Arab News

Saudi Arabia wins praise for ensuring safe, secure Hajj

- AISHA FARID & NADA HAMEED

JEDDAH: As Hajj winds down, congratula­tions poured in regarding the Saudi Arabian government’s efforts to assist pilgrims undertakin­g the journey of a lifetime.

Internatio­nal media played a major role in communicat­ing the success of this year’s pilgrimage — through many articles, videos and pictures — while the topic was trending on social media.

Reactions from across the Arab and Islamic world were positive, compliment­ing the efforts and wide range of services provided by agencies involved in Hajj — from security personnel to Saudi Boy Scouts and female volunteers.

Anwar Gargash, UAE state minister for foreign affairs, took to Twitter to praise the successful Hajj season. “In a nutshell, the huge success of Saudi Arabia in the organizati­on of Hajj is a success for all Muslims and Arabs,” he tweeted.

Meanwhile, several Hajj-related hashtags have been trending in the past few days, as Muslims from all over the world circulated pictures and videos captured during the season, while lauding the Saudi government’s efforts in making this year’s Hajj a success.

The #CustodianO­fTheTwoHol­yMosques hashtag was mentioned in more than 23 million tweets, according to Sky News Arabia. The second hashtag on the list was #SaudiArabi­a-WelcomesTh­eWorld, which was trending even before the Hajj season started, where it received 17 million interactio­ns and tweets within just two days.

 ??  ?? Hajj pilgrims stream into Makkah from Mina after performing the Jamrat ritual. (SPA)
Hajj pilgrims stream into Makkah from Mina after performing the Jamrat ritual. (SPA)

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