Saudi Arabia will reopen the Muslim holy places for the year-round umrah pilgrimage on Sunday, scaled back and with extensive health precautions, seven months after coronavirus prompted its suspension.

The umrah, the pilgrimage that can be undertaken at any time, usually attracts millions of Muslims from across the globe each year.

It will be revived in three stages, with the initial phase seeing just 6,000 citizens and residents already within the kingdom allowed to take part each day.

"In the first stage, the umrah will be performed meticulously and within a specified period of time," Hajj Minister Mohammad Benten told state television last week.

He said pilgrims will be divided into groups to ensure social distancing within the Grand Mosque in Mecca.

Worshippers will on Sunday be able to perform the ritual of circling the sacred Kaaba -- a cubic structure inside the Grand Mosque towards which Muslims around the world pray -- along socially distanced paths.

On October 18, the number of pilgrims will be increased to 15,000 per day, with a maximum of 40,000 people allowed to perform prayers at the mosque.

Visitors from abroad will be permitted from November 1, when capacity will be raised to 20,000 pilgrims, with 60,000 people allowed into the mosque.

The decision to resume the pilgrimage was in response to the "aspirations of Muslims home and abroad" to perform the ritual and visit the holy sites, the interior ministry said last month.

It added that the umrah would be allowed to return to full capacity once the threat of the pandemic has abated.

Until then, the health ministry will vet countries from which pilgrims are allowed to enter based on the health risks.

Those wishing to perform the umrah must apply through two mobile applications: one to register they are free from the virus, and another from which they can obtain a permit.&nbsp;

- Logistical challenge -

Saudi Arabia suspended the umrah in March and scaled back the annual hajj over fears that the coronavirus could spread to Islam's holiest cities.

The hajj went ahead in late July, on the smallest scale in modern history, with only up to 10,000 Muslims allowed to take part -- a far cry from the 2.5 million who participated last year.

State media have said that a raft of precautions have been adopted to ward off any outbreaks during the umrah.&nbsp;

The revered Black Stone in the eastern corner of the Kaaba -- which it is customary but not mandatory to touch during the pilgrimage -- will be out of reach, while the Grand Mosque will be regularly sterilised before and after each group of worshippers. &nbsp;

Each group will be accompanied by a health worker and medical teams will be on the ground in case of an emergency.

The pilgrimages are a massive logistical challenge, with colossal crowds cramming into relatively small holy sites, making them vulnerable to contagion.

Saudi Arabia's custodianship of Mecca and Medina -- Islam's two holiest sites -- is seen as its most powerful source of political legitimacy. &nbsp;

The holy sites are also a key revenue earner for the kingdom, whose economy has been badly hit by a coronavirus-driven collapse in world demand for oil.

Saudi Arabia will reopen the Muslim holy places for the year-round umrah pilgrimage on Sunday, scaled back and with extensive health precautions, seven months after coronavirus prompted its suspension.

Saudi Arabia will reopen the Muslim holy places for the year-round umrah pilgrimage on Sunday, scaled back and with extensive health precautions, seven months after coronavirus prompted its suspension. The umrah, the pilgrimage that can be undertaken at any time, usually attracts millions of Muslims from across the globe each year. It will be revived in three stages, with the initial phase seeing just 6,000 citizens and residents already within the kingdom allowed to take part each day. "In the first stage, the umrah will be performed meticulously and within a specified period of time," Hajj Minister Mohammad Benten told state television last week. He said pilgrims will be divided into groups to ensure social distancing within the Grand Mosque in Mecca. Worshippers will on Sunday be able to perform the ritual of circling the sacred Kaaba -- a cubic structure inside the Grand Mosque towards which Muslims around the world pray -- along socially distanced paths. On October 18, the number of pilgrims will be increased to 15,000 per day, with a maximum of 40,000 people allowed to perform prayers at the mosque. Visitors from abroad will be permitted from November 1, when capacity will be raised to 20,000 pilgrims, with 60,000 people allowed into the mosque. The decision to resume the pilgrimage was in response to the "aspirations of Muslims home and abroad" to perform the ritual and visit the holy sites, the interior ministry said last month. It added that the umrah would be allowed to return to full capacity once the threat of the pandemic has abated. Until then, the health ministry will vet countries from which pilgrims are allowed to enter based on the health risks. Those wishing to perform the umrah must apply through two mobile applications: one to register they are free from the virus, and another from which they can obtain a permit. - Logistical challenge - Saudi Arabia suspended the umrah in March and scaled back the annual hajj over fears that the coronavirus could spread to Islam's holiest cities. The hajj went ahead in late July, on the smallest scale in modern history, with only up to 10,000 Muslims allowed to take part -- a far cry from the 2.5 million who participated last year. State media have said that a raft of precautions have been adopted to ward off any outbreaks during the umrah. The revered Black Stone in the eastern corner of the Kaaba -- which it is customary but not mandatory to touch during the pilgrimage -- will be out of reach, while the Grand Mosque will be regularly sterilised before and after each group of worshippers. Each group will be accompanied by a health worker and medical teams will be on the ground in case of an emergency. The pilgrimages are a massive logistical challenge, with colossal crowds cramming into relatively small holy sites, making them vulnerable to contagion. Saudi Arabia's custodianship of Mecca and Medina -- Islam's two holiest sites -- is seen as its most powerful source of political legitimacy. The holy sites are also a key revenue earner for the kingdom, whose economy has been badly hit by a coronavirus-driven collapse in world demand for oil.

Mecca to reopen for limited pilgrimages after seven-month pause for coronavirus

Muslim pilgrims circled Islam's holiest site along socially distanced paths Sunday in the final ritual of the hajj, the smallest in modern history as Saudi authorities sought to prevent a coronavirus outbreak.

Only up to 10,000 Muslims took part in the hajj, a far cry from the 2.5 million who took part in the five-day annual pilgrimage last year.

Masked pilgrims threw pebbles at a wall symbolising Satan in Mina, close to the holy city of Mecca, on the final day of hajj, state media reported.

Instead of gathering the pebbles themselves as in past years, they were handed them bagged and sterilised by hajj authorities, to protect against the novel coronavirus.

Pilgrims returned to the Grand Mosque in Mecca later Sunday to perform a final "tawaf", or circling of the Kaaba -- a cubic structure towards which Muslims around the world pray.&nbsp;

Holding the ritual in the shadow of the pandemic required "double efforts" by Saudi authorities, King Salman said on Friday after being discharged from hospital following surgery to remove his gall bladder.

