麦加朝圣也变数字化

Hajj is the annual pilgrimage for Muslims to the holy city of Mecca, and this year’s event has gone digital.

Saudi Arabia has developed an app to help identify millions of pilgrims, especially those visiting from abroad. It comes after some foreign officials expressed concerns about difficulties in identifying those killed in last year’s stampede.

Two years ago, cell phone selfies were a growing trend in Saudi Arabia. To some clerics, the devices were a misuse of time and disrespectful especially when taking pictures at mosques.

This year, however, mobile phones and specific apps turned out to be lifesavers for those attending the Hajj. Each visitor entering the Kingdom has been assigned a unique bar code to help with identification. Which for the first time here, has made mobile phones an integral part of security checks.

“The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia it currently moving toward having an electronic government. Today, most of our affairs have turned digital,” said Khalid Qarar Al-Harbi, General Commander of Hajj security.

“The Hajj license, what you’re seeing today, has become a system that helped us greatly in preventing any visitor or Saudi national to enter the Hajj without his license, that’s to control the numbers. It terminated forging documents, it gave us faster checking. It helped us guarantee the comfort of pilgrims.”

Saudi Arabia is also testing a new mobile service that helps monitor and detect crowds.

“The Hajj ministry sent me an sms to download a mobile application and I did. It took all my information, picture even fingerprint. Then I learned that it will help If I get missing or dead, they can track me, it also get access to my phone’s GPS to determine my location,” said Sultan Al Jeiby, Saudi pilgrim.

The Hajj is composed of numerous rituals, each has its own rules, which could be confusing to many people. Mobile apps were launched to guide pilgrims through the entire process, but some people still prefer the old ways.

“I mainly use Google Maps to move around, it helps me if I get lost. I use WhatsApp and other social media. I’ve also learned about the pilgrimage apps, but I don’t like to use it. I’d rather leave my phone during praying. If I have any questions about Hajj rituals, I have the telephone number of a Sheikh I trust,” said Ahmed Adly, an Egyptian pilgrim.

For a gathering of millions like Hajj, mobile apps have proved to be quite handy to both officials and pilgrims. They are used for numerous purposes, whether it is to learn, help or socialize. And they have made Hajj much more entertaining.