Twaha Mukiibi
The Ambassador of the Royal Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to Uganda His Excellency Dr. Abdullah Fahd Al-Qahtani yesterday flagged off 20 Ugandans to Mecca sponsored by the Saudi king Silman Bin Abdul-Aziz.
The 20 pilgrims will join other Ugandans and the rest of the world that will be performing hajj this year.
Preforming pilgrimage to the Holy city of Mecca at least once in one’s lifetime is the fifthth pillar of the Islamic faith.
Last year, 840 Ugandan pilgrims made the trip, 30 of which were sponsored by the custodian of the two holy mosques, who is the Saudi King Silman Bin Abdul-Aziz.
This year, the Saudi government will sponsor 20 Ugandans for the life changing trip.
These were flagged off by the Saudi envoy to Uganda Dr. Abdullah Fahd Al-Qahtani.
Dr Al – Qahtani challenged the pilgrims to observe all the rituals in their stipulated time.
The pilgrims include officers from the Uganda Police, the Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces and several clerics. They expressed gratitude toward the Saudi government.
The hajj is seen as a chance to wipe clean past sins and start afresh.
Millions of Muslims from all over the world make the trip annually.
