The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah in Saudi Arabia has awarded the Presidency of Religious Affairs (Diyanet) with the first place award in the category of "Hajj Organization Providing the Most Variety of Services to Pilgrims."
Diyanet head Ali Erbaş received the award from Saudi Arabia's minister of Hajj and Umrah, Tawfiq bin Fawzan Al Rabiah.
Erbaş attended the "Lebbeytum Award Ceremony" organized by Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Hajj and Umrah for the first time this year in Makkah al-Mukarramah.
The ceremony was attended by representatives from over 100 countries, but only 30 countries that met the specified criteria were eligible to participate in the competition.
First among 30 countries
As a result of the evaluation conducted by Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Hajj and Umrah regarding the variety of services and projects provided to pilgrims, the Presidency of Religious Affairs won the first-place award in the category of "Hajj Organization Providing the Most Variety of Services to Pilgrims" among the 30 eligible countries.
Receiving the reward, the Diyanet head was accompanied by Vice President of Religious Affairs Selim Argun, General Director of Hajj and Umrah Services Remzi Bircan and Religious Services Attaché of Mecca Ahmet Oğuz.
The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah is a government ministry in Saudi Arabia that is responsible for supervising the facilitation of essential services to the pilgrims arriving in the country for Hajj and Umrah purposes, including overseeing their secure transportation and movement to the holy cities of Mecca and Madina al-Munawwarah.
In another development, Erbaş participated in a live program broadcast from Mecca on Ülke TV. Erbaş emphasized the Kaaba was built by the Prophet Ibrahim and the Prophet Ismail and is an important sanctuary. He stated that prayers performed in the Kaaba hold greater virtue than those performed elsewhere.
Erbaş regarded Hajj as the annual gathering of Muslims, where people of different languages and races come together. He also mentioned that as the Presidency of Religious Affairs of Türkiye, they met with representatives of ministers of religious affairs and heads of religious organizations from Islamic countries at the meeting held in Mecca. He stated that Muslim issues and proposed solutions were discussed, including topics like Islamophobia.
"We apply the positive coefficient drawing system in Hajj lotteries," Erbaş explained, adding that in Türkiye each year after receiving Hajj applications, a draw is being conducted to determine pilgrims.
"In this year's draw, citizens who have been registered since 14 years ago and have not been selected yet participated once again this year. Some brothers and sisters have been waiting since 2009-10. We call it the positive coefficient drawing system, and this is only applied in Türkiye. Other countries implement a sequential system. In a sequential system, the person who registered first gets the opportunity. For example, they give a date 50-60 years in the future to go to Hajj for people who want to register. Now, if we had a sequential system like that, we would face the same situation," he said.
Erbaş also mentioned the health care services provided to all pilgrims by the Presidency of Religious Affairs during the Hajj period in the holy land.
"Regardless of how pilgrims arrive, whether through the Presidency of Religious Affairs or travel agencies, they are all our pilgrims. We try to provide them with the necessary facilities and services, especially in terms of health care, to the best of our ability. Because health is very important, and there is no discrimination in health," he noted.