Shura Council Delegation
Meets Saudi Consul General
 |
L
to R: Ahmed Azzam, Muzammil Siddiqi, Abdallah S. Al-Harithi,
Shakeel Syed, and M.A.Aleem |
Los
Angeles, CA: A Shura Council delegation led by its Chairman
Dr. Muzammil Siddiqi met with Mr. Abdullah S. Al-Harthi, the
Consulate General of Saudi Arabia in Los Angeles on Monday,
Feb 6 at his Westwood office. Accompanying Dr. Siddiqi was
Mohammed Abdul Aleem on behalf of HADI/IslamiCity.com, Ahmed
Azzam of Islamic Center of Hawthorne and Shakeel Syed, Executive
Director of the Shura Council.
The Council had organized the meeting to record its concern
for the frequent tragedies during Hajj and explore ways to
avoid them in future. The Consul General thanked the delegation
and expressed his appreciation for the visit.
Dr. Muzammil Siddiqi, Chairman of the Shura Council, handed
over a memo for the Minister of Hajj Affairs of the Government
of Saudi Arabia, highlighting the following points:
1. That, an independent inquiry be conducted for the latest
Hajj tragedy and its findings be made available to the Muslims.
2. That, an international committee of Muslim experts be established
to explore ways and means so that such tragedies could be
avoided.
3. That, safety education using all available mediums be made
mandatory for pilgrims and implemented through the Hajj committees
worldwide.
4. That, all the related staff of the Saudi Arabian Hajj Affairs
be offered mandatory education on various Muslim cultures,
languages and crowd management.
5. That, a worldwide Muslim volunteer corps be developed to
complement the work of the Hajj Affairs personnel.
The Saudi Consul General assured the delegation:
• That, he will forward the memo to the Minister of
Hajj Affairs and will call upon the Shura Council with an
update.
• That, the reports related to the inquiry of the collapse
of building in Makkah and the stampede in Mina will be shared
with the Shura Council.
• That, his office will always remain open to receive
any ideas and suggestions for improving the Hajj conditions.
The delegation thanked and shared several ideas with the Consul
General, which he requested to share in writing for onward
submission to the Hajj Research Center.
The Islamic Shura Council of Southern California is an independent
organization of over seventy Islamic centers, mosques and
Muslim organizations serving over five hundred thousand Muslims
of Southern California. It draws its spirit from the Divine
injunctions of “working together” and “conducting
all matters with mutual consultation” (Quran 3:103 &
42:39).
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