Sri Lankan journalist lauds Haj services

A Sri Lankan journalist who has come for the Haj for the first time has expressed awe at the outstanding services rendered by the government to pilgrims who had come from all parts of the globe.
Badoordeen Mohammed Murshideen, who performed his maiden Haj this year, said that he never knew that such a gigantic plan has been drawn up by the Saudi government to serve both foreign and local pilgrims.
“From the airport to the holy sites, we were treated so well,” he noted.
Murshideen thanked the UAE Ambassador in Colombo, Abdul Hamid Al-Fatah K Al-Mulla, for funding his pilgrimage, helping him achieve his life-long dream. The journalist said that there were ample facilities for pilgrims to seek medical treatment at every corner of the holy site.
“Health officials were kind and treated patients professionally and with a sense of dedication,” he added.
Murshideen, who is also the executive member of the Sri Lankan chapter of the Makkah-based Muslim World League (MWL), said that he met Professor Hamid bin Ahmed Al-Refaie, chairman of the International Interfaith Dialogue Group in Jeddah, on Thursday.
During the discussions, he was able to discuss matters regarding peaceful co-existence with other communities in non-Muslim countries.
“Muslims in Sri Lanka have to learn a lot about Islamic culture, traditions and practices from a country such as the Kingdom.”
During his stay in Makkah, he said that he got the opportunity to meet the Sri Lankan Ambassador Mohammed Hussein Mohamed and Consul-General Adam Bawa Uthumalebbe to get first-hand knowledge about the lives of Sri Lankan expatriates in the Kingdom.
Murshideen said that he prayed for the country at the House of God in appreciation of its wonderful services.