"The hajj this year was restricted to a very limited number of people from multiple nationalities, ensuring the ritual was completed despite the difficult circumstances," said the kingdom's 84-year-old ruler.

Health authorities said no coronavirus cases were reported at the holy sites during the hajj.

The pilgrims, who were required to observe social distancing and subjected to regular temperature checks, will go into mandatory quarantine after the hajj, authorities said.&nbsp;

The ritual, one of the five pillars of Islam and a must for able-bodied Muslims at least once in their lifetime, is usually one of the world's largest religious gatherings.

But local media said up to 10,000 people already residing in the kingdom were participating this year.

The hajj ministry had initially said around 1,000 pilgrims would be allowed.

The hajj typically costs thousands of dollars for pilgrims, who often save for years as well as endure long waiting lists for a chance to attend.

But this year, the Saudi government is covering the expenses of all pilgrims, providing them with meals, hotel accommodation and health care, worshippers said.

Muslim pilgrims circled Islam's holiest site along socially distanced paths Sunday in the final ritual of the hajj, the smallest in modern history as Saudi authorities sought to prevent a coronavirus outbreak.

Muslim pilgrims circled Islam's holiest site along socially distanced paths Sunday in the final ritual of the hajj, the smallest in modern history as Saudi authorities sought to prevent a coronavirus outbreak. Only up to 10,000 Muslims took part in the hajj, a far cry from the 2.5 million who took part in the five-day annual pilgrimage last year. Masked pilgrims threw pebbles at a wall symbolising Satan in Mina, close to the holy city of Mecca, on the final day of hajj, state media reported. Instead of gathering the pebbles themselves as in past years, they were handed them bagged and sterilised by hajj authorities, to protect against the novel coronavirus. Pilgrims returned to the Grand Mosque in Mecca later Sunday to perform a final "tawaf", or circling of the Kaaba -- a cubic structure towards which Muslims around the world pray. Holding the ritual in the shadow of the pandemic required "double efforts" by Saudi authorities, King Salman said on Friday after being discharged from hospital following surgery to remove his gall bladder. "The hajj this year was restricted to a very limited number of people from multiple nationalities, ensuring the ritual was completed despite the difficult circumstances," said the kingdom's 84-year-old ruler. Health authorities said no coronavirus cases were reported at the holy sites during the hajj. The pilgrims, who were required to observe social distancing and subjected to regular temperature checks, will go into mandatory quarantine after the hajj, authorities said. The ritual, one of the five pillars of Islam and a must for able-bodied Muslims at least once in their lifetime, is usually one of the world's largest religious gatherings. But local media said up to 10,000 people already residing in the kingdom were participating this year. The hajj ministry had initially said around 1,000 pilgrims would be allowed. The hajj typically costs thousands of dollars for pilgrims, who often save for years as well as endure long waiting lists for a chance to attend. But this year, the Saudi government is covering the expenses of all pilgrims, providing them with meals, hotel accommodation and health care, worshippers said.

Saudi Arabia concludes downsized hajj amid coronavirus pandemic

Praying for health: Muslims around the world celebrate Eid al-Adha in 'new normal' way

The annual Islamic pilgrimage of Hajj began on July 29. The holy structure of the Kaaba situated inside Mecca's Grand Mosque was adorned with a new cover called Kiswa (black cloth). A process administered by the staff of the General Presidency for the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques following the annual tradition.

'Kaaba' gets new corner as holy Hajj commences  | Mecca Madina | World News

Saudi Arabia’s holy Kaaba in Mecca was adorned on Wednesday (July 29) with a new cover, also known as ‘Kiswa’, marking the beginning of the annual Haj amid tight restrictions and reduced pilgrim numbers due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Saudi Arabia’s Kaaba adorned with new cover as annual Haj commences

Eid al-Fitr observed amid coronavirus pandemic across the globe!

Saudi Arabia reopened Al-Haram Mosque in Mecca and Al-Masjid al Nabawy in Medina, two of the holiest religious sites in Islam, after closing them for days amid the rapidly spreading coronavirus threat, local media reported on Friday.

The Mosques were closed for the sterilisation. &nbsp;However, there is no clarity on whether the pilgrims will be allowed immediately to visit the mosques.

On February 27, Saudi Arabia has announced the closure of the pilgrimage sites to foreign pilgrims and traditional tourists to stop the spread of the virus.&nbsp;

In an official statement, it also said that citizens and residents of Gulf Cooperation Council countries wishing to enter must wait 14 days after returning from outside the region.

Saudi Arabia on Thursday declared three new coronavirus cases, bringing the total number of reported infections to five.

Worldwide, over 3,000 people have been killed and about 90,000 infected since the virus was first detected late last year in the central Chinese city of Wuhan.

While the numbers in China are still far lower than the huge daily increases reported during the first two weeks of February, COVID-19 has spread rapidly across borders, with South Korea, Italy and Iran emerging as hotspots.

Saudi Arabia reopened Al-Haram Mosque in Mecca and Al-Masjid al Nabawy in Medina, two of the holiest religious sites in Islam, after closing them for days amid the rapidly spreading coronavirus threat, local media reported on Friday.

Saudi Arabia reopened Al-Haram Mosque in Mecca and Al-Masjid al Nabawy in Medina, two of the holiest religious sites in Islam, after closing them for days amid the rapidly spreading coronavirus threat, local media reported on Friday. The Mosques were closed for the sterilisation. However, there is no clarity on whether the pilgrims will be allowed immediately to visit the mosques. On February 27, Saudi Arabia has announced the closure of the pilgrimage sites to foreign pilgrims and traditional tourists to stop the spread of the virus. In an official statement, it also said that citizens and residents of Gulf Cooperation Council countries wishing to enter must wait 14 days after returning from outside the region. Saudi Arabia on Thursday declared three new coronavirus cases, bringing the total number of reported infections to five. Worldwide, over 3,000 people have been killed and about 90,000 infected since the virus was first detected late last year in the central Chinese city of Wuhan. While the numbers in China are still far lower than the huge daily increases reported during the first two weeks of February, COVID-19 has spread rapidly across borders, with South Korea, Italy and Iran emerging as hotspots.

Saudi Arabia reopens Mecca, Medina holy sites after coronavirus closure: Report

In an unprecedented move, Saudi Arabia will stop Gulf citizens from visiting the holy cities of Mecca and Medina amid coronavirus fears.

