Lawmaker Urges OIC To Takeover Management Of Mecca

Jakarta (Antara Bali) - A lawmaker has urged the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to take over the management of Mecca and Medina from the Saudi government.

He made the demand, alleging that the Saudi government has failed to protect the dignity of the holy sites of Islam.

"We hope that the face of Mecca as a symbol of loftiness and the image of the Kaabah cubical shrine can be returned to the OIC," Said Abdullah of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI) stated on Friday.

Said, who is the Deputy Chairman of the Budgetary Body of the House of Representatives (DPR), said Mecca has been transformed into a metropolitan city, which has diluted its holiness and the Islamic culture.

He said the Kaabah and the Haram Grand Mosque had been sunk by the Mecca Royal Watch, which had become a symbol of pride of the Saudi government.

"The face of Mecca has been changed into a stone face and is no longer sacred for Allah's guests (kaabah's visitors). Therefore, the holiness of the two cities should be regained and returned to their past condition.  

The lawmaker added that if the management of the two cities was returned to the OIC, it is expected that the Islamic sites, which are the legacy of the Prophet Muhammad and his friends, will be returned to its former glory.

The legislator also urged the OIC to take over the management of the two cities immediately, so that the Saudi Kings cannot damage the two cities any further.

He also stated his view that the implementation of the 2015 Hajj season was the worst ever to be conducted by the Saudi government.

"The worse service by the Saudi government is evident in the construction crane tragedy, which killed hundreds of pilgrims, and further on Thursday when hundreds of others were killed in a stampede during the stoning ritual in Mina," he said.

Meanwhile, the Deputy Chairman of the Indonesian People's Consultative Assembly (MPR), Hidayat Nurwahid said the Saudi government should join hands with the OIC to investigate the deadly incident in Mina.

"I support the Saudi authorities in establishing an investigation team to uncover the causes behind the incident. I hope the investigation will also involve several OIC member countries, whose citizens become the victims of the tragedy," Hidayat stated on Friday.

The incident occurred when millions of people were jostled in a sudden rush during the symbolic "jumrah" stoning ritual in Mina.

Hidayat added that the involvement of OIC member countries in the investigation could create greater transparency in unearthing the causes of the incident.

He hoped the transparent investigation would also improve future services during the Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca and other areas.

"According to the report, the deadly incident had occurred due to the pilgrims jostling in an area. There were several people, who returned to the line, and others, who were headed in the opposite direction. We leave it to the investigation team," Hidayat said.

Additionally, Hidayat lauded the efforts of the Indonesian government and its monitoring team, who had prohibited Indonesian pilgrims from taking part in the jumrah ritual during peak hours.

He said the Mina incident was not caused due to the negligence of the Indonesian government.

Hidayat added that several Indonesians, who had died during the incident, had been misguided. He noted that there were several Indonesians, who had also come for the Hajj pilgrimage from foreign countries. Thus, the Indonesian Religious Affairs Ministry was unable to coordinate with them.

According to Saudi Arabia's civil defense, at least 453 pilgrims died on Thursday when a stampede broke out in the city of Mina.

Hamid Atwitarji and Ms. Syaisiyah Syahril Abdul Gafar are the two known Indonesian casualties thus far. (WDY)