President of General Presidency of Affairs of the two Holy mosques, Sheikh Abdul Rahman Al Sudais on Tuesday said that the Hajj is a "message of peace" and asked the pilgrims to stay away from behaviours that would politicise the pilgrimage.
Sheikh Al Sudais expressed these views while meeting with a media delegation comprising prominent senior journalists from Saudi Arabia and other Islamic countries who are visiting Saudi Arabia on the invitation of Saudi Media Minister.
He said that Saudi Arabia is a prominent symbol of moderation and peaceful coexistence.
He stressed the media to create awareness among Islamic countries regarding the prevailing issues to Muslim Ummah.
He asked media to be trustworthy in distributing news to the world, to tell the people truth and to avoid any misinterpretation of Islam.
He underscored that media has major responsibility, saying to write the truth based on direct observation of ground realities about facilities and the services being offered by the Saudi government to the pilgrims ‘The Guest of Allah Almighty’.
"You should perform your Hajj rites in peace, ease and comfort away from political slogans and behaviours that are against the noble values of Islam," he told the media delegates.
Sudais said, "Islam is against all forms of extremism, terrorism and destruction and asked the pilgrims to spend their time in getting to know each other and cooperate for the good and welfare of all."
Al Sudais has said that Saudi Arabia is promoting moderation and peaceful co-existence because Islam rejects all forms of terrorism, and media in Muslim countries have to play an important role in this regard.
Referring to the Islamic media, Imam-e-Kaaba – who is also General President of Haramain Sharifain – said that the journalists in the Muslim countries have a major responsibility to defend the real Islam, which totally rejects terrorism and advocates peace and tolerance.
He pointed out, “The government of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques will always keep on serving the pilgrimage and Umrah performers, since we consider it as our duty to serve the guests of Allah seeking rewards only from Allah”.
He stressed that Muslims should project the real values of Islam; support the Muslim causes; defend the Haramain Sharifain and Masjid-e-Aqsa, in addition to combating terrorism and projecting Islamic moderation.
Saudi Arabia, he said, has the sovereign right to administer the Haramain Sharifain. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman always gives clear direction to serve the guests of Allah round the clock for seeking His blessings, he added.
Those who want to create ‘Fitna’ (rift) in the Islamic world will fail since the leaderships in both Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have the wisdom, courage and power to crush those creating rift, he said.
He prayed to Allah Almighty to save the two countries and make their peoples prosper and live in peace.
Sheikh Al Sudais informed the delegation that the presidency has completed all the preparations to receive the ‘Guests of Al Rahman’ of the current hajj season. He further informed that the presidency has established a comprehensive services plan under the governmen. “The presidency’s main objective is to improve the services being given to the guest of Allah Almighty in the Harman Sharifain.”
He also apprised the visiting media personnel that it was for the second time sermons of Hajj from Masjid Al Namrah and from the Holy Kaaba would be translated into six languages with addition of the sign language to facilitate speech and hearing impaired pilgrims as well.