Pilgrims flood Mecca for annual hajj

Saudi Arabia has mobilised a force of 100,000 men to protect an estimated two million Muslim pilgrims starting the annual hajj on Saturday [heading to a tent camp outside the holy city of Mecca in an itinerary retracing the route Prophet Mohammad (saw) took 14 centuries ago –ed.] amid fears of attack or deadly stampedes.

The interior ministry said that in addition to many thousands of Saudis, an estimated 1.7 million of the faithful have descended on the kingdom from abroad to perform the annual rites.

Local press reports spoke of a throng that could reach three million, and the official SPA news agency reported on Saturday that everything was proceeding smoothly.

The hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam which the Qur'an says all Muslims must carry out at least once in their lives, if they are able to do so.

It began early on Saturday as pilgrims arrived on foot or by bus in Mina, a dusty valley 10 kilometres (six miles) from the holy city of Mecca.

Dozens of first aid stations lined the route, SPA reported.

Devotees are spending the day in prayer and contemplation in the valley, transformed into a city of fireproof tents.

At dawn on Sunday, they will head for the top of nearby Mount Arafat. Their time at the summit symbolises the wait for the last judgment and is the high point of the hajj.

Next, the pilgrims return to Mina to sacrifice an animal, usually a sheep, to commemorate the willingness of Abraham to sacrifice his son on God's orders. This marks the start of the Eid al-Adha, the feast of the sacrifice.

They will spend another two days in Mina for the final rite -- the stoning of Satan. Each pilgrim throws 21 pebbles at each of three pillars symbolising the devil.

It is the most hazardous of the rituals. The pillars were enlarged a few years ago into 25-metre (80-foot) high concrete blocks. Bridges have been built at three levels at the site to help prevent a recurrence of fatal stampedes.

The vast tide of humanity massing in relatively small spaces has been the source of the bloodiest disasters, with stampedes causing the deaths of 364 people in 2006, 251 in 2004 and 1,426 in 1990.

After the stoning ceremony, the pilgrims go to Mecca's Great Mosque for a "farewell visit" to the Kaabah, a cube-shaped structure into which is set the Black Stone, Islam's most sacred relic.

US-made Sikorsky S-92 helicopters fitted with sophisticated technology such as night vision equipment are being used for the first time amid the spectre of the attacks which have haunted Saudi Arabia in recent years.

"(Saudi forces) are ready to cope with their responsibilities," Interior Minister Prince Nayef Bin Abdel Aziz said after inspecting the security forces supervising the hajj.

"Terrorism is not finished. It is still going," Prince Nayef told journalists ahead of the pilgrimage. -- Agence France-Presse - 12/6/2008 12:11 PM GMT

KEC Medina: Wanted - Malaysian partners

source: BusinessTimes By Azlan Abu Bakar alan@nstp.com.my
KNOWLEDGE Economic City Developers Co Ltd (KECD) is in talks with Malaysian companies to rope them in as partners and long-term investors for the US$8 billion (RM26 billion) Knowledge Economic City (KEC) development in Medina, Saudi Arabia.
Its chief executive officer Tahir Mohammed Bawazir said the company has identified several interested parties and hopes to conclude some deals soon.
"We plan to leverage on the expertise of Malaysian companies from various sectors and hope more will come in as partners and investors," he told Business Times in Kuala Lumpur.

Tahir said that as the project develops, KECD will continue to seek investors, partners and sub-developers as well as establish joint ventures with strategic partners to develop and operate key component areas.
Since its launch in 2006, KECD has signed memorandums of understanding and contracts with several Malaysian companies and the government.
They include Malaysian Multimedia Development Corp, HELP University College, Multimedia University and, the latest, iTopia Sdn Bhd.
Consultancy contracts have been awarded to MSC Technology Centre.
"The project is expected to bring about 10 billion Saudi riyal (RM9 billion) a year into the region once it is completed by 2020," Tahir said.
The KEC is one of four economic cities being developed in Saudi Arabia to boost regional development by focusing on intellectual property, knowledge-based, medical, hospitality, tourism and multimedia industries.
Other economic cities being developed by the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority are the King Abdullah Economic City, Prince Abdul Aziz ibn Musaed Economic City and the Jizan Economic City.
The five million sq m KEC includes a theme park, educational institutions, integrated hospitality complex (with private medical centre, nursing and medical schools, senior assisted living community), residential, commercial and retail components.
"KEC Medina aims to utilise Saudi Arabia's second competitive advantage after energy - its strategic location as a link between East and West," Tahir said.
The project is expected to create more than 20,000 jobs and accommodation for about 150,000 people.