JURNALACEH.COM – For Indonesian Hajj pilgrims who are in Medina, maintaining order in the Nabawi Mosque area is absolute. Saudi Arabian authorities enforce strict supervision to maintain the sanctity and comfort of worship at the mosque inherited from the Prophet Muhammad.
Head of the Nabawi Special Section (Sexus) for the Madinah Working Area, Thoriq, reminded that the security forces would not tolerate the slightest violation.
“The police (Askar) there acted firmly without any discrimination. Ignorance of the rules cannot be used as an excuse to avoid sanctions,” stressed Thoriq in Medina.
So that your worship can run smoothly without legal obstacles, here is a list of prohibitions and sanctions that you need to understand. The Saudi Arabian government prohibits several activities that are considered to disturb solemnity or violate privacy, including:
1. It is prohibited to broadcast live (live streaming) for commercial purposes.
2. It is prohibited to take pictures or videos when there is a medical evacuation procession or corpse handling.
3. It is prohibited to carry flags, banners or attributes of certain organizations.
4. Do not shout, shout or use loudspeakers (megaphones).
5. The mosque area and courtyard are non-smoking areas.
If you want to do a live broadcast just to provide news to your family, it’s best to do it outside the mosque fence area to make it safer from reprimands from officers.
Saudi Arabian security forces implement a tiered sanctions scheme according to the level of violations committed by the congregation. Minor violations of the congregation will usually be taken for questioning and they will be required to sign a statement not to repeat their actions.
Special monetary fines for congregants caught smoking will immediately be subject to a fine of 400 SAR (around Rp. 1.7 million). For serious violations, violations that are considered to threaten security or are very fatal can result in criminal proceedings, heavy penalties, and even a ban on entry into the territory of Saudi Arabia for a certain period of time.
Congregants need to know that surveillance at the Nabawi Mosque is carried out 24 hours. Apart from using thousands of sophisticated CCTV cameras, local authorities also deployed officers in plain clothes who went undercover in the crowd of worshipers to ensure that all rules were obeyed without any gaps.
To support the smooth running of worship, the Nabawi Sex Team has alerted 68 personnel spread across five strategic points. These officers are ready to help the congregation in various matters, such as access to the Raudhah, handling congregations who are separated from the group, and helping congregation members who have lost their belongings.
”We are here to serve. Our hope is that the congregation can focus on worshiping in peace without having to deal with security forces due to breaking rules that could have been avoided,” concluded Thoriq. ***
