RIYADH: Guests of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Program for Umrah and Visit praised Saudi Arabia’s development and progress across various fields.

They commended efforts to preserve religious sites and historical monuments, highlighting a rich cultural heritage spanning thousands of years, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

During their tour of religious sites and monuments in Madinah, part of a program organized by the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, they expressed gratitude to the Kingdom for hosting them.

Sheikh Khadem Mbaki, a preacher from Senegal, expressed his joy at witnessing Madinah’s rich cultural and historical heritage.

He highlighted how the sites reflect various aspects of Islamic civilization, and praised the Kingdom’s dedication to preserving these important landmarks.

Mbaki also acknowledged the Kingdom’s efforts to ensure the well-being of visitors and Umrah performers from around the world.

Ali Coulibaly from Mali said that the Kingdom is a global religious and cultural destination due to its many historical monuments and archaeological sites in regions like AlUla and NEOM.

He also noted the rapid development of infrastructure projects, which enhance the Kingdom’s ability to welcome tourists and visitors and provide year-round access to these historical and cultural sites.

Mohammed Abdo Abu Yaali from Morocco praised the cultural and historical richness he experienced during his visit to Madinah’s historical sites.

He appreciated the in-depth explanations about the significance of these sites as well as their connection to Islamic history and the life of the Prophet.

Amin Baddad from Algeria expressed his heartfelt thanks to the Saudi leadership for hosting him to visit Madinah and perform Umrah.

He shared the beautiful memories created during his visit and prayed to Allah to reward those responsible for the program for their efforts.

FRANKFURT: As the world remembers Auschwitz, the German far right has pushed back against the country’s tradition of Holocaust remembrance, now with backing from US tech billionaire Elon Musk.
“I think there’s too much of a focus on past guilt and we need to move beyond that,” the ally of US President Donald Trump told an Alternative for Germany (AfD) rally in a video discussion at the weekend.
“Children should not be guilty for the sins of their great grandparents,” he told supporters of the AfD, an anti-immigration party he has strongly supported ahead of February 23 elections.
Musk’s comments flew in the face of those made by Chancellor Olaf Scholz to mark 80 years since the liberation of the extermination camp in what was Nazi-occupied Poland and on the “civilizational rupture” of the Holocaust.
“Every single person in our country bears responsibility, regardless of their own family history, regardless of the religion or birthplace of their parents or grandparents,” Scholz said in a speech.
Musk’s comments were all the more divisive as they came ahead of Monday’s 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, where more than one million Jewish people and over 100,000 others died between 1940 and 1945.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, whose country is hosting commemorations, was quick to criticize slogans made at Saturday’s rally, although he did not mention Musk by name.
“The words we heard from the main actors of the AfD rally about ‘Great Germany’ and ‘the need to forget German guilt for Nazi crimes’ sounded all too familiar and ominous,” the Polish leader wrote on X.
“Especially only hours before the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.”
Scholz, who went to Poland for the anniversary events, responded to Tusk’s message: “I couldn’t agree more, dear Donald.”