- Title: Muslim worshippers seek green inspiration at annual Haj pilgrimage
- Date: 3rd September 2017
- Summary: ARAFAT, SAUDI ARABIA (AUGUST 31, 2017) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF EXHAUST COMING OUT OF BUS PARKED BUSES PILGRIMS WALKING NEXT TO BUSES VARIOUS OF EXHAUST COMING OUT OF BUS (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) PILGRIM FROM JORDAN, YOUSIF ALLAWNEH, SAYING: "I don't like this attitude when the pilgrims are not keeping (holy sites) clean, I am sorry to say so, throwing anything in the street. This site is the most sacred place on earth and we should preserve it." VARIOUS OF GARBAGE ON ROADSIDE (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) PILGRIM FROM SYRIA, MOHAMAD ABED AL-MAJEED, SAYING: "During Haj I can see the green trees as well as the columns that spray water (in the streets) keeps the atmosphere cool, it is a hot weather but they are making big efforts, thanks to them (Saudi authorities)." ARAFAT, SAUDI ARABIA (AUGUST 30, 2017) (REUTERS) TREES PLANTED ON ROADSIDE COLUMN SPRAYING WATER TREES ARAFAT, SAUDI ARABIA (AUGUST 31, 2017) (REUTERS) PILGRIMS WALKING STREET, MANY HOLDING UMBRELLAS (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) PILGRIM FROM ALGERIA, ABED AL-WAHAB BADAWEE, SAYING: "There is no awareness, pilgrims are coming from all over the world, so the problem is how the pilgrims act, I hope there will be a campaign to show them how to do the haj rituals because the whole world is watching this and this is not good." VARIOUS OF PILGRIMS WALKING PAST GARBAGE PILGRIMS WALKING IN ARAFAT, WITH TREES ON ROADSIDE MINA, SAUDI ARABIA (SEPTEMBER 2, 2017) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF MAKKAH CLOCK ROYAL TOWER AS SEEN FROM MINA (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) SAUDI MINISTER OF INFORMATION, AWWAD BEN SALEH ALAWWAD, SAYING: "Saudi Arabia works day and night to develop the holy sites and developing projects to make these sites eco-friendly. We started to plant trees and increasing the green places. We also set up columns to spray water and other projects to alleviate the hot weather. Now there is a big project to recycle the garbage and there will be similar projects to replicate this one." TRAIN PLATFORM PEOPLE ON BOARD TRAIN MEN ON TRAIN TRAIN RUNNING ON TRACK STATION PEOPLE GETTING OUT OF TRAIN TRAIN PASSING
- Embargoed: 17th September 2017 10:38
- Keywords: Saudi Arabia haj environment Mina Arafat
- Location: ARAFAT AND MINA, SAUDI ARABIA
- City: ARAFAT AND MINA, SAUDI ARABIA
- Country: Saudi Arabia
- Topics: Environment
- Reuters ID: LVA0016X1JZO5
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Some two million people have travelled to Mecca from around the world to eat, sleep and pray in unison during the annual Islamic pilgrimage of haj.
For billions of Muslims who are physically and financially able, haj is a mandatory act of worship. But the religious celebration also has a substantial impact on the environment.
Environmentally aware worshippers say that the impact should be reduced and call for fellow Muslims to adopt a greener lifestyle.
"I don't like this attitude when the pilgrims are not keeping (holy sites) clean, I am sorry to say so, throwing anything in the street. This site is the most sacred place on earth and we should preserve it," said Yousif Allawneh, a pilgrim from Jordan.
"There is no awareness, pilgrims are coming from all over the world, so the problem is how the pilgrims act, I hope there will be a campaign to show them how to do the haj rituals because the whole world is watching this and this is not good," said Abed al-Wahab Badawee, a pilgrim from Algeria.
Haj, which predates Islam and is traced by Muslims to the monotheistic figure Abraham, is now the world's largest annual gathering of Muslims. Saudi Arabia stakes its reputation on its guardianship of the faith's holiest sites.
In recent years, Saudi Arabia has taken steps to green the Haj, such as setting quotas for pilgrim numbers and developing the Mecca metro system to limit pollution.
"Saudi Arabia works day and night to develop the holy sites and developing projects to make these sites eco-friendly. We started to plant trees and increasing the green places. We also set up columns to spray water and other projects to alleviate the hot weather. Now there is a big project to recycle the garbage and there will be similar projects to replicate this one," said information minister Awwad Ben Saleh Alawwad.
The Saudi Green Building Forum, a Riyadh-based non-governmental group recognised by the United Nations, has recently been tasked with auditing green efforts in Medina, the country's second holy city where the Prophet Mohammad is buried and a site visited by millions of pilgrims.
The group will measure the green credentials of the holy cities of Mecca, Medina and others against international guidelines on energy use, waste, water, transport and human well-being.
There is also a push for reviving traditional practices - for example, sharing water among pilgrims from a communal source, which was common before plastic bottles became ubiquitous.
Muslim leaders are also urged to speak up in their mosques about climate change and the environment.
Recent U.N. climate talks have revealed that from Bangladesh to North Africa, climate change is a reality for many predominately Muslim countries, as floods and droughts fuel instability and conflict. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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