Qatar to investigate Hajj abuse

Qatar has set up a committee to investigate allegations of abuse and neglect by Hajj (pilgrimage) operators. The panel, established by the official Hajj delegation, will be made up of ten people, including two women, and will conduct a survey among people who performed Hajj this year. "The committee will spend ten days contacting people and will then submit a report," Abdul Hakeem Al Abdullah, the head of the Qatari Hajj delegation, said, quoted by Al Arab daily on Monday. He said that he expected complaints to include poor terrestrial transportation services, lack of management skills and the inability to deal efficiently with unexpected cases. However, Al Abdullah said that some of the abuse or neglect allegations could have been propagated by people who did not go on pilgrimage, but heard about them from others. For instance, reports about food poisoning, lack of medicine or absence of tents in Mina or Mount Arafat were not true, he said. "We have received only three complaints so far," Al Abdullah said, quoted by the daily. Around 12,000 Qatar-based Muslims performed Hajj this year. Under strict rules, every pilgrim must be sponsored by a Hajj operator.