a meeting on Jerusalem in Amman, Jordan, on Jan. 6, 2018.
Amman : King Abdullah II of Jordan on Saturday called for intensified Arab efforts to support the Palestinians following a decision by US President Donald Trump recognising Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
At a meeting with several Arab foreign ministers, the king said there was a need for more efforts to support the rights of the Palestinians in preserving their legal and historic rights in Jerusalem and in creating their independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital, reports Xihua.
The Jordanian leader said the issue of Jerusalem should be settled through negotiations and as part of a lasting peace between the Palestinians and the Israelis based on the two-state solution, the international resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative.
He underlined the need for supporting the Jerusalemites and protecting the Arabic identity of the city as well as the holy Islamic and Christian sites.
Jordan, he said, will continue to safeguard the holy sites in the city.
Discussions also covered best means to face the consequences of the US decision that violates international resolutions.
In a press conference following a meeting of Arab foreign ministers in Amman, Jordanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Ayman Safadi reiterated the Arabs’ rejection of the US decision.
Rejecting any Israeli unilateral measures, he said the Arabs will push for a global recognition of Palestine.
The minister added that the Arabs will exert more efforts to curb any further recognitions of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, adding that there will be no peace and security in the region without creating an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Muslim World
Riyadh : Around 20 Saudi Arabian princes and officials accused of corruption were released after accepting financial settlement, local media reported Monday.
Among those released were a former official of the Finance Ministry and a number of businessmen, an advisor to the Saudi government was quoted by the Sabq online news website as saying, Xinhua reported.
More people are expected to be freed soon as part of the government’s pledge to end the country’s largest corruption case in history that has attracted attention worldwide.
The Saudi government officially announced early this month that 159 individuals were arrested over corruption charges. Most of them have agreed on financial settlement.
Early last month, local media reported that 11 princes and 38 sitting or former ministers were arrested over corruption charges.
The arrest orders were issued by a panel formed by Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and headed by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
The panel also announced that it is reopening the case of the 2009 Jeddah deadly floods and investigating the case related to the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) Coronavirus.
The panel summoned 320 individuals to provide more information, while detaining a number of suspects. It has also frozen 376 bank accounts of the detainees or related persons.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Muslim World
Riyadh : The Saudi Arabia-led Arab coalition on Wednesday announced it will allow Yemen’s main port to remain open for 30 days to receive humanitarian aid.
The coalition said it would permit the entry of commercial ships, including those carrying fuel and food, to the Red Sea port of Hodeidah, according to a statement released in the Saudi Press Agency.
The coalition said the port would continue to be open at the request of the UN special envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, and out of the coalition members’ eagerness to provide assistance to the Yemeni people.
Saudi Arabia on Tuesday intercepted a ballistic missile fired by Yemen’s Houthi rebels toward the Saudi capital Riyadh.
A previous missile fired from Yemen toward Riyadh on November 4 had caused the Saudi coalition to close Yemen’s borders for three weeks, including the Houthi-controlled port at Hodeidah.
Yemen’s population is heavily reliant on humanitarian aid “including 8.4 million Yemenis who are a step away from famine”, according to a statement by the UN humanitarian coordinator in Yemen, Jamie McGoldrick.
Since 2015, Saudi Arabia has headed a coalition that supports the internationally-recognized government of President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi.
The Saudi-led bombing campaign has destroyed much of Yemen’s infrastructure and led to a humanitarian catastrophe.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Muslim World
Hassan Rouhani
Tehran : Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Sunday that Iran could restore its relations with Saudi Arabia should the kingdom end its “friendship” with Israel.
Tehran would “have no problem” with Riyadh if it stops “bowing to Israel” and relies on itself, Rouhani said at a parliamental meeting, Xinhua reported.
“We want Saudi Arabia to stop two things, the misguided friendship with Israel and the inhuman bombardment of Yemen,” he stressed.
Saudi Arabia cut diplomatic ties with Iran in early 2016 in protest against the attacks against Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran following the Saudi execution of a Shiite cleric.
The firing of a ballistic missile at Riyadh by the Houthis last month led to renewed tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran.
Rouhani’s remarks came amid media reports that Riyadh has been seeking closer ties with Israel in a bid to counter the rising influence of Iran, a common enemy to Saudi and Israel.
On November 25, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman compared Iran’s growing regional influence to Germany’s hegemonic policies in the Hitler era.
“We learned from Europe that appeasement would not work. We do not want the ‘new Hitler’ of Iran to repeat what happened in Europe in the Middle East,” he said.
A Saudi-led military coalition has been fighting the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen since March 2015 to support President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi, who was ousted by the Houthis in September 2014.
The Houthis have seized control of much of Yemen’s northern areas, including the capital Sanaa since 2014.
—IANS
