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Saudi Arabia Welcomes Qatari Hajj Performers, Condemns Politicizing Islamic Rites

Dr. Awwad Bin Saleh Al-Awwad, Saudi minister of culture and information during the anti-terror quartet (ATQ) meeting in Jeddah on Thursday, SPA
Dr. Awwad Bin Saleh Al-Awwad, Saudi minister of culture and information during the anti-terror quartet (ATQ) meeting in Jeddah on Thursday, SPA
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Saudi Arabia Welcomes Qatari Hajj Performers, Condemns Politicizing Islamic Rites

Dr. Awwad Bin Saleh Al-Awwad, Saudi minister of culture and information during the anti-terror quartet (ATQ) meeting in Jeddah on Thursday, SPA
Dr. Awwad Bin Saleh Al-Awwad, Saudi minister of culture and information during the anti-terror quartet (ATQ) meeting in Jeddah on Thursday, SPA

Jeddah- Saudi Arabia’s culture and information minister Dr. Awwad Bin Saleh Al-Awwad welcomed all Qataris looking forward to joining this year’s Hajj pilgrimage.

Doha’s attempts to politicize the religious rite is a step down the wrong road, said Awwad.

Speaking at the ATQ (Anti-terror Quartet) meeting in Jeddah, Awwad stressed that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, home to Islam’s Holiest site, takes great concern in facilitating Hajj.

The Kingdom exerts its utmost efforts to make the Hajj a success, he said.

Citing Saudi Arabia’s hosting pilgrims time and time again, Awwad said that the kingdom has proved throughout history its success in providing its services to the pilgrims.

The meeting, whose objective is to boost joint action to discuss media issues of concern to the countries calling for combating terror and coordinating stances against the tendentious Qatari media campaigns supporting violence and extremism and spreading hate speech, comes as an extension of the previous meeting in Cairo.

Awwad considered Qatar making the choice of politicizing Hajj to be equivalent to political bankruptcy by which Doha intends to create confusion and exploit the religious ritual for its own ends.

He added that throughout modern history Qatar is the second country to politicize Hajj. Before it, Iran tried and its efforts totally failed.

Awwad stressed that the Qatari people are welcome this year (for Hajj) like every year. Several options have been presented to Qatari pilgrims to perform Hajj rites with ease and comfort.

He further said the Qataris wishing to perform Hajj should not believe the false propaganda stating that they are forbidden from performing Hajj.

The Kingdom welcomes all Muslims from all over the world and spares no effort in facilitating Hajj so that the pilgrimage is comfortable and offers a peace of mind.

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Tunisia Rehab Barge Offers Hope for Vulnerable Sea Turtles

Marine specialists treat a sea turtle on a care barge in Tunisia's Kerkennah Island, the only one in the Mediterranean, on December 18, 2024. (Photo by Akim REZGUI / AFP)
Marine specialists treat a sea turtle on a care barge in Tunisia's Kerkennah Island, the only one in the Mediterranean, on December 18, 2024. (Photo by Akim REZGUI / AFP)
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Tunisia Rehab Barge Offers Hope for Vulnerable Sea Turtles

Marine specialists treat a sea turtle on a care barge in Tunisia's Kerkennah Island, the only one in the Mediterranean, on December 18, 2024. (Photo by Akim REZGUI / AFP)
Marine specialists treat a sea turtle on a care barge in Tunisia's Kerkennah Island, the only one in the Mediterranean, on December 18, 2024. (Photo by Akim REZGUI / AFP)

On a barge hundreds of meters off the Kerkennah Islands in southern Tunisia, a group of students watches intently as Besma, a recovering sea turtle, shuffles towards the water and dives in, AFP reported.

The barge, used to treat injured loggerhead turtles, is the first floating rehabilitation center for the species in the Mediterranean, its organizers say.

Harboring netted enclosures underwater, it allows the threatened species to receive care in saltwater, its natural habitat.

"It is important that the sea turtles recover in their natural environment," said Hamed Mallat, a marine biologist who heads the UN-funded project.

"We place them in a space that's large enough for them to move and feed more comfortably," he added.

Mallat, a member of the local Kraten Association for Sustainable Development and the International Sea Turtle Society, founded the project last month and said the rehab barge was refashioned from a sunken aquaculture cage.

It can hold up to five sea turtles at a time, each in its own enclosure, and spans 150 square meters (1,610 square feet) at the surface, with netting below to allow the convalescing animals to reach the sea floor.

The loggerhead sea turtle, also known as Caretta caretta, is considered a vulnerable species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Every year, around 10,000 loggerheads are caught by trawlers and in fishing nets in the waters off Tunisia.

Life Medturtles, an EU-funded sea life conservation project, estimates that more than 70 percent of sea turtle deaths in the Mediterranean are caused by gillnets -- large nets used for mass fishing.

It is often the fishermen themselves who bring the injured turtles to the barge, said Mallat.

The project is also an opportunity to teach younger generations about preserving sea life, he added.

"This is a direct application of the things we study," said 24-year-old Sarah Gharbi, a fisheries and environment student at the National Agronomic Institute of Tunisia (INAT).

"It's also a first interaction with marine species that we usually don't see as part of our study or in our laboratories. It's something new and enriching."

Her teacher, Rimel Ben Messaoud, 42, said the barge's "educational value" was in giving students a first-hand experience with marine life conservation.

Due to rising sea temperatures, overfishing and pollution, a number of marine species have seen their migratory routes and habitats shift over time.

Mallat said the project could help study those patterns, particularly among loggerhead sea turtles, as Besma now bears a tracking device.

"It gives us a significant advantage for scientific monitoring of sea turtles, which is somewhat lacking in scientific research in Tunisia," he said.

Mallat said he also hoped to attract the islands' summer tourists to raise awareness about the vulnerable species.