The kingdom suspended visas for the year-round Umrah pilgrimage yesterday. This is the first time that the Saudi Kindom has announced such a travel restriction which has caught the Muslims across the world off-guard.&nbsp;

This new move will prevent citizens from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries from visiting Mecca and Medina -- the 2 holiest cities of Islam. Saudi Arabia itself is a member of the organisation and it's not clear if the decision will apply to its own citizens.

GCC citizens who are already in the country can visit the holy shrines if they do not present with coronavirus symptoms for 14 days.

The kingdom has not reported any positive cases of the virus so far but there has been a massive spike in West Asia especially in Iran. &nbsp;GCC citizens can normally enter Saudi Arabia by producing their identity cards without passports. But the Kingdom has temporarily reversed this decision so as to ensure that travellers have not visited virus-hit countries.

Tourist visas to people from countries like China, South Korea, Japan and Italy have also been suspended. The focus now is on the Hajj Pilgrimage which falls in the month of July.

The kingdom released a statement saying precautionary measures were being reviewed and additional measures would be taken if necessary.&nbsp;

In an unprecedented move, Saudi Arabia will stop Gulf citizens from visiting the holy cities of Mecca and Medina amid coronavirus fears. The kingdom suspended visas for the year-round Umrah pilgrimage yesterday.

In an unprecedented move, Saudi Arabia will stop Gulf citizens from visiting the holy cities of Mecca and Medina amid coronavirus fears. The kingdom suspended visas for the year-round Umrah pilgrimage yesterday. This is the first time that the Saudi Kindom has announced such a travel restriction which has caught the Muslims across the world off-guard. This new move will prevent citizens from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries from visiting Mecca and Medina -- the 2 holiest cities of Islam. Saudi Arabia itself is a member of the organisation and it's not clear if the decision will apply to its own citizens. GCC citizens who are already in the country can visit the holy shrines if they do not present with coronavirus symptoms for 14 days. The kingdom has not reported any positive cases of the virus so far but there has been a massive spike in West Asia especially in Iran. GCC citizens can normally enter Saudi Arabia by producing their identity cards without passports. But the Kingdom has temporarily reversed this decision so as to ensure that travellers have not visited virus-hit countries. Tourist visas to people from countries like China, South Korea, Japan and Italy have also been suspended. The focus now is on the Hajj Pilgrimage which falls in the month of July. The kingdom released a statement saying precautionary measures were being reviewed and additional measures would be taken if necessary.

Saudi Arabia halts travel to Mecca, Medina amid coronavirus scare

January 12 in history: Transmission of first long-distance radio message from Eiffel Tower and more

Hundreds of thousands of white-clad pilgrims, many gripping umbrellas to ward off <a href="https://www.google.com/url?client=internal-uds-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;q=https://www.wionews.com/world/pompeo-talks-maritime-security-iran-with-saudi-crown-prince-241417&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=2ahUKEwibt_Lph_PjAhUG448KHeUwDO0QFjABegQIEBAC&amp;usg=AOvVaw2E2XKsGbA3DJVE6efEtyOH">Saudi Arabia</a>'s blistering summer sun, descended on Mecca this week ahead of the annual haj.

Saudi officials asked Muslims to focus on rituals of worship, warning against politicising the rite as wars rage on in the region and at a time of heightened tensions between Sunni Muslim Saudi Arabia and Shiite Muslim adversary Iran.

"Haj...is not a place for political conflicts or to raise sectarian slogans that divide Muslims," Abdulrahman al-Sudais, imam of the Grand Mosque of Mecca, told reporters.

Mecca Governor Prince Khalid al-Faisal asked worshippers earlier this week to "leave all other matters in your countries to discuss when you are back".

Saudi Arabia stakes its reputation on its guardianship of Islam's holiest sites and organising a peaceful haj, which has been marred in the past by deadly stampedes, fires and riots.

Authorities said more than 1.8 million pilgrims had so far arrived in the kingdom for the world's largest annual Muslim gathering, which retraces the route the Prophet Mohammad took 14 centuries ago.

Outside the Grand Mosque, the world's largest, temperatures topped 40 degrees Celsius as industrial fans sprayed water.

"All of this is for the sake of the haj," 43-year-old Fatima Sayed from Giza, Egypt, said of the searing heat. "We applied twice before but God didn't permit it, and, thank God, it was a very big surprise that He ordained it for me this year."

Every able-bodied Muslim who has the means should perform the haj at least once in their lifetime under a quota system.

Saudi Arabia has made use of technology to manage the flow of millions at the same place at the same time. This includes electronic identification bracelets, connected to GPS, that were introduced after a 2015 crush killed hundreds of people.

A new highspeed railway linking Mecca and Medina, Islam's second most sacred site, is being used during the haj season for the first time after its inauguration last September.

The pilgrimage is the backbone of a plan to expand tourism under a drive to diversify the Saudi economy away from oil. The haj and the umrah, the year-round lesser pilgrimage, generate billions of dollars in revenues from worshippers' lodging, transport, fees and gifts.

Amjad Khan, a pharmacist from Manchester in Britain, said the new measures made the pilgrimage a smoother experience.

"Here in the company of our brothers from all over the world, it’s a very good feeling," Khan, 36, said.

Hundreds of thousands of white-clad pilgrims, many gripping umbrellas to ward off Saudi Arabia's blistering summer sun, descended on Mecca this week ahead of the annual haj.

