Haruna You need to help us contact the Saudi Hajj Minister. Suntu i commend your initiative and you are quite right about the hotels not being charitable organisation. So you can imagine what will happen next, the Gambian pilgrims loitering in the streets of Mecca. May god forbid it. The situation is very distressing. My old man is very old and i don't know how much more emotionally and psychologically he can take. I can imagine how i will feel being stranded in Saudi for a day, more over a month for a 75 year old man. I don't think i want to blame anyone yet, i will reserve that for later. For now i want my old man home. Get in touch Suntu. Brethren Yanks Date: Thu, 25 Dec 2008 22:05:03 +0000 From: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: Gambian Pilgrims Near Starvation in Mecca, Please everyone, your help is urgently needed! To: [log in to unmask] Yanks, this is serious. The personal expenses is too much for many who have budgeted for a certain known time frame. The hotels in Saudi are private businesses and they will not suddenly turn charitable because Gambian pilgrims are stranded. The bureaucracy is too much in Saudi for the hajj commission to take prompt action. It seems the private airlines disappointed their customers big time. It said that GIA didn't take part this year, so the fault is completely on private airlines who took up the responsibility. I on my part will contact a Gambian expatriate friend of mine and see how they can help in alerting the hajj commission who may use the zakah funds to help our brothers and sisters. meanwhile, whatever help anyone can give, Allah will reward you abundantly. Thanks Yanks. I hope your dad get home safely. suntou --- On Thu, 25/12/08, Haruna Darbo <[log in to unmask]> wrote: From: Haruna Darbo <[log in to unmask]> Subject: Re: Gambian Pilgrims Near Starvation in Mecca, Please everyone, your help is urgently needed! To: [log in to unmask] Date: Thursday, 25 December, 2008, 9:40 PM Settle down men. Have you contacted the Saudi Minister for Hajj for relief? What do I look like sending dollars to dinar country? Take care men. May Allah be with you during Christmas. Haruna. Date: Thu, 25 Dec 2008 21:18:24 +0000 From: [log in to unmask] Subject: Gambian Pilgrims Near Starvation in Mecca, Please everyone, your help is urgently needed! To: [log in to unmask] Brothers and Sisters, Gambians, Non Gambians, Muslims or None Muslims Your Urgent Help in kindness is needed to rescue the Gambian Pilgrims in Mecca. I'm just coming from talking to my dad in Mecca, who has just taken part in this year's pilgrimage. He explained the dire condition of the Gambian pilgrims in Mecca at present. In simple terms, the Gambian pilgrims are stranded in Mecca. Their flight agents cannot tell them when they will be returning home to their love ones. The only news they are getting is that there is at current no flight arrangement in place to take them home. The original flight company due to take them back have withdrawn from that arrangement due to non payment. It is now going beyond five days since the first flight left for Banjul taking the first batch of pilgrims. There is still a need for 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th flights in order to clear the remaining stranded pilgrims. However, due to the Christmass holidays in the west, the Gambian consulate in saudi is at currenttly facing difficulty in arranging for an alternative flight to return the remaining batches. In the mean time, the pilgrims are being charged almost 200 Gambian Dalasis per day for their daily sustenance and they have now been in Saudi for almost 40 days. As result of this prolonged period most pilgrims have no money to afford their daily meals. I have sent over £500 (2500 Saudi Dinar) to help my dad and few of his friends. But this is not enough and i can't help every one in there. For that reason, i implore every one who can assist to help with whatever they can. You do not need to send money to me. My best advice is that if you know someone in Saudi send the money directly to them through Western Union. If you have a relative among the pilgrims and wants to contact them, please contact me on the number below and i will get a reliable someone who will assist you in locating them for you, so that you can speak to them and know their plight. Those who can assist in arranging a flight company please get in touch with the Gambian consulate in Saudi, i don't know their details as of yet. But i will try to get it. Those who have influence in the Gambia government must urge the government to do something and do it urgently. Please pass this message on and give every little help that we can. Please note that you can get in touch with me on 07920404756. Yanks Darboe Win John Lewis vouchers with BigSnapSearch.com Search now ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://listserv.icors.org/archives/gambia-l.html To Search in the Gambia-L archives, go to: http://listserv.icors.org/SCRIPTS/WA-ICORS.EXE?S1=gambia-l To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to: [log in to unmask] ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://listserv.icors.org/archives/gambia-l.html To Search in the Gambia-L archives, go to: http://listserv.icors.org/SCRIPTS/WA-ICORS.EXE?S1=gambia-l To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to: [log in to unmask] ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ ���������������������������������������������������������� To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://listserv.icors.org/archives/gambia-l.html To Search in the Gambia-L archives, go to: http://listserv.icors.org/SCRIPTS/WA-ICORS.EXE?S1=gambia-l To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to: [log in to unmask] ���������������������������������������������������������� _________________________________________________________________ Imagine a life without walls. 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