JEDDAH: As Hajj winds down, congratulations poured in regarding the Saudi Arabian government’s efforts to assist pilgrims undertaking the journey of a lifetime.
International media played a major role in communicating the success of this year’s pilgrimage — through many articles, videos and pictures — while the topic was trending on social media.
Reactions from across the Arab and Islamic world were positive, complimenting the efforts and wide range of services provided by agencies involved in Hajj — from security personnel to Saudi Boy Scouts and female volunteers.
Anwar Gargash, UAE state minister for foreign affairs, took to Twitter to praise the successful Hajj season. “In a nutshell, the huge success of Saudi Arabia in the organization of Hajj is a success for all Muslims and Arabs,” he tweeted.
Meanwhile, several Hajj-related hashtags have been trending in the past few days, as Muslims from all over the world circulated pictures and videos captured during the season, while lauding the Saudi government’s efforts in making this year’s Hajj a success.
The #CustodianOfTheTwo-HolyMosques hashtag was mentioned in more than 23 million tweets, according to Sky News Arabia. The second hashtag on the list was #SaudiArabia-WelcomesTheWorld, which was trending even before the Hajj season started, where it received 17 million interactions and tweets within just two days.