Hundreds of thousands of white-clad pilgrims, many gripping umbrellas to ward off Saudi Arabia's blistering summer sun, descended on Mecca this week ahead of the annual haj. Saudi officials asked Muslims to focus on rituals of worship, warning against politicising the rite as wars rage on in the region and at a time of heightened tensions between Sunni Muslim Saudi Arabia and Shiite Muslim adversary Iran. "Haj...is not a place for political conflicts or to raise sectarian slogans that divide Muslims," Abdulrahman al-Sudais, imam of the Grand Mosque of Mecca, told reporters. Mecca Governor Prince Khalid al-Faisal asked worshippers earlier this week to "leave all other matters in your countries to discuss when you are back". Saudi Arabia stakes its reputation on its guardianship of Islam's holiest sites and organising a peaceful haj, which has been marred in the past by deadly stampedes, fires and riots. Authorities said more than 1.8 million pilgrims had so far arrived in the kingdom for the world's largest annual Muslim gathering, which retraces the route the Prophet Mohammad took 14 centuries ago. Outside the Grand Mosque, the world's largest, temperatures topped 40 degrees Celsius as industrial fans sprayed water. "All of this is for the sake of the haj," 43-year-old Fatima Sayed from Giza, Egypt, said of the searing heat. "We applied twice before but God didn't permit it, and, thank God, it was a very big surprise that He ordained it for me this year." Every able-bodied Muslim who has the means should perform the haj at least once in their lifetime under a quota system. Saudi Arabia has made use of technology to manage the flow of millions at the same place at the same time. This includes electronic identification bracelets, connected to GPS, that were introduced after a 2015 crush killed hundreds of people. A new highspeed railway linking Mecca and Medina, Islam's second most sacred site, is being used during the haj season for the first time after its inauguration last September. The pilgrimage is the backbone of a plan to expand tourism under a drive to diversify the Saudi economy away from oil. The haj and the umrah, the year-round lesser pilgrimage, generate billions of dollars in revenues from worshippers' lodging, transport, fees and gifts. Amjad Khan, a pharmacist from Manchester in Britain, said the new measures made the pilgrimage a smoother experience. "Here in the company of our brothers from all over the world, it’s a very good feeling," Khan, 36, said.

'Haj is not a place for political conflicts':Imam of Mecca

The military parade has been organised on the streets of Mecca. Saudi military shows its preparedness for the Haj. The measure has been taken to ensure the safety of pilgrims. It displays their training exercises.

Saudi security forces' annual military parade before pilgrimage

The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) summit in Mecca condemned a "terrorist attack" on Saudi Arabia's oil pumping stations which targeted global oil supplies, its final statement said on Saturday. The summit also condemned "sabotage operations" against four vessels near the territorial waters of the United Arab Emirates, which it said threatened international maritime traffic safety.

OIC condemns 'terrorist attack' on Saudi oil pumping stations

Security was tight Friday in Bangladesh as hundreds of thousands of people gathered for a Muslim gathering rivalling the Hajj in Mecca for size.&nbsp;

The Biswa Ijtema, or the World Congregation, draws up to three million Muslims from Bangladesh and abroad on the banks of the river Turag at the factory town of Tongi.

The annual gathering, which takes place some 25 kilometres north of Dhaka, was launched by the Tablig Jamaat group in 1964.

However, tension has been running high ahead of this year's four-day event after violent clashes between two Bangladeshi rival factions left one person dead and dozens injured in December.

The congregation, which is normally held in January, was postponed following the violence, prompting Bangladesh authorities to hold several rounds of meetings with rival factions to broker peace.

Police said they would deploy hundreds of officers including many in plainclothes at the congregation ground to prevent any repeat of the clashes. &nbsp;

"We have adequate preparations to make the congregation peaceful," Benazir Ahmed, head of elite police unit, told reporters on Thursday.

Ahmed urged the two factions to "forget division and dispute", warning that any "accident" in the congregation could turn "dangerous" due to the size of the crowd.&nbsp;

Bangladesh's home minister Asaduzzaman Khan has also warned against any "incendiary statements" on social media during the gathering.&nbsp;

A spokesman for the Tablig said "hundreds of thousands" of Muslims have already joined the congregation, which will continue to February 18 with each of the two factions holding the gathering for two days.

"The congregation ground has already been filled up. People have also thronged on the nearby roads," Jahir Ibne Muslim told AFP.

Ibne Muslim said the division in the Tablig occurred last year over a Delhi-based Islamic cleric, Saad Kandhalvi, whose great grandfather founded the non-political group that urges people to follow the tenets of Islam in their daily lives.

While one faction believes Kandhalvi is the rightful claimant of the global leadership of the movement, its rival group, which is backed by a hardline Bangladeshi Muslim outfit, strongly opposes him, saying he misinterprets some parts of the Koran and the traditions of the prophet Mohammed, he said.

Bangladesh, the world's eighth-most populous country, is home to the world's fourth-highest number of Muslims. Ninety percent of the 165 million population are Muslims.

Most of those who attend the Ijtema are from rural areas of Bangladesh although the event also draws thousands from Muslim countries in North Africa, Central Asia and even China.

The event has been dubbed a mini-Hajj, especially by the poor Bangladeshi Muslims who cannot afford a plane ticket to Mecca in Saudi Arabia, where more than two million attended the Hajj in 2018.

Security was tight Friday in Bangladesh as hundreds of thousands of people gathered for a Muslim gathering rivalling the Hajj in Mecca for size. The Biswa Ijtema, or the World Congregation, draws up to three million Muslims from Bangladesh and abroad on the banks of the river Turag at the factory town of Tongi.

Security was tight Friday in Bangladesh as hundreds of thousands of people gathered for a Muslim gathering rivalling the Hajj in Mecca for size. The Biswa Ijtema, or the World Congregation, draws up to three million Muslims from Bangladesh and abroad on the banks of the river Turag at the factory town of Tongi. The annual gathering, which takes place some 25 kilometres north of Dhaka, was launched by the Tablig Jamaat group in 1964. However, tension has been running high ahead of this year's four-day event after violent clashes between two Bangladeshi rival factions left one person dead and dozens injured in December. The congregation, which is normally held in January, was postponed following the violence, prompting Bangladesh authorities to hold several rounds of meetings with rival factions to broker peace. Police said they would deploy hundreds of officers including many in plainclothes at the congregation ground to prevent any repeat of the clashes. "We have adequate preparations to make the congregation peaceful," Benazir Ahmed, head of elite police unit, told reporters on Thursday. Ahmed urged the two factions to "forget division and dispute", warning that any "accident" in the congregation could turn "dangerous" due to the size of the crowd. Bangladesh's home minister Asaduzzaman Khan has also warned against any "incendiary statements" on social media during the gathering. A spokesman for the Tablig said "hundreds of thousands" of Muslims have already joined the congregation, which will continue to February 18 with each of the two factions holding the gathering for two days. "The congregation ground has already been filled up. People have also thronged on the nearby roads," Jahir Ibne Muslim told AFP. Ibne Muslim said the division in the Tablig occurred last year over a Delhi-based Islamic cleric, Saad Kandhalvi, whose great grandfather founded the non-political group that urges people to follow the tenets of Islam in their daily lives. While one faction believes Kandhalvi is the rightful claimant of the global leadership of the movement, its rival group, which is backed by a hardline Bangladeshi Muslim outfit, strongly opposes him, saying he misinterprets some parts of the Koran and the traditions of the prophet Mohammed, he said. Bangladesh, the world's eighth-most populous country, is home to the world's fourth-highest number of Muslims. Ninety percent of the 165 million population are Muslims. Most of those who attend the Ijtema are from rural areas of Bangladesh although the event also draws thousands from Muslim countries in North Africa, Central Asia and even China. The event has been dubbed a mini-Hajj, especially by the poor Bangladeshi Muslims who cannot afford a plane ticket to Mecca in Saudi Arabia, where more than two million attended the Hajj in 2018.

