Saudi Arabia to name and shame Hajj campaign violators

The Hajj Campaigns Disciplinary Committee announced it will apply the tashheer penalty — naming and shaming the institute or individual in the public domain for certain violations, Al-Watan reported.

Ministry of Hajj spokesman Hatim Qadhi said the committee will receive complaints from pilgrims starting by the end of this month.

“The committee consists of the Ministry of Hajj, Ministry of Interior and the Bureau of Investigation and Public Prosecution. External and internal pilgrims are all encouraged to file their complaints against any of the services of the Hajj establishments and offices in order to improve the quality of the service for the next Hajj season,” said Qadhi.

He also said the most common complaint usually received by the committee are regarding the food offered, cleanliness of the camps and delay in return flights.

He added the other penalties include the issuance of fines, suspension of service, cancellation of license and others.

“The committee is the only authority authorized to issue penalties against patents of all Hajj and Umrah services. Each complaint will be dealt with individually, and the company or individual in question will be sued in the court of law,” said Qadhi.

He also said the committee will look into the complaints in a couple of weeks in order to give Hajj services providers some time to wrap up their services for the season.

“There are still some pilgrims in Madinah visiting the historical sites there. Also there are still pilgrims awaiting their flights to return to their country. The Hajj campaign organizers and service providers are responsible for the pilgrims until they return to their home country,” said Qadhi.

This article first appeared in the Saudi Gazette on Oct. 7, 2015.