| Headlines from the Hajj
(as of January 24, 2005)
Piety,
Prayers as Haj Dawns [Arab News]
"With Hajis continuing to stream in from all corners of the globe,
as many as three million pilgrims could be performing this year’s Haj
which climaxes on [Jan 10] with the Standing on Mount Arafat.." [more]
Haj
Watch: Prince Naif Hosts Martyrs’ Families [Arab News]
"Interior Minister Prince Naif is hosting the families of soldiers
who died fighting terrorism to perform Haj. This is in gratitude to the
families of the soldiers who died during the past year serving and
protecting the country from terrorist groups.." [more]
Pilgrims
Stream Into Tent City [Arab News]
"Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims began streaming into Mina [Jan
17] turning the tent city into a vast white canopy symbolizing their
seamless dress and sense of sublime piety as this year’s Haj began in an
atmosphere of peace and tranquility.. ..Pilgrims have been arriving in the
hundreds from the day the Haj Terminal at King Abdul Aziz International
Airport (KAIA) opened on Dec. 12 to receive Haj flights.."[more]
Arafat Standing to Mark Haj Climax [Arab News]
"The valley of Mina reverberated with the chants of the talbiyah as
more than three million pilgrims prepared for their journey [Jan 19] to the
Plains of Arafat to bring this year’s Haj to a grand climax. The
pilgrims’ collective chant of “Labbaik Allahumma Labbaik” (Here I am
Oh Lord, answering your call) filled the air as the tent city stood witness
to what looked like the largest Haj in history.."[more]
Pilgrims
Reach Out to Iraqi Brethren [Arab News]
"They are in every pilgrim’s prayer. The pilgrims
from Iraq are finding sympathy for their plight and the plight of their
war-ravaged country. Haj is a time when Muslims from all over the world come
together and share the pain of their brethren. In previous years, pilgrims
from Palestine, Chechnya and Kashmir were the focus of fellow pilgrims’
attention.." [more]
Build
Bridges of Mercy, Says Fahd [Arab News]
"Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd and Crown Prince
Abdullah [Jan 19] congratulated Saudi citizens, pilgrims and Muslims all
over the world on the occasion of Eid Al-Adha, which is celebrated in the
Kingdom [Jan 20].. .."Eid has many connotations in Islam ...to show joy
and happiness and to look for the needs of brother Muslims and build bridges
of mercy and sympathy with the brothers in Islam away from extravagance and
extremism. Islam is against terrorism, which leads to destruction that Islam
forbids.." [more]
Pilgrims stone devil in haj
ritual [Arab News]
"Muslim pilgrims have pelted stones at symbols of the devil,
the second day of a haj ritual so far free of the stampedes of previous
years. Last year, 250 people were crushed to death at Mena's Jamarat Bridge,
the site where this year 2.5 million pilgrims stood to perform a sacred rite
meant as an act of purification and rejection of temptation. The Saudi
authorities, facing a storm of criticism, revamped the Jamarat area, adding
more exits and deploying thousands of security forces to control the crowd.
They also replaced the three pillars the pilgrims stone with thick walls
providing a larger target to prevent the crush that normally occurs at the
site.." [more]
Stoning
Ritual Peaceful [Arab News]
"The sprawling tent city of Mina went into a celebratory mode as an
estimated three million pilgrims performed with ease the important yet
dangerous ritual of stoning the devil.. ..The stoning ritual takes place at
the site where Satan appeared to Prophet Ibrahim, his wife Hajarah and son
Ismail. Ibrahim and his family each threw seven stones at Satan. The gesture
has been perpetuated, and Muslims must perform it to complete the
Haj.." [more]
Shun
Terror, Imam Urges Muslims in Eid Sermon [Arab News]
"..Muslims were warned against heeding militant calls
to wage terrorist attacks in the name of Islam. The warning came, amid a
surge in militant attacks in Muslim countries and beyond, from Sheikh
Abdulrahman Al-Sudais, imam of the Grand Mosque in Makkah, while addressing
Haj pilgrims in a customary Eid sermon. The imam also advised Islamic
scholars to preach moderation to confront this “rotten” phenomenon.."
[more]
Security So
Far So Good, Say Pilgrims [Arab News]
"This year’s smooth and incident-free Haj has
dispelled all fears about the security situation at the holy sites. This
year Haj started when a lot of fears were being expressed particularly due
to the Dec. 7 terrorist attack on the US Consulate in Jeddah, which claimed
several lives.." [more]
Fahd,
Abdullah Blast Terrorism, Urge Muslims to Follow Moderate Path [Arab News]
"Terrorism is a result of a sick mentality and of a deviant
methodology,” King Fahd and Prince Abdullah said in the speech addressed
to the pilgrims on the occasion of this year’s Haj season. “Terrorism is
corruption on earth and aims at destruction and fighting God, His Prophet
and Muslims ... and God promised the harshest punishment for
corruptors.." [more]
Muslim Pilgrims Elated at Safety
as Haj Winds Down [Wash Post]
"Muslim pilgrims performed final rites of the haj on
Saturday, with many praising its safety following fears of stampedes or al
Qaeda strikes.
More than 2.5 million people took part in this year's haj, which was marred
last year by a stampede that killed 250 people at a stoning ritual in the
narrow Mena valley near Mecca. New measures by Saudi authorities have
managed to avert deadly crushes, although unseasonable heavy rains caused
unexpected crowding at the Jamarat stoning site on the last day.." [more]
Haj a
Success in All Respects: Abdul Majeed [Arab News]
"The current Haj season has been “successful in all
respects,” Makkah Governor Prince Abdul Majeed said [Jan 22]. Prince Abdul
Majeed, who is also president of the Haj Committee, attributed the success
to the joint efforts of all organizations charged with serving the guests of
God.." [more]
Pilgrims
Bid Farewell to Makkah [Arab News]
"Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims bade Makkah farewell yesterday
as this year’s Haj ended without major incidents.. ..Some of the 2.56
million faithful, more than 1.5 million of whom came from abroad, left
Makkah [Jan 23] and others will follow over the next few days.." [more]
Overstayer
Problem Is Here to Stay, Say Haj Operators [Arab News]
"With the pilgrims returning after the Haj, the
possibility of many of them remaining here as overstayers cannot be ruled
out, some Haj operators say. Speaking on condition of anonymity, one
operator told Arab News that despite the stringent measures taken by the
government to crack down on overstayers, the problem is bound to persist..
..The problem of overstayers has assumed a serious dimension, since the
number of pilgrims who come for Haj or Umrah is estimated at 3.5 million
annually, of whom over 200,000 may have stayed back.." [more]
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