KUALA LUMPUR: Here at one of the Malaysia government's Hajj centers, representatives were frustrated over the recent deaths reported in Saudi Arabia. Four Malaysians were buried on Saturday in the Saudi holy city of Medina after suffering heart attacks and succumbing to the conditions during their Hajj pilgrimage to the Gulf Kingdom. Tabung Haji's (Pilgrims Fund) operations information center manager Shafie Sharif said the four pilgrims died in Medina “due to their frail condition and heart attacks and that their remains were buried at the Baqi cemetery near the Nabawi Mosque in Medina.” He said the center, which operates from the Janadiriah Hotel here, had relayed news of the deaths to family members in Malaysia. “The burial arrangements were made by Tabung Haji,” he told Malaysian reporters here Saturday. Shafie said 74 haj pilgrims died in the Holy Land last year. Malaysians are demanding that the government ensure that those participating in the Hajj are well-equipped and can handle the Saudi conditions. “It should not happen. Plain and simple. If someone is not in good enough health to perform the pilgrimage they should not go,” said Anwar Aziz, a 28-year-old advertising consultant in Kuala Lumpur. He told Bikyamasr.com he is due to leave for Saudi on Monday to perform his Hajj. The first batch of Malaysian Hajj pilgrims for the current season arrived in Saudi Arabia on September 17, the center said. A total of 28,000 Malaysian pilgrims are due to perform the Hajj this year.
