MINA: Saudi Arabia’s Hajj and Umrah Ministry has launched a Twitter service to help answer pilgrims’ frequently asked questions.
The service started with hundreds of tweets - accompanied by the Arabic hashtag #Your_Hajj_in_your_Own_Language - that were translated into 13 languages, including Chinese, French, Russian, Thai and Urdu.
The account covers all Hajj procedures for pilgrims, from registering with authorized Hajj service providers to the time of their departure. Ministry official Ayman Al-Arfaj said two additional Twitter accounts, @mohu_En and @mohu_INTL, were launched to reach a wider audience as well as increase engagement through technology.
“It is also meant to spread reassurance and harmony among the guests of Allah,” he told Arab News. “Around 60 people were deployed to achieve this work. These include researchers, translators, editors, content managers and graphic designers. We have started distributing hundreds of thousands of (pages) of printed material among pilgrims for the same purpose. The Hajj and Umrah minister, Dr. Mohammed Saleh Benten and his Deputy Minister of Hajj and Umrah, Dr. Abdul Fattah Mashat, are always keen to provide pilgrims with reliable and authentic information. This can help eliminate illegal Hajj campaigns. It can also lend a hand in promoting awareness and help pilgrims make their rituals in the right way.
Al-Arfaj said the initiative aimed to expand global communication with Muslims through social media. “This initiative can help us spread Hajj-related information that pilgrims need before their arrival and during their journey of faith.”
Another technological development is the Arafat Sermon app, which will offer a live translation of the sermon in the Chinese language for the first time this year. The app was launched in 2018 and initially offered translations of the sermon in English, Farsi, French, Malay and Urdu.
The day of Arafat marks the culmination of Hajj and it is where the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) delivered his final sermon. A sermon is given at Masjid-e-Nimra, Mount Arafat, every year.
Saudi Hajj ministry launches Twitter awareness campaign in 13 languages including Urdu
Saudi Hajj ministry launches Twitter awareness campaign in 13 languages including Urdu
- The service started with hundreds of tweets accompanied by the Arabic hashtag #Your_Hajj_in_your_Own_Language
- The Arafat Sermon app also offers live translation of the sermon in Urdu
Pakistan’s moon sighting committee to meet tomorrow to sight Ramadan crescent
- Committee members visually observe crescent every year to determine dates for Ramadan, Eid festivals in Pakistan
- Pakistan’s national space agency has said the Ramadan crescent is likely to be visible in the country on Feb. 18
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s central moon-sighting committee will meet in the northwestern city of Peshawar on Wednesday to sight the Ramadan crescent, state media reported as Islamabad gears up for the holy Islamic month.
Pakistan’s Ruet-e-Hilal Committee (RHC) determines the dates for new Islamic months and Eid festivals by sighting the moon every year. Committee members announce the dates for the Islamic months after visually observing the crescent and receiving testimonies of its sighting from several parts of the country.
“The Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee will meet in Peshawar tomorrow for sighting of Ramazan-ul-Mubarak 1447 Hijri moon,” state broadcaster Radio Pakistan reported on Tuesday.
Maulana Abdul Khabir Azad, the chairman of the committee, will preside over the meeting. Radio Pakistan said zonal and district RHCs will also meet at their respective headquarters to sight the moon.
Pakistan’s national space agency announced last week that the Ramadan crescent is likely to be visible in the country on Feb. 18 and consequently, the first date of Ramadan is likely to be on Feb. 19.
Muslims fast from dawn till sunset during Ramadan. This is followed by Eid-ul-Fitr, a religious holiday and celebration to mark the end of Ramadan which is observed by Muslims worldwide.
