http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article169129.ece
Over 13,500 Chinese for this Haj Consul General Wang Yong, left, Vice President of China Islamic Association Mustafa Yang Zhibo, second left, and other members of the Chinese Haj mission at the consulate in Jeddah. (AN photo) By SULTAN AL-TAMIMI | ARAB NEWS Published: Oct 25, 2010 00:03 Updated: Oct 25, 2010 00:03 JEDDAH: Over 13,500 Chinese pilgrims are expected to perform Haj this year, almost a seven percent increase on last year's number of 12,700 Hajis from China. The first batch of 4,620 pilgrims arrived on Oct. 18, and the second batch is expected to leave China on Oct. 27. "Along with this year's pilgrims, there are 51 members of the China Islamic Association and they will be part of the Haj mission to help the pilgrims complete their Haj," said China Islamic Association Vice President Mustafa Yang Zhibo at a press conference held at the Chinese Consulate in Jeddah. "There will also be a special medical team, which will include doctors and paramedics to take care of the pilgrims. The mission will have its own imams who will guide the pilgrims during the Haj." Zhibo told Arab News that the average age of the Chinese pilgrims is 60, while women account for one third of them. He added that the pilgrims would be given $4,000 in cash each during their trip. By Nov. 9, all Chinese pilgrims will be in Makkah. Islam established itself as one of the five major religions in China after it entered the country around 1,300 years ago. There are more than 23 million Muslims living in China today, concentrated in the northwest provinces of Xinjiang and Ninxing. During the press conference hosted by Chinese Consul General Wang Yong, Zhibo said the Islamic community is free to practice the religion. "In all of China now, there are around 36,000 mosques and Islamic schools, there are 45,000 imams and 10 Islamic academies with more than thousands of students attending," he added. China Islamic Association was established on May 11, 1953, in Beijing and represents all of the country's Muslims. The association is also responsible for organizing Haj and Umrah pilgrimages for Muslims in the country. Since it was created, the association has been contributing to government efforts in implementing the policy of freedom of religion, carrying forward the tradition of Islam, unifying Muslims in participating in the country's development, promoting friendly relations with Muslims in other countries, and maintaining peace. The association has played its part in maintaining China's stability and in its economic and social development. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ Post message: [email protected] Subscribe : [email protected] Unsubscribe : [email protected] List owner : [email protected] Homepage : http://proletar.8m.com/Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/proletar/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/proletar/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: [email protected] [email protected] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [email protected] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