Security tight for Bangladesh 'mini-Hajj'

Pakistan has the Mecca and Medina for the Sikhs and the country is opening up those sites for the minority community, <a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/i-reiterated-imfs-stand-to-support-pakistan-imf-chief-lagarde-on-bailout-aid-196452">Prime Minister Imran Khan</a> said in the UAE on Sunday.

Prime Minister Khan in November last year laid the foundation stone for the corridor linking Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan's Kartarpur - the final resting place of Sikh faith's founder Guru Nanak Dev - to Dera Baba Nanak shrine in India's Gurdaspur district to facilitate visa-free movement of Indian Sikh pilgrims.

Khan is paying a day-long trip to the UAE to take part in the 7th edition of the World Government Summit on the invitation of Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE Sheikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum.

"We have the Mecca and Medina of the Sikhs... And we are just opening up those sites for Sikhs," Khan said.

Mecca and Medina are the two holiest sites in Islam.

"We have opened our visa regime. For the first time in Pakistan, we have 70 countries from where people can come and get visas at the airport," the prime minister said.

Khan said Pakistan has the best tourist potential even though at the moment it hardly has any tourism.

"Half the world's highest peaks are in Pakistan," he said, adding that the country has 1,000 kilometres of coastline.

Khan also said that Pakistan has the oldest historical monuments, probably as old as anywhere in the world.

"We have Indus Valley Civilization, which is 5,000 years old. We have Peshawar, the oldest living city in the world, 2,500 years old. Lahore and Multan are ancient cities.

"We have the Gandhara civilization, which was the cradle of Buddhist civilization, in the north of Islamabad. The biggest sleeping Buddha, 40 feet, is in Haripur. We have some of the greatest and highest number of Sufi shrines all over Pakistan," he said.

Khan said they are opening up the country for tourism.

Kartarpur Sahib in Pakistan is located across the river Ravi, about four kilometres from the Dera Baba Nanak shrine. It was established by the Sikh Guru in 1522. The first

Gurdwara, Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib, was built here, where Guru Nanak is said to have died.

The Kartarpur Corridor, which will facilitate the visa-free travel of Indian Sikh pilgrims to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur, is expected to be completed soon.

Thousands of Sikh devotees from India visit Pakistan every year to celebrate the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak.

India had proposed the corridor to Pakistan around 20 years back.

Pakistan has the Mecca and Medina for the Sikhs and the country is opening up those sites for the minority community, Prime Minister Imran Khan said in the UAE on Sunday.

Pakistan has the Mecca and Medina for the Sikhs and the country is opening up those sites for the minority community, Prime Minister Imran Khan said in the UAE on Sunday. Prime Minister Khan in November last year laid the foundation stone for the corridor linking Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan's Kartarpur - the final resting place of Sikh faith's founder Guru Nanak Dev - to Dera Baba Nanak shrine in India's Gurdaspur district to facilitate visa-free movement of Indian Sikh pilgrims. Khan is paying a day-long trip to the UAE to take part in the 7th edition of the World Government Summit on the invitation of Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE Sheikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum. "We have the Mecca and Medina of the Sikhs... And we are just opening up those sites for Sikhs," Khan said. Mecca and Medina are the two holiest sites in Islam. "We have opened our visa regime. For the first time in Pakistan, we have 70 countries from where people can come and get visas at the airport," the prime minister said. Khan said Pakistan has the best tourist potential even though at the moment it hardly has any tourism. "Half the world's highest peaks are in Pakistan," he said, adding that the country has 1,000 kilometres of coastline. Khan also said that Pakistan has the oldest historical monuments, probably as old as anywhere in the world. "We have Indus Valley Civilization, which is 5,000 years old. We have Peshawar, the oldest living city in the world, 2,500 years old. Lahore and Multan are ancient cities. "We have the Gandhara civilization, which was the cradle of Buddhist civilization, in the north of Islamabad. The biggest sleeping Buddha, 40 feet, is in Haripur. We have some of the greatest and highest number of Sufi shrines all over Pakistan," he said. Khan said they are opening up the country for tourism. Kartarpur Sahib in Pakistan is located across the river Ravi, about four kilometres from the Dera Baba Nanak shrine. It was established by the Sikh Guru in 1522. The first Gurdwara, Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib, was built here, where Guru Nanak is said to have died. The Kartarpur Corridor, which will facilitate the visa-free travel of Indian Sikh pilgrims to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur, is expected to be completed soon. Thousands of Sikh devotees from India visit Pakistan every year to celebrate the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak. India had proposed the corridor to Pakistan around 20 years back.

Pakistan has Mecca, Medina for Sikhs: Imran Khan in Dubai

Turkey will rebuild a ruined Ottoman port city on Sudan&#39;s Red Sea coast and construct a naval dock to maintain civilian and military vessels, Sudan&#39;s foreign minister said on Tuesday, as Ankara expands military and economic ties in Africa.

The restoration at Suakin was agreed during a visit to the ancient port by Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, Foreign Minister Ibrahim Ghandour said.

Making the first trip by a Turkish president to Sudan, Erdogan said Turkey had been temporarily granted part of Suakin so it could rebuild the area as a tourist site and a transit point for pilgrims crossing the Red Sea to Mecca.

He said the Suakin deal was one of several, worth $650 million in total, agreed with Sudan, which emerged from two decades of US sanctions in October and is seeking to attract international investment.

The countries also agreed &quot;to build a dock to maintain civilian and military vessels,&quot; Ghandour told reporters, adding that they had signed an agreement &quot;that could result in any kind of military cooperation&quot;.

The agreements come three months after Turkey formally opened a $50 million military training base in Somalia as it exerts increasing influence in the region.

Suakin was Sudan&#39;s major port when it was ruled by the Ottoman Empire, but fell into disuse over the last century after the construction of Port Sudan, 35 miles (60 km) to the north.

Speaking on Monday in Khartoum, Erdogan said the refurbished port city would attract Mecca-bound pilgrims who would want to see the island&#39;s history, helping Sudan`s tourism sector.

