Tabung Haji Receives International Recognition.

The Premier Haj Conference, which ended here last Monday, saw participants praising Tabung Haji (Malaysian Pilgrims Fund) and urging other Islamic nations to emulate the board's approach in managing its pilgrims.

Johor Mufti Datuk Nooh Gadut, who is also 1427 Hijrah pilgrimage season expert, said the conference mentioned Malaysia several times, particularly the manner in which the country managed its pilgrims via Tabung Haji.

The three-day conference, held to work out the ideal approach to manage pilgrims, was attended by ulama and academicians from international universities in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Morocco, Jordan, Iran, New Zealand and the United States. He said Tabung Haji's approach of using television to raise awareness and educate the Malaysian pilgrims was praised by the conference.

The participants also praised the Saudi Arabian government for undertaking massive projects to build facilities for pilgrims coming from all over the world. Meanwhile, Indonesia has already emulated Tabung Haji's system in the preparing and management of food for its pilgrims. Tabung Haji catering operations deputy director Badrul Hisham Shafie said representatives from Indonesian authority had come to see how the unit undertook the task.

"Our standard, where the prepared food must be eaten within two hours after it is served, has been followed by other countries," he said. Badrul Hisham said Tabung Haji brought in 86 cooks and 26 supervisors to ensure that the food served to the pilgrims are of good quality.
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Related report: Tabung Haji Has No Plans To Shorten Haj Pilgrimage