Umrah performers have expressed their fear and concern over the growing number of illegal barbers around the Grand Mosque as the Makkah Mayoralty promised it would track down such illegal workers and hand them over to security agencies. Saudis and expatriates have expressed their concern over these barbers as they use same blades to shave heads of different people, thus endangering health of pilgrims. "We should not allow such illegal foreign workers to exercise this profession illegally near the holy place, putting the health of pilgrims in danger," a Saudi told Makkah Arabic daily. "This phenomenon violates the sanctity of the place," he said urging immediate action by authorities. Osama Zaitouni, director of media and publishing at the mayoralty said his organization was conducting regular campaigns to put an end to this negative phenomenon. "We are holding continuous campaigns in coordination with municipalities to track down such illegal barbers," he told the Arabic daily. "We also inform security agencies about the presence of such illegal workers around the Grand Mosque to arrest them," he added. Zaitouni said there are authorized saloons around the Grand Mosque for pilgrims to get shaving or hair cutting services. "We monitor these legal barber shops to make sure they follow hygienic regulations," he said, adding that pilgrims should not go after illegal barbers if they want to protect their health. Authorized barbers use secure equipment and charge reasonable fees, he said. "The mayoralty is totally against the presence of illegal barbers around the courtyards of the Grand Mosque," the official said. "We know that they apply old equipment and use a single blade to shave the head of more than one person. This will lead to spreading various diseases among pilgrims." Zaitouni stressed that the mayoralty would coordinate with security agencies to put an end to this negative phenomenon once and for all to protect the health of pilgrims and Makkah's sanctity.
