JEDDAH — The Haj Campaigns Disciplinary Committee announced it will apply the tashheer penalty — naming and shaming the institute or individual in the public domain for certain violations, Al-Watan reported. Ministry of Haj spokesman Hatim Qadhi said the committee will receive complaints from pilgrims starting by the end of this month. “The committee consists of the Ministry of Haj, Ministry of Interior and the Bureau of Investigation and Public Prosecution. External and internal pilgrims are all encouraged to file their complaints against any of the services of the Haj establishments and offices in order to improve the quality of the service for the next Haj season,” said Qadhi. He also said the most common complaint usually received by the committee are regarding the food offered, cleanliness of the camps and delay in return flights. He added the other penalties include the issuance of fines, suspension of service, cancellation of license and others. “The committee is the only authority authorized to issue penalties against patents of all Haj and Umrah services. Each complaint will be dealt with individually, and the company or individual in question will be sued in the court of law,” said Qadhi. He also said the committee will look into the complaints in a couple of weeks in order to give Haj services providers some time to wrap up their services for the season. “There are still some pilgrims in Madinah visiting the historical sites there. Also there are still pilgrims awaiting their flights to return to their country. The Haj campaign organizers and service providers are responsible for the pilgrims until they return to their home country,” said Qadhi.
