The political regime is a monarchy, however people and society are not under strict totalitarianism as is thought from outside. There are some civil rights and privileges that cannot be found even in the West, partly due to the Islamic heritage and partly due to the powerful effect of some traditional elements. For instance, it is really difficult for security forces to randomly search a house or a business place. A Saudi citizen cannot be frisked unless the police have some strong conclusive evidence and have a search warrant. Pilgrims, in addition, have immunity in this respect. They are all considered “the guests of the Most Beneficent One,” throughout the pilgrimage and Umrah season.The strict checks at the border gates are meant to prevent those trying to enter the country under pretence of pilgrimage or Umrah. We can understand this. Passports are collected upon entry into the country and they are returned only when leaving. A certain portion of people who go to Saudi Arabia for the purpose of Hajj or Umrah resort to the most unbelievable ways to stay inside the country and to work without a permit. Struggling with such people is not as easy as you might think.
If over 25 percent of the population in a country is comprised of foreigners, of course that country will have certain problems. Despite this, it cannot be said that Saudi Arabia employs harsh methods against these people. When I first heard the foreign population in Saudi Arabia was so large, the first country to come to mind was Germany. Germany has also a foreign population almost equal to that of Saudi Arabia. Germany has a population of 80 million and has the third-largest economy in the world. You could hear the sentence, “Germany is not a country of immigrants,” from the mouth of any German. Whenever trouble arises it is immediately attributed to foreigners and can easily be turned into just another case of racism or xenophobia. Despite this high rate of foreigners in Saudi Arabia, it is impossible to talk about either racism or xenophobia. That those foreigners with a residence permit are obliged to have a “bail system” is a totally different procedure.
The amount of care and attention shown to Haramayn (The Holy Mosque of Kaaba in Mecca and the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina) by the administration is truly striking. Everywhere is, so to say, squeaky clean and shiny. It is obvious that they pay huge sums to ensure the continuation of these services. To expand the Holy Mosque around Islam’s holiest sanctuary, namely the Kaaba, has become a sorely needed task, but it is not that easy to realize. The Prophet’s Mosque, Masjid-i Nabawi, has been expanded to such an extent that it is now able to house all the pilgrims during the Hajj season. A total of 285,000 believers at one time can perform their prayers inside the mosque. The outer yard is also extremely big. In its architecture and in the organization of the adjacent buildings the administration did not neglect a single detail.
It is definitely not an easy task to host 3 to 4 million people in one single place during the Hajj season. Organizing them, overseeing their security and making sure that they leave the country with contentment entails superhuman efforts and a great capability. There is a Turkish saying, “Kill a valiant man, but pay him his dues.” An important portion of the problems stem from the pilgrims. Both official and civil institutions make painstaking endeavors during the Hajj season. There are hundreds of ambulances kept at the disposal of the gravely ill pilgrims in order to help them to be present even for a very short time on Mount Arafat. Some are even taken to Mount Arafat by helicopter. Hospitals serve pilgrims free of charge. There are cold and hot water dispensers everywhere. It is possible to find clean toilet facilities everywhere. Apart from the royal family, many civil organizations distribute food and cold beverages. There are garbage bins every 10 meters, although a small number of people use these…
I will try to convey my impressions during the Hajj season. The Hajj is a mirror of the Islamic world; it gives a true picture of the Muslim world. A certain part of this picture is hope-inspiring and positive. But a certain part is negative and inspires pessimism. Nothing in this world is completely good or bad. We should view our picture with an analytic and realistic eye and decide together what we should do to improve it.
