By ARAB NEWS

Published: Jul 14, 2011 21:18 Updated: Jul 14, 2011 21:40

MAKKAH: The National Society for Human Rights (NSHR) has urged municipal authorities in Makkah to take urgent steps to protect the sanctity of some graveyards that it says are being slowly ruined in the holy city, Al-Madinah newspaper reported on Thursday.

Muhammad Al-Sahli, a member of the NSHR office in Makkah, has alleged that there are some serious lapses in safeguarding the sanctity of graveyards in the holy city.

“A specialist committee commissioned by our office recently visited the graveyard in Hindawiya after receiving several complaints from citizens that it had been turned into a garbage dump and that there was a pool of sewage there,” he said, adding that the committee’s findings have vindicated some of the complaints.

Some graveyards in Makkah, especially those on the outskirts of the city, have reportedly been turned into havens for stray animals and dumping areas for garbage and construction debris.

These included Al-Nasiriyah graveyard, located in Al-Faihaa, and Hindawiya, whose wall has almost collapsed. Some workshop owners have turned three graveyards in Al-Mansour district into yards to keep their maintenance equipment, according to citizens.

Fawzi Al-Sayyid, a local citizen, said Al-Nasiriyah is one of the oldest graveyards in the holy city located adjacent to Al-Faihaa Road linking Jomoom with the holy city.

“Earlier, a philanthropist had erected a sign board alerting passersby about the graveyard and later one citizen placed barbed wire around it. But over the course of time, vehicles started passing through it and now most pedestrians are unaware about the existence of any graveyard there,” Al-Sayyid said. read more