British Muslim’s Hajj tips on Twitter inspire pilgrims, allay anxiety 

Layla Begum Ali, a NHS business planning manager and coach, is pictured at the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah after performing Umrah. (File/Supplied)
Short Url
Updated 20 June 2022
Follow

British Muslim’s Hajj tips on Twitter inspire pilgrims, allay anxiety 

  • Response on Twitter was overwhelming, Ali gained a large following by people who found her tips motivational
  • “It became a passion. Every day I was learning, I was tweeting,” she said

LONDON: A British Muslim who intended to perform Hajj this year has been using Twitter to inspire pilgrims and help those who have anxiety disorders.

Layla Begum Ali, a NHS business planning manager and coach, started learning about how to perform Hajj in Ramadan this year in preparation for the pilgrimage that Muslims must perform at least once during their lifetime if they can. 

Ali told Arab News that she started posting practical Hajj tips and any new information she had learned about how to perform rituals and the history behind them on Twitter as a way of teaching aspiring pilgrims and sharing her newly gained knowledge. 

The response was overwhelming and she gained a large following on Twitter by people who found her tips motivational and inspiring.

Once Saudi Arabia announced that Hajj would be open to one million foreign pilgrims in April, Ali decided that she would take an “organized, productive and proactive” approach to preparing for the pilgrimage. 




Layla Begum Ali, a NHS business planning manager and coach, is pictured at the Grand Mosque in Makkah during  an Umrah visit to the Kingdom. (File/Supplied)

“I was listening to religious scholars or just Googling YouTube videos about Hajj rituals every day, preparing myself for Hajj.

“I started buying my Hajj outfits, booked my (meningitis) vaccination, and followed the guidance that was issued by Saudi Arabia. And that’s when my Hajj tweets started becoming popular. 

“I didn’t realize just how much I didn’t know. I realized then that I needed to take responsibility and learn about the different types of Hajj, the rules, and the history. I read about how the Prophet Muhammad performed his Hajj and the more I learned, the more I tweeted. 

“Very quickly people were tagging me, commenting on my tweets, or complimenting me on my knowledge. That’s how it started — I was just sharing what I was learning as I went along,” Ali explains. 

She said that she condensed the information she had learned to fit the 280 character limit for each tweet and used bullet points to highlight key points. 

 

“I tried to be as simple and efficient as possible with the bullet points and made them catchy,” Ali said. 

Ali said that she shares tips on wide-ranging Hajj related issues — from how British pilgrims can cope with the stifling heat in the Kingdom at this time of year (at least 40 degrees) to the importance of buying a Saudi sim card on arrival, and the religious significance of Zamzam water.

“It became a passion. Every day I was learning, I was tweeting,” Ali said.

She added that people started asking her about issues that they were struggling with, such as how to deal with claustrophobia and other anxiety disorders during Hajj. 

As someone who has suffered from anxiety in the past and has learned how to deal with it, Ali says that she loves helping people face their fears.  

She has vast experience of assisting her local community, having worked in the housing sector, with youth, people with special needs, the elderly, those who have psychological issues, and those in care.  

“I think I’m very drawn to people who are vulnerable, need help, have issues, and who are not really confident. I like coaching and helping people. And I think I was managing people’s anxieties without realizing it. 

“And when people would say ‘I’m going to Hajj but I have claustrophobia,’ I would talk them through how they could manage it.

 

“So I was actually coaching people publicly, without realizing it. And people started warming to me and giving me feedback about how the tips were helping.

“I found myself being of benefit to people who I was teaching or coaching,” Ali said. 

The manager said that she has found a new social community in the people who she interacts with on Twitter.

“We all had a common goal to go to Hajj this year, and fulfil the fifth pillar of Islam. That was a nice feeling and I felt like I was part of this pilgrim community,” Ali said. 

Although she had applied to perform Hajj this year and was selected from applicants to a new draw system that British pilgrims are using for the first time, Ali will not be performing the pilgrimage as the duration and the dates of the package offered did not suit her commitments. 

However, she looks forward to performing Hajj next year. She said: “I haven’t stopped thinking about Hajj, it’s still on my mind. I feel like I’ve just started my journey with the intention to go, and learning about it all. I feel like I will be going to Hajj next year and will be applying next year.”

“I want to go to Hajj and thank God for the countless beautiful things that he has given me.”


Vietnam aims to sign nuclear power plant deal with Russia in August

Updated 5 sec ago
Follow

Vietnam aims to sign nuclear power plant deal with Russia in August

The move follows Vietnam’s restart of plans to develop nuclear power plants
It is expected to be online between 2030 and 2035

HANOI: Vietnam’s government said on Tuesday it aims to sign an agreement with its Russian counterpart in August to build the Southeast Asian country’s first nuclear power plant.

Site clearance for development of the plant in Ninh Thuan province is to be completed by the end of this year, the government said in a statement.

The move follows Vietnam’s restart of plans to develop nuclear power plants that were suspended nearly a decade ago, as part of its efforts to ramp up its power generation capacity to support its fast-growing economy.

The government has previously said it expected the first nuclear power plants with a combined capacity of up to 6.4 gigawatts to be online between 2030 and 2035.

The government said on Tuesday it has told the finance ministry, central bank, state energy firm Petrovietnam and utility firm EVN to work with related parties on loans for the project.

