The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz, agreed to host 1,000 pilgrims from around the world as part of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques’ guests program for Hajj, Umrah and visits.The initiative, funded at the personal expense of the King, and supervised by the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Call and Guidance, will be implemented in four stages during the Hijri year 1448 AH.
The first group will include 250 men and women from 16 Asian countries. The participating countries are Indonesia, East Timor, the Philippines, Malaysia, Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar, Laos, Singapore, China, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Mongolia.The ministry said that the program aims to enable Muslims from different parts of the world to perform Umrah and visit the holy Islamic places in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.Minister of Islamic Affairs, Call and Guidance Sheikh Abdul Latif Al Sheikh welcomed the approval, thanking King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for their continued support of initiatives that serve Muslims around the world.He said that the program reflects the Kingdom’s commitment to strengthening ties between Islamic communities and facilitating visits to holy places. Al Sheikh added that the initiative also supports Saudi Arabia’s broader efforts to strengthen relations with scholars, religious leaders and other prominent figures across the Islamic world.
