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Apps Pave Way for ‘Smart Hajj’

Pilgrims arrive in Makkah for this year's annual rituals. (SPA)
Pilgrims arrive in Makkah for this year's annual rituals. (SPA)
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Apps Pave Way for ‘Smart Hajj’

Pilgrims arrive in Makkah for this year's annual rituals. (SPA)
Pilgrims arrive in Makkah for this year's annual rituals. (SPA)

Saudi Arabia has developed a project that aims to invest advanced technologies in serving this year’s Hajj pilgrims through the Hajj and Umrah Program and Smart Hajj initiative

The holy city of Makkah hosted the Smart Hajj seminar that focused on the use of advanced technology in the Hajj. Sponsored by Interior Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Nayef on Sunday, the event highlighted the various technological services offered by ministries and government and civil agencies for this year’s holy rituals.

The Hajj will kick off on August 9.

Apps have been developed to help facilitate the services provided to the pilgrims.

Governor of the Makkah region Prince Khalid al-Faisal had inaugurated last week 5G services in Makkah and the holy sites.

The Smart Hajj initiative was launched last year and its second phase was inaugurated in 2019.

Smart technologies include connecting ambulance services to health centers, the introduction of virtual reality experiences and the use of holograms in raising awareness.

Other apps include allowing pilgrims to report health emergencies, as well as another app that offers health instructions. A security app allows them to report security cases and others help explain Hajj rituals.

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French Ambassador to Saudi Arabia to Asharq Al-Awsat: Military Option Ineffective in Israel-Iran Conflict 

French Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Patrick Maisonnave. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
French Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Patrick Maisonnave. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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French Ambassador to Saudi Arabia to Asharq Al-Awsat: Military Option Ineffective in Israel-Iran Conflict 

French Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Patrick Maisonnave. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
French Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Patrick Maisonnave. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

French Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Patrick Maisonnave said Paris believes that military intervention will not resolve the “problem” over Iran’s nuclear program.

In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, he said such a solution was “ineffective” because it cannot completely eliminate Iran’s nuclear knowledge or ensure the complete destruction of all of its nuclear facilities.

Moreover, he warned against attempts to change the Iranian regime from the outside, saying it may have dire consequences, such as the collapse of the state, civil war, instability, regional conflicts, migration crises and raise terrorism threat levels.

This instability may also impact the security of the Gulf region and extend to Europe as well, he warned.

Damage to Iran’s nuclear sites may lead to dangerous radiation in the region that may spread to other regions, including Gulf waters, he went on to say.

Furthermore, military intervention will pose major dangers to regional stability, the security of France’s partners and allies in the region, and the Hormuz Strait. It may lead to attacks on American military bases and energy infrastructure, warned Maisonnave.

A diplomatic solution is the best way forward, he stressed, explaining that it will lead to a viable and permanent solution that enjoys international backing. This solution must tackle technical issues, such as enrichment levels. It also averts the grave consequences of military escalation.

A diplomatic solution must ensure that International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors are allowed to tour nuclear facilities at any time and without prior notice, he added.

This is the path that France chose in the past and that it believes is the best way to reach a permanent and peaceful solution, he stressed.

At the same time, the ambassador acknowledged that the Iranian nuclear program was a dangerous threat to French and European security interests, as well as to countries of the Gulf given its potential to destabilize the region and the “security of our allies”.

This concern deepened after IAEA inspectors were for years unable to ensure the peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear program, he remarked.

France and European countries are very concerned that the program was not designed with purely civilian purposes, Maisonnave said.