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Agence France-Presse

More than 2 million Muslims begin the annual haj on Friday as their Saudi hosts seek to deter politicisation of the pilgrimage against a backdrop of simmering Gulf tensions.
The haj, one of the world’s largest religious gatherings, is one of Islam’s five pillars and must be undertaken by all Muslims with the means at least once in their lives.
It consists of a series of religious rites which are completed over five days in Islam’s holiest city and its surroundings in western Saudi Arabia.
“All of the arms of state have been deployed [and] we are proud to serve as ‘God’s hosts’,” said security forces spokesman Bassam Attia.


In total some 2.5 million faithful, the majority from abroad, will undertake the pilgrimage this year, according to local media.
“More than 1.8 million visas were delivered online without the need for middlemen. It’s a success,” said haj ministry official Hatim bin Hassan Qadi.
“We feel cleansed by achieving this pillar of Islam and meeting people from across the world. It’s marvellous,” said Mohamed Jaafar, a 40-year-old Egyptian pilgrim.
‘Indescribable’
“It’s an indescribable feeling. You have to live it to understand it,” said an Algerian in his fifties completing the pilgrimage for the first time.
“It’s a golden opportunity and moment,” said his female companion.
Mecca, built in a desert valley, is home to the Kaaba, a cube structure that is the focal point of Islam and draped in a gold-embroidered black cloth.

Muslims around the world pray towards the Kaaba, which is located in the Grand Mosque, and pilgrims walk around it seven times.
Worshippers will participate in weekly prayers late on Friday morning.
During the pilgrimage separate streams of men and women, grouped by nationality, will travel to Mina on foot or in buses provided by the authorities.
A district of Mecca, Mina sits in a narrow valley surrounded by rocky mountains and is transformed each year into a vast encampment for pilgrims.

A total of “350,000 air-conditioned tents have been pitched,” said a Saudi official.
Worshippers will climb Mount Arafat, also known as the “Mount of Mercy”, for hours of prayers and Koran recitals.
After descending, they will gather pebbles and perform the symbolic “stoning of the devil”.
That marks the beginning of Eid al-Adha, the festival of sacrifice, marked on Sunday.
Pilgrims then return to the Grand Mosque to perform a final tawaf or walk around the Kaaba.
Tensions
This year’s haj takes place to a backdrop of Gulf tensions following a series of attacks on tankers, the downing of drones and maritime traffic being intercepted.
Riyadh blames regional foe Tehran for the attacks on commercial shipping, accusations Iran vehemently denies.
Despite the absence of diplomatic ties between the two countries, some 88,550 Iranian pilgrims are set to take part in the haj this year according to the Tasnim news agency.
As in previous years, Saudi authorities have been at pains to stress that the haj is a religious event and have sought to prevent its politicisation.
Saudis hint they’re going ahead with plan to turn Qatar into island
Riyadh claimed its two-year embargo on Doha – which includes restrictions on Qataris travelling to the kingdom – would not affect the pilgrimage.
But haj official Hassan Qadi acknowledged “very few Qataris have come to Mecca for the pilgrimage”.
Saudi’s haj ministry accused Qatar of “politicising the haj and creating obstacles for Qatari pilgrims,” the SPA state news agency reported.
The scale of the pilgrimage presents vast security and logistical challenges, with tens of thousands of safety officers deployed.
Riyadh faced strong criticism in 2015 when some 2,300 worshippers were killed in the worst stampede in the gathering’s history.


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Middle East

More than 2 million Muslims begin haj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia

Muslims pray at the Grand Mosque during the annual Haj pilgrimage in the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia on Thursday. Photo: Reuters

Mulism pilgrims gather around the Kaaba, Islam's holiest shrine, at the Grand Mosque in Saudi Arabia's holy city of Mecca on August 8, 2019, prior to the start of the annual Hajj pilgrimage in the holy city. - Muslims from across the world gather in Mecca in Saudi Arabia for the annual six-day pilgrimage, one of the five pillars of Islam, an act all Muslims must perform at least once in their lifetime if they have the means to travel to Saudi Arabia. (Photo by FETHI BELAID / AFP)

epa07762832 A Yemeni blacksmith sharpens knives to be used to sacrifice livestock ahead of the Eid al-Adha festival, at a market in Sana'a, Yemen, 08 August 2019. Eid al-Adha is the holiest of the two Muslims holidays celebrated each year, it marks the yearly Muslim pilgrimage (Hajj) to visit Mecca, the holiest place in Islam. Muslims slaughter a sacrificial animal and split the meat into three parts, one for the family, one for friends and relatives, and one for the poor and needy. EPA-EFE/YAHYA ARHAB

Saudi Arabia finally allows women to travel independently

Saudi women have long required permission from their male ‘guardians’ to marry, renew their passports. Photo: Reuters

Iran has seized another foreign ship accused of smuggling fuel, state media says

An Iranian Revolutionary Guard jet boat sails around a seized tanker in Bandar Abbas, southern Iran on July 21. Photo: EPA

A picture obtained by AFP from Iranian News Agency ISNA on June 13, 2019 reportedly shows fire and smoke billowing from Norwegian owned Front Altair tanker said to have been attacked in the waters of the Gulf of Oman. - Suspected attacks left two tankers in flames in the waters of the Gulf of Oman today, sending world oil prices soaring as Iran helped rescue stricken crew members. The mystery incident, the second involving shipping in the strategic sea lane in only a few weeks, came amid spiralling tensions between Tehran and Washington, which has pointed the finger at Iran over earlier tanker attacks in May. (ISNA/AFP/Getty Images/TNS) **FOR USE WITH THIS STORY ONLY**

News

World


The haj, one of the world’s largest religious gatherings, must be undertaken by all Muslims with the means at least once in their lives
It consists of a series of religious rites which are completed over five days in Islam’s holiest city and its surroundings in western Saudi Arabia



The haj, one of the world’s largest religious gatherings, is one of Islam’s five pillars and must be undertaken by all Muslims with the means at least once in their lives.


Saudi Arabia

Religion