AFGHAN PILGRIMS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIII, Issue 139, 14 June 1932, Page 8

AFGHAN PILGRIMS.

KING GOES BY PROXY. GIFT TO MECCA HOSPITAL. HEJAZ FEELS ECONOMIC JINCH. King Nadir Shah of Afghanistan made a pilgrimage to Mecca this year by proxy. While he sat tight on his throne, busy maintaining the peace and order lie has brought to his land, a cousin, Sardar Alimad Shah Khan, journeyed to the Moslem holy city. With Sardar Ahmad was a commission with a medical mission. The medical mission gave aid particularly to Afghan pilgrims, but also to pilgrims of other nationalities. The commission was charged to make arrangements for the greater comfort of Afghan devotees, and carried with it more than £30,000 with which to build a Haji-kliana, or pilgrims' hospice, at Mecca, in which will be lodged free all Afghan nationals. Will Visit Ibn Sand. Sardar Ahmad and his aides were also, to visit King Ibn Saud of Hejaz to conclude a treaty of amity with that country. Handsome in the dark and . aquiline Turkish manner, Sardar Ahmad is 43, and already he has a long military and political record. After an education in England lie was made commander of the nobles' guard of the late ' Amir Habibullah Khan, and accompanied that ruler on his Afghan and Indian tours in 1007. During the third Afghan war Sardar Ahmad became chief of staff aiid at the end of the war was honoured by ex-King Amaniillah. When Nadir Shah ascended the throne he made his cousin Wliziri-Darbar Councillor of State. Sardar Ahmad has travelled widely and speaks several languages. . Hejaz to Suffer Loss. The economic crisis has so affected the Moslem world in the Near East that thousands of the faithful are obliged to renounce this year their customary pilgrimage to Mecca, which is regarded as the supreme act of piety and sacrifice in the religion of the Prophet. The consequences have been detrimental in- a

material way to the finances of King Ibn Saud's country of Hejaz, in which Mecca is (situated. From Egypt applications for transportation to the Holy City were just over a thousand, compared to the 14 or 15 thousand "who applied to go to Mecca in past years. In view of the reduced number the Egyptian Government made no provisions to charter special shijv; to take pilgrims at reduced prices, and the pilgrimagcrs were conductcd over the regular steamship route from Egypt to Jedda. Governments Take Hand. ' The samo is true for Iraq, Turkey, Java and India, in which countries we Moslems are ke|)t from performing their sacred rites at the tomb of Mahomet as the result of economic depression. Pilgrimages from Java have been numerous, but this year there will be few. Jiie Government of Iraq lias been discouraging pilgrimages to prevent money fi'M 1 going out of the country. In the case of India political troubles have acte to discourage voyages to Mecca. The Government of Hejaz is seriously concerned over the situation, and seveio criticisms are heard against those ov jerninents which, it is charged, are su.jordinating religious interests to tic material needs of the State in counsel v their subjects not to go to Mecca t year.