Al-Nasr and Al-Ittifaq win GCC matches

By Mohammed Al-Kinani


JEDDAH – The Saudi representatives in the GCC Club Championship, Al-Nasr and Al-Ittifaq, won their fifth round matches against Al-Khor of Qatar and Al-Orouba of Oman respectively.

Al-Nasr defeated Al-Khor 4-0 at Al-Khor Stadium to top Group B and qualify for the semifinals.

Saud Al-Hamad put his team in the lead in the 15th minute before Husain Abdul-Ghani failed to score from the spot in the 28th minute. The first half ended 1-0.

Five minutes after the break, Korean midfielder, Lee Chun-soo, scored another goal before the Argentinean midfielder V?ctor Alberto Figueroa increased the score in the 63rd minute.

Ten minutes later, Khalid Al-Zayla’e sealed the win. With ten points, Al-Nasr is on top of its group.

In Oman, Al-Ittifaq succeeded to keep its hopes for qualifying to the next round of the competition. The team defeated its host Al-Orouba of Oman in Group C 1-0. Hamad Al-Hamad scored in the 33rd minute.

Al-Ittifaq also topped its group with seven points.

Al-Ittifaq needs to wait for the crucial match of Al-Orouba and Qatar 13 days ahead. The team would lose its opportunity to qualify to the semis if Qatar wins over Al-Orouba.

Indonesian pilgrims sacrifice before Eid

By Mohammed Al-Kinani


JEDDAH – Indonesian pilgrims are going against Islamic teachings and creating unhygienic conditions by sacrificing animals before the day of Eid, said Dr. Saudi Al-Hatreeshy, Director of Slaughter Houses in the Makkah Region.

He said that many Indonesians believe that slaughtering sheep before the Day of Sacrifice is part of the Haj and that they would get a reward for this.

Al-Hatreeshy urged all Haj commissions to instruct their members on the correct Islamic teachings related to the sacred rituals of Haj.

The proper way to sacrifice animals during Haj is when pilgrims throw stones on the tenth day at Mina. Any other animal offering is not suggested.

“It is not part of the Haj rituals to slaughter an animal before the Day of Sacrifice,” said Sheikh Dr. Ali Bin Abbas Bin Othman Hakami, a member of the Council of Senior Ulema.

He pointed out that pilgrims can offer a “volunteering sacrifice”, but that this should not be before the obligatory one.

“We have not heard about animal sacrifice before the throwing of the stones. If a pilgrim wants to offer something for Allah’s rewards, he or she can do so on the day of Eid, which is called the Day of Sacrifice,” Hakami said.

Al-Hatreeshy added that this practice has seen some workers selling the meat to restaurants instead of giving it to poor people. Also, the animals are often slaughtered in unhygienic conditions. “The slaughtered sheep are normally left behind for the workers to hand them to needy people. What happens is that some workers at these slaughter houses sell the animals and benefit from the money,” he said.

What worsens the situation is that the carcasses of these sheep pile up at these slaughter houses which creates an unhealthy environment.

“Some 3,000 sheep are slaughtered every day, making a real mess of these houses. Contrary to what these pilgrims think, the sheep do not go to charity. Instead, they find their way to restaurants through some of these workers,” he added.

He said that the municipality has assigned 50 supervisors so that they can watch the slaughter houses in the Ka’akiya area.

“These inspectors are involved in monitoring the work at these houses, around the clock. They intensify their inspection tours at night,” he said.

Al-Hatreeshy said they have 19 veterinarians on duty whose main job is to ensure that the butchering process is tackled humanely and hygienically, and to make sure the animals are fit for human consumption.

Al-Hatreeshy pointed out that the municipality has taken all the necessary measures to ban the slaughtering of sheep outside official slaughter houses. “We have some 20 men who monitor whether any violations take place,” he said.

He added that the Municipality has also notified the contractors at the slaughter houses to make sure that all workers have valid residence permits and health certificates.

Free car repair service for pilgrims going to Makkah

By Mohammed Al-Kinani

JEDDAH – Pilgrims traveling to the holy places can now enjoy a free car repair service on the highways leading to Makkah.

The program was launched by Makkah’s Technical and Vocational Training Board (TVTB) to help drivers who experience any mechanical difficulty while carrying pilgrims.

According to Dr. Rashid Al-Zahrani, the service also allows trainees of the technical institutes and vocational centers in Makkah to gain more experience in fixing cars.
“We have made all the necessary security arrangements so that we can provide this service to the guests of Allah,” Zahrani said.

Al-Zahrani said the service is free of charge and will also be available for next year’s Haj. This will create more jobs, he added.