&quot;Imagine, people from Turkey wishing to go on pilgrimage will come and visit the historical areas on Suakin Island,&quot; Erdogan said. &quot;From there ... they will cross to Jeddah by boat.&quot;

The other agreements signed during Erdogan&#39;s visit include Turkish investment to build Khartoum&#39;s planned new airport and private sector investments in cotton production, electricity generation and building grain silos and meat slaughterhouses.&nbsp;

Erdogan and Bashir said they aimed for trade between the two countries to reach $10 billion, Turkey&#39;s Foreign Economic Relations Board said.

In October, the United States lifted a trade embargo and other penalties that had cut Sudan off from much of the global financial system.

Sudan`s state minister for investment has said he aims to attract investment of $10 billion a year, compared to $1 billion estimated by the United Nations for 2016.

Turkey will rebuild a ruined Ottoman port city on Sudan's Red Sea coast and construct a naval dock to maintain civilian and military vessels

Turkey will rebuild a ruined Ottoman port city on Sudan's Red Sea coast and construct a naval dock to maintain civilian and military vessels, Sudan's foreign minister said on Tuesday, as Ankara expands military and economic ties in Africa. The restoration at Suakin was agreed during a visit to the ancient port by Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, Foreign Minister Ibrahim Ghandour said. Making the first trip by a Turkish president to Sudan, Erdogan said Turkey had been temporarily granted part of Suakin so it could rebuild the area as a tourist site and a transit point for pilgrims crossing the Red Sea to Mecca. He said the Suakin deal was one of several, worth $650 million in total, agreed with Sudan, which emerged from two decades of US sanctions in October and is seeking to attract international investment. The countries also agreed "to build a dock to maintain civilian and military vessels," Ghandour told reporters, adding that they had signed an agreement "that could result in any kind of military cooperation". The agreements come three months after Turkey formally opened a $50 million military training base in Somalia as it exerts increasing influence in the region. Suakin was Sudan's major port when it was ruled by the Ottoman Empire, but fell into disuse over the last century after the construction of Port Sudan, 35 miles (60 km) to the north. Speaking on Monday in Khartoum, Erdogan said the refurbished port city would attract Mecca-bound pilgrims who would want to see the island's history, helping Sudan`s tourism sector. "Imagine, people from Turkey wishing to go on pilgrimage will come and visit the historical areas on Suakin Island," Erdogan said. "From there ... they will cross to Jeddah by boat." The other agreements signed during Erdogan's visit include Turkish investment to build Khartoum's planned new airport and private sector investments in cotton production, electricity generation and building grain silos and meat slaughterhouses. Erdogan and Bashir said they aimed for trade between the two countries to reach $10 billion, Turkey's Foreign Economic Relations Board said. In October, the United States lifted a trade embargo and other penalties that had cut Sudan off from much of the global financial system. Sudan`s state minister for investment has said he aims to attract investment of $10 billion a year, compared to $1 billion estimated by the United Nations for 2016.

Turkey to restore Sudanese Red Sea port, build naval dock

As this year&rsquo;s hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca, draws to a close on Monday. As pilgrims from across the Muslim world begin their journeys back to their home countries, friends, relatives, and fellow countrymen in India and elsewhere can all breathe a sigh of relief. This year&rsquo;s hajj will have concluded with no major loss of life. This is no minor feat.

Every year Saudi Arabia hosts over 2 million pilgrims. And each year, the kingdom spends hundreds of millions of dollars, deploying a small army of medical professionals, traffic experts, and security assets to manage what is easily the world&rsquo;s largest gathering and, arguably, its most ambitious and successful experiment in public health and crowd control.&nbsp;

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<h5>Over the half a century since 1957, Saudi authorities deserve great credit for their steady management of the health, safety, and security of the hajj.</h5>
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The twin tragedies of 2015&rsquo;s hajj season, a construction collapse at the Grand Mosque (Masjid al-Haram) in Mecca and the horrific stampede at the Jamrat Bridge, where perhaps as many as 2,400 were trampled to death, represent major setbacks in an otherwise stellar record of progress. In recent years, Muslims and international observers have become accustomed to a seemingly never-ending string of hajj-related panics ranging from SARS and Swine Flu to Middle East Respiratory Syndrome and Ebola.

In reality, however, each of these panics has turned out to be non-events. Vaccinations now required in order to obtain pilgrimage visas have decreased the risk of hajj-related meningitis, polio, and yellow fever infections. And setting aside 2015&rsquo;s terrible loss of life, in living memory, the hajj has been remarkably free of catastrophic casualties. Thus, while many have justifiably complained about the tragic events of 2015 or even the wholesale bulldozing and redevelopment of Mecca, making way for gaudy towers, shopping malls, and luxury hotels, to be fair, there is also much to be praised.

To better understand the Saudi monarchy&rsquo;s record of hosting the hajj, we need only to compare it to the colonial-era pilgrimage that they inherited. From the 1860s until even after India and Pakistan gained their independence from the British Empire in 1947, Indian pilgrims endured nearly a century of hajj-related tragedies and scandals. While the advent of industrial steam shipping increased oceanic travel and global commerce, it also had the unintended consequence of globalising epidemic cholera. British steam enabled cholera to leap beyond its previous endemic range in the Ganges Delta.

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<h5>During the 1865 hajj season, cholera struck Mecca, killing an estimated 15,000 pilgrims.</h5>
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Freed from the rhythms of sailing with the monsoon cycle, the costs of transport and the length of passage for Indian Ocean pilgrims were reduced drastically. While previous generations of pilgrims were confined mainly to elite officials, wealthy merchants, and scholars, the steamship made the hajj accessible to ordinary Muslims of modest means.

During the 1865 hajj season, cholera struck Mecca, killing an estimated 15,000 pilgrims. As the surviving pilgrims returned home, they carried cholera in their wake, setting in motion a global pandemic with outbreaks across Egypt, the ports of the Mediterranean, Europe, and even as far away as New York City. The severity of the pandemic focused international attention on cholera prevention for the remainder of the century.

In 1866, an international sanitary conference was held in Istanbul in order to discuss how best to protect Europe from future outbreaks of what was then known as &ldquo;Asiatic cholera.&rdquo; Despite British claims to the contrary, the expert international opinion concluded that cholera was endemic in India&rsquo;s Ganges Valley and nowhere else. As for cholera&rsquo;s mode of transmission, the delegates blamed the unsanitary conditions of Hindu pilgrimage centers within India, as well as the hajj, which they argued was the second stage by which cholera was spread from the subcontinent to Europe.

