Okaz / Saudi Gazette RIYADH — Some 250 leading Muslim personalities from eight countries will arrive in the Kingdom on Wednesday as special guests of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman to perform Umrah and visit Madinah. This will be the sixth batch of pilgrims arriving in the Kingdom on special invitation by the King. Minister of Islamic Affairs, Call and Guidance Sheikh Saleh Al-Asheikh said Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques has initiated a program last year under which leading Muslim personalities will be invited to come to the Kingdom as his special guests to perform Umrah and visit Madinah. The minister, who is supervising the program, said since its establishment the program has invited 1,250 leading Muslim men and women from about 50 countries to perform Umrah and pay respects to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). "With the arrival of this sixth batch, the number of invitees will reach a total of 1,500," he added. He revealed that the guests will be coming from Mauritania, Somalia, Sudan, Tunisia, Algeria, Djibouti, Comoros and South Sudan. According to Al-Asheikh, the guests consist of heads of the Ifta (Islamic ruling) institutions, mosque imams and directors of Islamic centers. "The program has boosted communications with leading Muslim men and women around the world," he added. Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques also has a program to invite leading Muslim personalities for the Haj. Every year the King invites about 1,000 Muslims from various parts of the world to be his personal guests in the performance of the Haj at his own personal expense. Al-Asheikh said the guests will help reflect a bright picture of the Kingdom and relay to their countries and communities the mega development projects being implemented in the Kingdom.