There are four vehicles, fully equipped with all safety, emergency and mechanical maintenance requirements.
“There are six trained technicians onboard each of these vehicles,” said Hasan Ghandoura, the program’s supervisor.
The teams have already helped to fix 335 vehicles.
“Some 228 vehicles were found to have minor problems. Another 53 were shipped to car repair centers for advanced maintenance,” he said.

Ghandoura stressed that the team works around the clock.
“Pilgrims traveling to Makkah can just call (0544797542) to receive help,” he said.

Shabab beats Ittihad 1-0

By Mohammed Al-Kinani

JEDDAH – With a 1-0 win, Al-Shabab snatched three important points from its guest Al-Ittihad in a postponed match of the Saudi Zain League at Prince Faisal Bin Fahd Stadium Monday.

The Libyan midfielder Tariq Al-Ta’ib scored the only goal of the match nine minutes before the break.

The win increased Al-Shabab points to 22, just three behind the league leader Al-Hilal. However, Al-Ittihad, the title holder, still has three postponed matches to play. Al-Ittihad is third in the standing with 15 points.

In an exciting match, Al-Ra’id shared the spoils with its guest Najran 2-2 at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium.

Ahmed Sa’ad put Al-Ra’id in the lead in the 11th minute before Saleh Duwais of Najran scored an equalizer in the 20th minute. A minute later, Mohsin Al-Qarni increased the margin for Al-Ra’id, but Ahmed Hirmis succeeded to level the result in the 72nd minute.

With that result, Najran is ninth with seven points while Al-Ra’id is 11th with five points, with one match in hand.

Naif warns against disruption of Haj security

By Mohammed Al-Kinani
ARAFAT – Prince Naif Bin Abdul Aziz, Second Deputy Premier and Minister of Interior and Chairman of Supreme Haj Committee, warned Sunday against any attempts to disrupt the security and peace of this year’s Haj. “We will not tolerate any violation of the Haj security from any individual, group, or any other side,” Prince Naif said during a press conference in Arafat, 15 km outside of Makkah, following his inspection of the holy sites.

He hoped that the government would not “be obliged to resort to force” to maintain security during the Haj.

When asked about recent calls by Iranian figures for politicizing the Haj, Prince Naif said, “We have heard contradictory statements from the brothers in Iran, but the latest were favorable. The Iranian officials have arrived and we hope the brothers will just focus on their Haj rituals,” as ordained by Islam.

“The Kingdom will not allow anything to be done in the Haj other than what Allah has made permissible,” Prince Naif said.

“We wouldn’t accept for any pilgrim to be harmed,” he said.

Answering a question on the current military operations against infiltrator attacks along the border with Yemen, Prince Naif did not rule out cooperation between infiltrators and Al-Qaeda group in Yemen. The Kingdom has not made any communication with any side linked to armed infiltrators and “We are only communicating with the Yemeni government,” he said. Thousands of infiltrators who cross the Kingdom’s borders every year, especially during the Haj season, are usually arrested and sent back home, he said.

Prince Naif, who was accompanied by Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, Emir of Makkah, and Prince Muhammad Bin Naif, Assistant Minister of Interior for Security Affairs, inspected security preparations of the Haj and new Haj projects including the SR4.2 billion Jamarat Bridge.

Forces tasked with the Haj security marched in a parade featuring military displays before Prince Naif.

The annual parade of the Haj force has always been a military enterprise where all government security departments take part. The 100,000-member strong Haj force will work around-the- clock to ensure a safe and smooth Haj as planned, said Gen. Saeed Al-Qahtani, Chief of General Security.

The government has completed important Haj projects including the 5-floor Jamarat Bridge to ease congestion when performing the stoning ritual and the expansion of the Mas’a inside the Grand Mosque, he said. Other vital Haj projects including the monorail and the expansion of the northern plaza of the Grand Mosque are progressing as planned, Al-Qahtani added.

Qadisiyyah, Hazm share two goals

By Mohammed Al-Kinani

JEDDAH – Al-Qadisiyyah shared two goals with its host Al-Hazm in the Saudi Zain Professional League at Al-Hazm Club Stadium Sunday.

Ayedh Al-Bilawi put Al-Qadisiyyah in the lead in the 22nd minute before the Senegalese midfielder of the host team equalized from the penalty spot.

Al-Hazm is now sixth in the league standing with eight points and two matches in hand. On the other hand, Al-Qadisiyyah is 10th with six points.

The ninth round of the competition concludes Monday with two encounters.

Al-Shabab hosts Al-Ittihad in Riyadh while Al-Ra’id hosts Nejran at King Abdullah Sports City.The Riyadh encounter is of great importance for both Al-Shabab, third in rank with 19 points and Al-Ittihad, fourth with 15. Although the guest team still has three matches in hand, Al-Shabab is keen to end the round with a new win to get as closer to the league leader, Al-Hilal (25), as possible.