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Hajj
problems brought to President Kufuor's attention
Tamale, Dec. 11, Ghanadot/GNA- Sheikh Saeed Abubakr Zakaria,
head of the Anbariyya Mosque in Tamale, has appealed to
President John Agyekum Kufuor to help solve problems being
faced by prospective pilgrims to enable them to travel to
Mecca to perform this year's hajj.
He expressed regret the Interim Hajj Management Committee,
responsible for the trip, failed to capitalise on past
mistakes and adopt pragmatic measures to correct the
perennial anomalies associated with the hajj.
Sheikh Zakaria, who made the appeal in a statement issued in
Tamale on Tuesday, said there was the need to institute a
committee of enquiry into the circumstances leading to
lapses in the operations of the committee.
He explained that Hajj was one of the five pillars of Islam
and it was in the interest and the wish of every Muslim to
attend the pilgrimage, at least once in his or her lifetime.
Sheikh Zakaria who is also the head of the Sunni Community,
said all Muslims would be disappointed if the dreams of
prospective pilgrims were not fulfilled and called on the
President to use his Executive powers to ensure that no one
was left out in this year's hajj.
He said "The President should therefore consider the
situation as a national crisis and personally take charge to
ensure that all the 2,700 prospective pilgrims to Mecca had
the chance to take part in this year's hajj."
He said by December 15, the Jeddah Airport in Saudi Arabia
would be closed to all flights, an indication that everybody
must leave Ghana before Friday, to be able to meet the
deadline.
Sheikh Zakaria said the conditions under which the
prospective pilgrims were living in Accra was dehumanising.
He called for a national conference of Muslims, to
brainstorm on how best they could collectively address hajj
problems.
GNA
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