His Excellency the Minister of Islamic Affairs, Dawah and Guidance, and General Supervisor of the General Secretariat for Islamic Awareness in Hajj, Umrah and Visitation, Sheikh Dr. Abdul Latif bin Abdulaziz Al-Sheikh, inaugurated today the second phase of the awareness program for Umrah pilgrims and visitors. This ambitious program is part of the Ministry's ongoing efforts to serve the guests of God, and is being implemented by the General Secretariat for Islamic Awareness in Hajj, Umrah and Visitation, continuing until the end of this year's Umrah season.
A qualitative leap in advocacy and digital services
The second phase aims to provide a massive package of services, reaching 18,863,500 outreach and awareness services, bringing the total number of services provided this year to a record 29,351,900. These efforts are distributed across all locations frequented by pilgrims in the Makkah and Madinah regions, ensuring that correct religious guidance reaches the widest possible segment of visitors to the Two Holy Mosques.
In line with the Kingdom's Vision 2030 and the Guests of God Program
This step comes within a strategic framework aligned with the objectives of the Kingdom's Vision 2030, specifically the Guests of God Service Program, which aims to facilitate hosting more Umrah pilgrims and providing them with high-quality services. The Ministry of Islamic Affairs is working to harness all its human and technological resources to keep pace with the increasing numbers of pilgrims, focusing on enriching their religious and cultural experience and ensuring they perform the rituals correctly, avoiding both extremism and negligence.
Using technology to serve pilgrims
As part of the digital transformation taking place across the country's sectors, the ministry has focused at this stage on intensifying technical efforts, with the operational plan including:
- More than 6,000,000 awareness messages were broadcast via electronic screens in prayer halls and prayer times.
- Sending 12,000,000 guidance text messages (SMS) to the phones of pilgrims in multiple international languages, to ensure that the information reaches them in their native language.
- Responding to 400,000 calls via the free telephone number dedicated to issuing fatwas and inquiries.
Consolidating moderation and centrism
The Ministry affirmed that these programs are not limited to the jurisprudential aspects of the rituals, but also extend to instilling the values of moderation and tolerance, rejecting extremism, and educating visitors about the regulations and instructions that ensure their safety and comfort. Field activities include the implementation of 13,500 diverse outreach programs, ranging from lessons and lectures to sermons, in addition to answering 150,000 questions and providing direct religious consultations, and distributing 300,000 books and informational pamphlets.
This inauguration reflects the great attention that the wise leadership - may God support it - pays to serving Islam and Muslims, and its constant keenness to provide everything that would make things easier for those who visit the Sacred House of God and the Mosque of His Noble Messenger, so that they may perform their rituals in a faithful atmosphere full of tranquility and peace.
