It is great that this year's Haj has been completed peacefully and successfully. Full credit goes to the government of King Abdullah, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, which has been organizing this pilgrimage each year with great enthusiasm. Allah Almighty has indeed bestowed on the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia a mammoth task. It is never easy to manage such a huge gathering of nearly 3,161,573 pilgrims from 189 countries around the world apart from 1.4 million local pilgrims. Although there were eight percent more pilgrims performing Haj than last year, according to the Saudi Press Agency, everything went smoothly. All the government agencies involved in Haj services deserve special praise for their dedicated efforts. I also wish to commend the laudable leadership of the government of Saudi Arabia. Saudis are doing an excellent job, addressing new challenges that come up every year. Saudi authorities have spent billions of dollars in recent years to make things as comfortable and safe as possible for the pilgrims by improving the Haj infrastructure to avoid stampedes and accidents. Drinking water, toilet facilities as well as medical and security services were free of charge. Medical and paramedic staff were available at every corner of the tent city treating the injured and attending to the sick. Cleaning squads moved quickly to remove any garbage left in the area by the pilgrims. Police, Civil Defense, Boy Scouts and Red Crescent personnel were to be seen everywhere. The Mashair Train project was a huge success in Haj because it managed to lower the level of traffic congestion and crowds. Our highest appreciation goes to Interior Minister Prince Ahmed Bin Abdul Aziz and his security forces and Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, Emir of Makkah region and Chairman of the Central Haj Committee, for making this year's Haj a huge success. I hope the Interior Ministry and Supreme Haj Committee will continue to work hard to improve on this achievement. May Allah reward Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz and his ministers and officials so that they may continue with their good work. My special thanks to the Saudi Gazette team for providing us with in-depth special coverage of Haj 2012.
