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Saudi Arabia To Scan Piligirms Eyes & Fingers During Hajj
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| Millions of pilgrims
perform Hajj rituals in Mecca |
RIYADH, Feb 9 (IslamOnline &
News Agencies) - Saudi Arabia has installed eye-scanning and finger-printing
devices at a key airport, in a drive to tighten security at this month's annual
Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca, news agencies reported.
Individuals selected randomly and
considered "suspicious" among the hundreds of thousands of Muslims
arriving for the event will be taken aside to have their irises digitally
scanned, reported the BBC’s online news service.
The machines have been installed
in the King Abdul Aziz International Airport in the Red Sea port city of Jeddah,
a Saudi official told news agencies.
The U.S. has publicly praised
Saudi Arabia for its support in the U.S.-led "war on terror", but
there are fears that the huge Muslim gathering could be a recruiting ground for
those in sympathy with al-Qaeda, the BBC said.
"Those suspected of being
involved in terrorism activities will have their names listed at all entry
ports," said Saudi official Lieutenant Colonel Ibrahim bin Saleh al-Hamdan.
One of Osama Bin Laden's stated
objections is to the 5,000 U.S. troops that share Saudi soil with some of the
holiest sites of Islam.
The hi-tech devices use a
technique known as biometrics - recording individuals' unique physical features
- to gather data which will enable the Saudi authorities to identify and track
individual pilgrims.
The official said that the number
of intelligence officers had been significantly increased for this year's annual
pilgrimage.
Colonel al-Hamdan also said
machines for detecting false passports had been installed.
These, together with the
biometrics technology, will help the Saudis cut down immigration by visitors who
do not return home after the pilgrimage.
In November last year, news
agencies quoted an Egyptian weekly paper Wegehat Nazr saying that the U.S.
Central Intelligence Agency has asked for Saudi Arabia's help in spying on
meetings between "terrorist leaders" in Mecca, the holiest city in
Islam during the Hajj season.
The CIA has asked the Saudi
authorities to lend facilities to keep watch during the Hajj (pilgrimage) season
this year, having learned from their own sources that terrorist leaders plan to
rendez-vous at the pilgrimage sites," wrote Mohamed Hassanien Heikal, a
generally well-informed Egyptian journalist.
Heikal, once a confidante to
Egypt's late president Gamel Abdel Nasser, said he uncovered his information
during visits to Europe after the September 11 attacks on the United States.
The article at the time did not
say if Saudi Arabia said yes to the request.
Every able-bodied Muslim who can
afford it is required to make the Hajj at least once in a lifetime.
An estimated 2.5 million people
are expected to attend this year's rituals, the BBC reported.
About 80% of those arriving from
outside Saudi Arabia will travel through the King Abdul Aziz airport, which has
a specially dedicated Hajj Terminal.
The government spends an estimated
$1bn hosting the annual event and has an entire ministry responsible for its
smooth running.
The Ministry of Pilgrimage
estimates that 120,000 Pakistanis, 110,000 Indians and 92,000 Iranians will make
this year's Hajj, which reaches its climax on 21 February with a visit to Mount
Arafat, added the BBC.
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