Preparations in Place for Eid Al-Adha Prayers
RIYADH, 9 January 2006 - The Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Endowments, Call and Guidance has announced that Eid Al-Adha prayers will be held in 20 locations and 396 mosques in Riyadh and the surrounding villages.
The prayers will be offered at 6.50 am on Tuesday, 11 minutes after sunrise.
Abdullah ibn Mufleh Al-Hamed, director general in the ministry in Riyadh region, said that Riyadh Governor Prince Salman will perform Eid prayers at Imam Turki ibn Abdullah Mosque in the Qasr Al-Hukm area. The governor has approved arrangements for prayers in Mohammed ibn Ibrahim Juma Mosque in the same area in addition to the Eid ground near King Faisal Street.
In the event of inclement weather, alternative arrangements have been made for prayers in Jamia and other mosques in the city. Emergency measures are also in place to cover prayer carpets if necessary.
In Madinah, the Ministry of Islamic Affairs' branch has announced the mosques and prayer grounds where Eid prayers will take place in the region. Abdulrahman ibn Ali, manager of the ministry's branch, said all preparations are in place to hold the Eid congregations. In addition to the Prophet's Mosque, prayers will be held in a number of mosques in the holy city. Eid prayers will take place in 15 mosques in Yanbu, 30 in Al-Ula and 10 in Badr.
A visit to Batha in Riyadh on Saturday showed that private transport operators were openly flouting government regulations under which pilgrims should not only apply for Haj permits through authorized tawafa establishments but also use the establishments' transportation, accommodation and food facilities. Such regulations, pilgrims point out, increase the cost of Haj, especially if they are traveling with their families.
Abdul Khader, a Bangladeshi, said his sponsor bore the full cost of the Haj package of SR1,700 per head but others were not so lucky. They left for Taif either by regular bus service or by taxis at the going rate of SR150-200 by bus or SR190 by taxi.
A representative of a tawafa establishment in Riyadh explained that their business was down 40 percent this year compared to last year. The reason was that many have chosen, in order to save money, to make their own travel arrangements after obtaining the Haj permit through the licensed Haj and Umrah establishments. In such cases, the pilgrims travel to Taif where they hire Saudi taxi drivers who take them by circuitous routes to bypass the checkpoints.
Once inside the holy city, they pay SR15 equivalent to the cost of 'fitra' for feeding a poor person.
An Egyptian transport operator said such illegal modes of entry would not have been possible without the connivance of those along the way.
Operators said some people leave for pilgrimage by traveling to Taif on Dhul Hijjah 7, without a Haj permit. This is the day before the beginning of Haj and the security forces are fully occupied with traffic control and other security arrangements. Traveling by Saudi-owned vehicles from Taif ensures that the pilgrims will reach their destination even if it means extra expenses for them.
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