Saudi Gazette

JEDDAH – The Haj Cell of the Kerala Muslim Cultural Center (KMCC), the largest expatriate organization in the Gulf, has mobilized as many as 2,500 volunteers from all over the Kingdom to serve the Guests of God. They will swing into action in complete coordination and cooperation with the Indian Haj Mission.

Around 1,000 volunteers, who have completed training in Jeddah, participated in a drill held at Madhala stadium recently. Panakkad Sayyid Hameed Ali Shihab Thangal inaugurated the training camp in the presence of several KMCC leaders, including Ahmed Palayat, president of Jeddah central committee and Arimbra Abubaker, general secretary, and a number of Islamic scholars and trainers.

General Captain Jamal Vattappoyil, and more than 100 officials, including captains and coordinators, took part in the march past of the volunteers, proclaiming their readiness to offer the best possible services for the pilgrims. These volunteers will join around 1,500 others to perform their duty at their designated stations at the Holy Sites, Aziziyah and other parts of Makkah around the clock, according to C.K. Shakir, secretary of the central committee and convener of the Haj cell. The first batch of volunteers will reach Mina on Dhul Hijja 8 and they will then be disbursed to serve in Arafat, Muzdalifah and metro train stations.

More batches will join them on Eid Al-Adha (Day of Sacrifice) and the remaining three days of Haj, he said adding that women volunteers, students’ wing, medical team with ambulance service, and teams to distribute rice soup among the pilgrims are the major highlight of the Haj cell.

Around 700 volunteers from the Makkah cell have been deployed to serve the pilgrims during the entire Haj season of 75 days from Dhul Qada 1 to Muharram 15. “KMCC volunteers have obtained permission to serve the pilgrims at the Jeddah Haj terminal,” a KMCC leader said.