Between 1831 and World War I, cholera spread from India to Mecca on at least forty separate occasions, ensuring that global outbreaks of cholera were a perennial threat. And in India itself, between 1865 and 1947, at least 23 million Indians died of this dreaded disease.

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<h5>In 1951, the fledgling Saudi state created the Ministry of the Hajj and in 1957 the World Health Organisation finally recognised Saudi Arabia as capable of undertaking full control of the pilgrimage&rsquo;s public health responsibilities.</h5>
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As the relative affordability of the steamship-era hajj made the journey possible for ordinary pilgrims, European colonial administrators and even Muslim officials in India, Egypt, and the Ottoman Empire identified cholera as a disease of poverty, blaming its spread on a &ldquo;dangerous class&rdquo; of so-called &ldquo;pauper pilgrims.&rdquo; In essence, international opinion blamed the victims of cholera. In the midst of repeated waves of failed monsoons, drought, and famine, late-nineteenth-century India became fertile ground for the incubation of cholera, malaria, plague, and a host of other epidemic diseases. As historians and ordinary Indians know all too well, these events were no mere accidents of nature, nor were they the fault of poor Muslim pilgrims. Rather, they were man-made catastrophes, born out of the British Raj&rsquo;s unjust rule.

For decades, millions of Muslim men, women, and children crowded into the holds of slow-moving steamers bound for Mecca. Sea sick, clinging to their belongings, and often deprived of clean water and sanitary facilities, hajj pilgrims endured weeks of misery from Bombay or Calcutta to Arabia. The claustrophobic spaces below decks provided the perfect environment for cholera&rsquo;s incubation and spread from one victim to another. As cholera&rsquo;s regular presence on pilgrimage steamers became increasingly predictable, bravely enduring discomfort and facing down an unimaginably horrific death became a normal part of ordinary Muslims&rsquo; hajj experience.

In 1882, the Ottoman Empire opened the Kamaran Island quarantine station just off the coast of Yemen. From 1882 until 1956, pilgrimage vessels arriving from the Indian Ocean were forced to stop on this barren patch of earth jutting out of the Red Sea. Over the years, the Kamaran Island quarantine station became a symbol of the suffering, intimidation, and humiliation endured by colonial-era pilgrims stigmatised as cholera carriers, rather than victims. At the same time, the people of Yemen suffered right alongside India. Ports cities like Aden and Hudaydah found themselves trapped in a kind of epidemiological buffer zone between India and Mecca, victimised by repeated outbreaks of disease in the process.

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<h5>While cholera is nowhere to be found in the gleaming hotels of Mecca, it now afflicts over 500,000 victims in Saudi Arabia&rsquo;s impoverished southern neighbor, Yemen.</h5>
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With the Ottoman Empire&rsquo;s collapse during World War One, the Ottoman quarantine system and the public health of the hajj became a ward of Britain and the other European colonial powers. This was the hajj that the new Kingdom of Saudi Arabia inherited when it conquered Mecca in 1925. In 1951, the fledgling Saudi state created the Ministry of the Hajj and in 1957 the World Health Organisation finally recognised Saudi Arabia as capable of undertaking full control of the pilgrimage&rsquo;s public health responsibilities. Since the &ldquo;decolonisation&rdquo; of the hajj in 1957, Saudi Arabia has worked hard to rehabilitate the pilgrimage&rsquo;s image. And while there have been notable setbacks, like 2015&rsquo;s stampede, over the half a century since 1957, Saudi authorities deserve great credit for their steady management of the health, safety, and security of the hajj.

That said, the hajj is a time for Muslims to reflect on the unity of the faith, regardless of language, class, nationality or even sectarian difference. As Indian hajjis return home safely, the suffering of past pilgrims is especially poignant this year. For although the pilgrimage itself appears to have been free from any major crises, sadly cholera is once again bringing unimaginable horrors to the Arabian Peninsula. And while cholera is nowhere to be found in the gleaming hotels of Mecca, it now afflicts over 500,000 victims in Saudi Arabia&rsquo;s impoverished southern neighbor, Yemen.

Yemen has been rocked by repeated waves of civil war and multiple insurgencies since 2011. And over the last two years, it has been devastated by fighting between a Saudi-led military coalition and the country&rsquo;s Houthi rebels (with limited support from Iran). With the complicity of its American and British arms suppliers, Saudi Arabia and its anti-Houthi coalition have repeatedly bombed civilians, closed Yemeni airspace, and imposed a blockade to starve rebel-held areas into submission. In the crossfire, ordinary Yemeni men, women, and children are teetering on the brink of total famine. More than 20 million Yemenis are in need of immediate emergency aid.

Partly due to the total collapse of the country&rsquo;s infrastructure and partly due to the overwhelming malnourishment of the population, Yemen is now home to the world&rsquo;s worst cholera epidemic. It is a man-made tragedy of such horrifying dimensions that they invite comparisons to the callousness and carelessness of a bygone era of colonial oppression, the depths of which perhaps only India can truly comprehend.

While cholera is nowhere to be found in the gleaming hotels of Mecca, it now afflicts over 500,000 victims in Saudi Arabia?s impoverished southern neighbor, Yemen.

