The introduction of online registration for expatriates opting for this year’s Haj has triggered a “clash of cultures and languages” for contractors as the process did not consider the language and cultural differences among applicants. Some Haj contractors complained that the electronic registration, which was adopted for the first time by the Haj Committee, has led to a situation where each of them receives candidates of different nationalities nominated by the Haj committee. “It seems that the distribution of applicants between Haj missions electronically has spared us the embarrassment of the traditional way of selection from the applicants, but landed us in another embarrassing situation where we find a mixture of language and cultures in the same group. “This will require the Haj mission to employ more translators and guides for each group,” one contractor said. According to new rules, expatriates wishing to go for Haj this year had to apply online through the website of the Haj Committee, which in turn, distributed them electronically among contractors. This was different from the previous selection process where expatriates directly approached the local contractors to register with them. Another contractor added that online selection will even cause trouble to pilgrims themselves when they find that they have to stay and do the rituals with pilgrims from different countries or speaking a different language. http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=320831&version=1&template_id=36&parent_id=16

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