September 2017
The British Hajj Delegation in collaboration with the Islamic Cultural Centre in London celebrated the successful end of the 2017/1439 Hijra Delegation that oversaw the health, welfare and safety of the over 24,000 pilgrims from Britain. The Delegation thanked the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman Bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia and stressed the success of the Hajj season in The Kingdom, which is a success for Muslims from all over the world.
The Head of the Delegation, Mr. Ahmed Patel, praised the Kingdom for its commitment, diligence and support for the millions of pilgrims in general and in particular for the pilgrims from Britain. Mr. Patel emphasized the role and history of the British Hajj Delegation which has been in the service of pilgrims since 2000 and that the Delegation was originally founded by the British Foreign Office and Members of the House of Lords of the British Parliament. Mr. Patel said the main objective of the Delegation was to provide medical, welfare and advisory support to British pilgrims throughout their stay in various places during the pilgrimage season.
Mr. Patel portrayed the delegation's tributes to HRH Prince Mohamed Bin Nawaf Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in London and Trustee of The Islamic Cultural Centre for his unwavering and continuous support for the Delegation. Mr. Patel also extended the Delegations appreciation to the Islamic Cultural Centre and its Director General Dr. Ahmad Al-Dubayan for their leading role in not only supporting the work of the Delegation but supporting Muslims and Pilgrims from Britain in every step of their journey.
The Deputy Head of the Mission and representative of the Islamic Cultural Centre in London, Mr. Mohamed Omar, conveyed the message of Dr. Ahmed Al Dubayan, who thanked the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and the Crown Prince on behalf of the Islamic Cultural Centre and the Muslim community in Britain for the success of the Hajj operations and their keen interest in the well-being of pilgrims from around the world. It is a pride for Muslims and pilgrims who restores us as a religion of peace, tolerance and cooperation with all.
Mr. Omar mentioned how the Delegation plays a crucial role in the health and welfare of pilgrims from Britain and with the support of the Centre over the years; the Delegation has become more popular and generates much importance for their well-being during the Hajj season. In this, the Islamic Cultural Centre takes pride in supporting Pilgrims from the beginning of their Hajj Journey through advising on Hajj Fraud, using the right tour operator and safety tips for Hajj.
Throughout the Hajj term the Delegation also underwent various meetings with the General Secretariat for Islamic Awareness of Hajj and Umrah, His Eminence Sh. Iyad Bin Ahmed Shukri from the Prophets Grand Mosque in Medina, The National Exhibition of the Holy Quran, The British Consulate Team from Jeddah, The Muslim World League in Makkah and various other governmental and Non-Governmental officials in Saudi Arabia. Mr. Omar stressed that through the various public engagements the Delegation was able to improve and enhance the sheer volume of support to enable us to further improve our services for the Guests of Almighty Allah from Britain.
Dr. Mohammed Jiva, the Senior Medical Officer of the Delegation, said that the delegation was visited by more than 1,000 patients during the Hajj and provided treatment, counselling and medicines to support the health and welfare of patients from Britain. The Delegation is known on an annual basis to save resources for the UK's National Health Service by treating illnesses at an early stage before they are exacerbated and spread to other pilgrims or family on the Pilgrims return home.
