Hajj Season 2022, Saudi Arabia Increases The Role Of Women For Congregational Services

Saudi Arabian women police monitor the congregation at the Grand Mosque. (Twitter/Haramain Sharifain)

JAKARTA - The role of women in the Hajj service in 2022 is increasing, with the latest being able to join the General Cars Syndicate in Mecca.

The syndicate, founded more than 90 years ago, is responsible for organizing transportation for pilgrims around the different Hajj locations in Makkah and Madinah.

At the service, Saudi Arabian women now work in customer service and media representative roles within the organization.

"When I arrived I saw that most of the immigration officers were women and they were all very confident and good at what they were doing. They were all secretive and followed Islamic rules and I was happy to see that," said Rushda Babukhan, an Indian pilgrim in India. Mecca, quoted from The National News July 7th.

The participation of women in the workforce has increased since the launch of the kingdom's Vision 2030 programme. This year, more Saudi Arabian female nurses than male nurses, 827 women out of 1,383 nurses, worked during the Hajj.

"We are very grateful to the government for supporting us and giving us this opportunity," said Dr. Mona, a family doctor who will work with the nurses sent to Mecca.

Saudi Arabian female military. (ikimedia Commons/Twitter/@modgovksa)

"Serving pilgrims is an honor for us. Even though we hardly have time to rest or leave, I am looking forward to working here because this is my first time working during Hajj," he explained.

Last year, for the first time in the country's history, Saudi female soldiers were seen working as part of the security services, which monitor pilgrims during Hajj.

Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 aims to empower women and offer them an equal role in the job market, as well as in society, through easing restrictions and giving them more rights to work, travel and drive without a male guardian's permission.

Earlier this month, the General Authority for Statistics said the total unemployment rate in Saudi Arabia fell to 6 percent in the first three months of the year from 6.9 percent during the same period in 2021.

Last year, the Haj Ministry officially allowed women of all ages to perform Hajj without a guardian or male relative, allowing them to travel in groups.

Last week, the General Union of Automobiles said it was ready to launch a transportation service for this year's Hajj season, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

"The buses and transportation are perfectly planned for the pilgrims, minimizing the waiting time of pilgrims in the hot sun," Samira Khan, an Indian pilgrim, told The National.

"Especially for people who use wheelchairs, we meet the staff, to be very helpful and help them first. The buses are air conditioned and there is a special place outside the Grand Mosque for pilgrims to go up to Mina and arrange places for groups." -a certain group of the Sanctuary."

"There are no old buses. In fact, people in the past had to suffer from heat for hours on the bus. Now transfers between sites and cities are very easy and convenient," he said.

The transport service offers quick assistance to pilgrims traveling between the Holy Places and the Grand Mosque during the Hajj pilgrimage.

The association has a support center between Mecca, Medina, Jeddah and the Holy Place, to deal with bus failures and there is a wireless communication network for pilgrims during this time.