Abdul Rahman M. Baig

Saudi Gazette

JEDDAH — The role of an impartial media is to show the truth to the masses because this is part of the social responsibility mission of the media, said Dr. Abdulaziz Khoja, Minister of Culture and Information, during the ministry’s annual event to honor the media delegations participating in Haj coverage on Tuesday night in Hilton.



“The Muslim World has been going through a critical juncture of its history as its enemies are lurking around waiting to prey on it. Terrorism is trying to annihilate Muslims; therefore, all of us should join forces to eradicate this global menace, this malignant cancer, so to speak, which has started spreading throughout the entire Muslim World. The only cure for this cancer is to root it out altogether,” Dr. Khoja said.



The Kingdom is honored to serve pilgrims and mobilize its resources to make Haj as easy and comfortable as possible for the guests of Allah. He quoted Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques when he called upon the Muslim Nation to unite, stay true to its culture, and defend it using all legitimate methods. The King delivered the speech during the World Muslim League conference held earlier this month.  Tuesday’s event was attended by reporters, scholars, ambassadors and consuls of various Islamic countries. In their short speeches, they expressed their admiration at the development projects being implemented in the Holy Sites and at the high security and safety levels pilgrims felt during performing the Haj rites. They extended their thanks to the Saudi government for these impressive accomplishments for its dedication to serving pilgrims who come from all corners of the globe.



Earlier the program started with a verse from the Holy Qur’an by Mohammed Hakami. Radito Vikaksono, SCTV Channel, Indonesia, spoke on behalf of Asian delegation, Mohammed Hassan Abdul Rasool, Chad Television, on behalf of African delegation, Fitim Zekthi, German journalist, on behalf of European delegation, Ali Bin Ahmed Alani, on behalf of Arab delegation, Saleh Hamd Saif Alzakwani, Oman Channel, on behalf of GCC delegation spoke and thanked Dr. Abdulaziz Khoja for giving them the opportunity to cover Haj this season.