Hajj under threat
Hajj - the fifth pillar of Islam and holy pilgrimage - ends today, and in reading the news I was suddenly struck by two amazingly different pieces.
An MSNBC news-piece - Pilgrims start devil-stoning rite at climax of hajj - depicts Hajj in terms of crowds, power and risk:
“The legitimacy of Saudi Arabia’s ruling house rests in the eyes of many Muslims on its ability to host some 2.5 million hajj pilgrims every year.”
“This year’s pilgrimage, a once-in-a-lifetime duty for every able-bodied Muslim, has been overshadowed by the collapse of a Mecca hostel that killed 76 people on Thursday and warnings of a possible spread of deadly bird flu due to the huge crowds.”
“Saudi Arabia has deployed a record 60,000 security men to control the huge crowd and avert attacks by Islamist militants fighting the U.S.-allied Saudi royal family.”
Al-Jezeera’s opinion-piece - The Hajj: from pilgrimage to holiday - portrays Hajj as under threat of a different kind:
“With the exception of a few, Hajj constituted a turning point in the person’s life … [But] due to economic affluence, proximity to the holy places and the lack of the quota system imposed by the Saudi Arabian authorities on other Muslim countries, many of the people in the region have the luxury of making the trip yearly with no life-long savings, no overwhelming passion and yearning, no arduous preparation, no tearful good byes, no sweat and toil and sadly resulting in no change in attitude and lifestyle upon their return. It seems the whole ritual has been reduced to just hopping onto a plane or riding your latest luxurious SUV and heading for the holy places like going to a holiday resort. It is a trend that makes hajj more akin to showing prestige and flaunting wealth than fulfilling a religious duty.”
November 27th, 2007 at 6:41 am
LOl
December 11th, 2007 at 8:18 am
Not all true
December 11th, 2007 at 5:42 pm
I wonder with you people , why you dont beleive in that , more tham 2 million person go to Hajj , and come just few of moron like to say NOT ALL TRUE ,,
Back to your mind , don’t just listen , discuss and search you will be in the right why !!!
December 26th, 2007 at 3:27 am
i very much agree with al-jazera on that.am from Nigeria where u see many ppl go for hajj with some hope of buying articles ranging frm gold to clothings to sell back home!u see them at the airport terminals with such huge cargo!! then u find local musicians comin bk frm the Hajj only to go back to parading half_naked dancing girls,him at the background smiling away with his flashing golden tooth! there really is a threat!!!
November 9th, 2008 at 5:55 am
hajj c biens c telement bien totalement biens si ta pas beaucoup d’argent pour hajj ses conseils son tres biens