Saudi king invites 50 Muslim pilgrims

MANILA, Philippines - Saudi Arabia King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz has invited 50 Muslim Filipinos to take part in this year’s Hajj pilgrimage to the cities of Mecca and Medina.

Saudi Ambassador to the Philippines Abdullah bin Ibrahim Al Hassan will send off the pilgrims in simple ceremonies at the Saudi embassy in Makati on Tuesday.

The Filipino Muslims will be part of a special delegation of 1,400 Muslims from 40 countries who were also invited by the Saudi king. The Saudi king will finance their travel expenses.

At least 4,000 Filipino pilgrims will also take part in the pilgrimage, which is expected to start on the first week of November depending on the location of the new moon on the Islamic calendar.

The other guest pilgrims will come from Indonesia, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Turkey, Thailand, Cambodia, Kazakhstan, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Nepal, Afghanistan, Vietnam, Malaysia, Russia, Hong Kong, Mongolia, Singapore, Myanmar, Japan, Brunei, Guinea, South Korea, Maldives Islands, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, South Sudan and other African countries.

The Saudi king’s program for hosting pilgrims is managed by the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Endowments, Call and Guidance.