Indonesian researchers unearth 500,000-year-old elephant fossils in Java

Updated 53 min 41 sec ago
Follow

Indonesian researchers unearth 500,000-year-old elephant fossils in Java

  • Researchers say found elephant fossils may be almost complete 
  • Central Java is also location of archaeological site Sangiran, where ‘Java Man’ was found

Jakarta: Indonesian researchers have discovered fossils of a prehistoric elephant in Central Java, which they estimate are around 500,000 years old. 

The fossils were found in Patiayam, an archaeological site and mountainous area situated on the border of the Kudus and Pati regencies in Central Java, where, throughout the years, ancient animal fossils have been found.

In 2024, a collaborative team organized by the Center for Prehistory and Austronesian Studies, the Dharma Bakti Lestari Foundation and the National Research and Innovation Agency, known locally as BRIN, launched a research project at the site to explore fossil possibilities. 

Though the initial discovery was made then, researchers postponed the project until this year and expanded the site of excavation, which is still ongoing. 

“Based on the geological formation of the site where it was found, we estimate that the fossils are at least 500,000 years old, give or take. We have yet to conduct a direct dating of the fossils, so this is based on a relative dating of the soil layer,” Mohammad Ruly Fauzi, researcher at CPAS and BRIN, told Arab News. 

“We have been able to identify that these belong to an elephas type, but not the specific species … What’s clear is that this is a very big elephant, nothing like elephants today …. It’s prehistoric, not early historic period.”

He said the excavation has made about 50 percent progress and that the elements found so far make up the front part of an elephant. 

“It’s interesting because this is shaping up to be an almost complete fossil … They are all situated pretty closely.” 

Once the excavation is completed, the fossils will be preserved as part of a collection at the Patiayam Archaeological Museum. The discovery might help Patiayam gain recognition as a cultural heritage site, Fauzi added. 

“Every site has its own unique qualities, but Patiayam site is particularly interesting and very deserving to gain status as a national cultural heritage site in our opinion … This research can help serve as a foundation for officials to decide,” he said. 

Central Java, where Patiayam is located, is also home to the Sangiran Early Man Site, a UNESCO World Heritage site renowned for its significant collection of Homo erectus fossils, dating from 1.1 million to 800,000 years ago, including the “Java Man.” 


Ukraine has cleared 20 percent of mined land, PM says

Updated 50 min 56 sec ago
Follow

Ukraine has cleared 20 percent of mined land, PM says

KYIV: Ukraine has intensified efforts to clear land mines and has cut the affected area to around 137,000 square km (53,000 square miles), a 20 percent reduction from the end of 2022, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said on Tuesday.
Most of the remaining mined areas are farmland, Shmyhal added.
Ukraine is a global major grain grower but it reduced harvests sharply after Russia’s 2022 invasion left large areas occupied and mined.
Shmyhal said about 9,000 people from 112 specialized companies are now involved in mine clearance.
Military analysts say Ukraine needs at least 10 years to demine all territories.


India defense minister heads to China summit

Updated 24 June 2025
Follow

India defense minister heads to China summit

  • Rajnath Singh will join fellow regional defense ministers in China’s Qingdao city for SCO summit starting Wednesday 
  • He will call for joint, consistent efforts to eliminate “terrorism” and extremism in the region, says Indian defense ministry 

NEW DELHI: Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh will travel to China this week for talks with his regional counterparts, New Delhi said Tuesday.

Ties between the world’s two most populous nations have improved in recent months, after hitting a low in 2020 over a deadly clash between their troops on the Himalayan border.

Singh will join fellow defense ministers in the eastern city of Qingdao for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit starting Wednesday.

He will “outline India’s vision toward achieving greater international peace & security, call for joint & consistent efforts to eliminate terrorism & extremism in the region,” a defense ministry statement said.

Singh will also hold bilateral meetings with his counterparts from China and Russia, which are alliance members alongside Pakistan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Belarus.

Ahead of the two-day SCO meeting, India’s National Security Adviser Ajit Doval held talks in Beijing with Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi.

Doval “underscored the need to promote the overall development of the India-China bilateral relations,” New Delhi said Monday.

Wang said relations have “seen some positive developments” since the two countries’ leaders met last year, China’s foreign ministry said.

Beijing has granted permission to Indian pilgrims wishing to trek to Mount Kailash in Tibet, a site holy to Hindus and Buddhists, for the first time since the deadly 2020 clash.

The rival countries have also agreed to expedite resuming direct flights.


France orders Tesla to end ‘deceptive commercial practices’

Updated 24 June 2025
Follow

France orders Tesla to end ‘deceptive commercial practices’

PARIS: French anti-fraud authorities said on Tuesday they have ordered US electric car giant Tesla’s local subsidiary to stop “deceptive commercial practices” after an investigation found several violations harmful to consumers and contrary to law.
The fraud prevention and consumer protection agency (DGCCRF) said its agents investigated Tesla’s French subsidiary between 2023 and 2024 after reports were filed on a consumer complaint platform.
The probe revealed “deceptive commercial practices regarding the fully autonomous driving capabilities of Tesla vehicles, the availability of certain options and vehicle trade-in offers,” it said.
The agency also cited delays in refunding canceled orders, a lack of information on the location of deliveries and incomplete sales contracts, among other violations.
Tesla was given four months to comply with regulations.
It faces a daily fine of 50,000 euros ($58,000) if it fails to stop deceptive commercial practices over the fully autonomous driving option of certain Tesla models.
Tesla did not immediately respond to an AFP request for comment.
Tesla sales have tanked in Europe in recent months owing to an aging fleet of cars, rising competition and consumer distaste for Elon Musk’s role in US President Donald Trump’s administration.