As this year’s hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca, draws to a close on Monday. As pilgrims from across the Muslim world begin their journeys back to their home countries, friends, relatives, and fellow countrymen in India and elsewhere can all breathe a sigh of relief. This year’s hajj will have concluded with no major loss of life. This is no minor feat. Every year Saudi Arabia hosts over 2 million pilgrims. And each year, the kingdom spends hundreds of millions of dollars, deploying a small army of medical professionals, traffic experts, and security assets to manage what is easily the world’s largest gathering and, arguably, its most ambitious and successful experiment in public health and crowd control. Over the half a century since 1957, Saudi authorities deserve great credit for their steady management of the health, safety, and security of the hajj. × The twin tragedies of 2015’s hajj season, a construction collapse at the Grand Mosque (Masjid al-Haram) in Mecca and the horrific stampede at the Jamrat Bridge, where perhaps as many as 2,400 were trampled to death, represent major setbacks in an otherwise stellar record of progress. In recent years, Muslims and international observers have become accustomed to a seemingly never-ending string of hajj-related panics ranging from SARS and Swine Flu to Middle East Respiratory Syndrome and Ebola. In reality, however, each of these panics has turned out to be non-events. Vaccinations now required in order to obtain pilgrimage visas have decreased the risk of hajj-related meningitis, polio, and yellow fever infections. And setting aside 2015’s terrible loss of life, in living memory, the hajj has been remarkably free of catastrophic casualties. Thus, while many have justifiably complained about the tragic events of 2015 or even the wholesale bulldozing and redevelopment of Mecca, making way for gaudy towers, shopping malls, and luxury hotels, to be fair, there is also much to be praised. To better understand the Saudi monarchy’s record of hosting the hajj, we need only to compare it to the colonial-era pilgrimage that they inherited. From the 1860s until even after India and Pakistan gained their independence from the British Empire in 1947, Indian pilgrims endured nearly a century of hajj-related tragedies and scandals. While the advent of industrial steam shipping increased oceanic travel and global commerce, it also had the unintended consequence of globalising epidemic cholera. British steam enabled cholera to leap beyond its previous endemic range in the Ganges Delta. During the 1865 hajj season, cholera struck Mecca, killing an estimated 15,000 pilgrims. × Freed from the rhythms of sailing with the monsoon cycle, the costs of transport and the length of passage for Indian Ocean pilgrims were reduced drastically. While previous generations of pilgrims were confined mainly to elite officials, wealthy merchants, and scholars, the steamship made the hajj accessible to ordinary Muslims of modest means. During the 1865 hajj season, cholera struck Mecca, killing an estimated 15,000 pilgrims. As the surviving pilgrims returned home, they carried cholera in their wake, setting in motion a global pandemic with outbreaks across Egypt, the ports of the Mediterranean, Europe, and even as far away as New York City. The severity of the pandemic focused international attention on cholera prevention for the remainder of the century. In 1866, an international sanitary conference was held in Istanbul in order to discuss how best to protect Europe from future outbreaks of what was then known as “Asiatic cholera.” Despite British claims to the contrary, the expert international opinion concluded that cholera was endemic in India’s Ganges Valley and nowhere else. As for cholera’s mode of transmission, the delegates blamed the unsanitary conditions of Hindu pilgrimage centers within India, as well as the hajj, which they argued was the second stage by which cholera was spread from the subcontinent to Europe. Between 1831 and World War I, cholera spread from India to Mecca on at least forty separate occasions, ensuring that global outbreaks of cholera were a perennial threat. And in India itself, between 1865 and 1947, at least 23 million Indians died of this dreaded disease. In 1951, the fledgling Saudi state created the Ministry of the Hajj and in 1957 the World Health Organisation finally recognised Saudi Arabia as capable of undertaking full control of the pilgrimage’s public health responsibilities. × As the relative affordability of the steamship-era hajj made the journey possible for ordinary pilgrims, European colonial administrators and even Muslim officials in India, Egypt, and the Ottoman Empire identified cholera as a disease of poverty, blaming its spread on a “dangerous class” of so-called “pauper pilgrims.” In essence, international opinion blamed the victims of cholera. In the midst of repeated waves of failed monsoons, drought, and famine, late-nineteenth-century India became fertile ground for the incubation of cholera, malaria, plague, and a host of other epidemic diseases. As historians and ordinary Indians know all too well, these events were no mere accidents of nature, nor were they the fault of poor Muslim pilgrims. Rather, they were man-made catastrophes, born out of the British Raj’s unjust rule. For decades, millions of Muslim men, women, and children crowded into the holds of slow-moving steamers bound for Mecca. Sea sick, clinging to their belongings, and often deprived of clean water and sanitary facilities, hajj pilgrims endured weeks of misery from Bombay or Calcutta to Arabia. The claustrophobic spaces below decks provided the perfect environment for cholera’s incubation and spread from one victim to another. As cholera’s regular presence on pilgrimage steamers became increasingly predictable, bravely enduring discomfort and facing down an unimaginably horrific death became a normal part of ordinary Muslims’ hajj experience. In 1882, the Ottoman Empire opened the Kamaran Island quarantine station just off the coast of Yemen. From 1882 until 1956, pilgrimage vessels arriving from the Indian Ocean were forced to stop on this barren patch of earth jutting out of the Red Sea. Over the years, the Kamaran Island quarantine station became a symbol of the suffering, intimidation, and humiliation endured by colonial-era pilgrims stigmatised as cholera carriers, rather than victims. At the same time, the people of Yemen suffered right alongside India. Ports cities like Aden and Hudaydah found themselves trapped in a kind of epidemiological buffer zone between India and Mecca, victimised by repeated outbreaks of disease in the process. While cholera is nowhere to be found in the gleaming hotels of Mecca, it now afflicts over 500,000 victims in Saudi Arabia’s impoverished southern neighbor, Yemen. × With the Ottoman Empire’s collapse during World War One, the Ottoman quarantine system and the public health of the hajj became a ward of Britain and the other European colonial powers. This was the hajj that the new Kingdom of Saudi Arabia inherited when it conquered Mecca in 1925. In 1951, the fledgling Saudi state created the Ministry of the Hajj and in 1957 the World Health Organisation finally recognised Saudi Arabia as capable of undertaking full control of the pilgrimage’s public health responsibilities. Since the “decolonisation” of the hajj in 1957, Saudi Arabia has worked hard to rehabilitate the pilgrimage’s image. And while there have been notable setbacks, like 2015’s stampede, over the half a century since 1957, Saudi authorities deserve great credit for their steady management of the health, safety, and security of the hajj. That said, the hajj is a time for Muslims to reflect on the unity of the faith, regardless of language, class, nationality or even sectarian difference. As Indian hajjis return home safely, the suffering of past pilgrims is especially poignant this year. For although the pilgrimage itself appears to have been free from any major crises, sadly cholera is once again bringing unimaginable horrors to the Arabian Peninsula. And while cholera is nowhere to be found in the gleaming hotels of Mecca, it now afflicts over 500,000 victims in Saudi Arabia’s impoverished southern neighbor, Yemen. Yemen has been rocked by repeated waves of civil war and multiple insurgencies since 2011. And over the last two years, it has been devastated by fighting between a Saudi-led military coalition and the country’s Houthi rebels (with limited support from Iran). With the complicity of its American and British arms suppliers, Saudi Arabia and its anti-Houthi coalition have repeatedly bombed civilians, closed Yemeni airspace, and imposed a blockade to starve rebel-held areas into submission. In the crossfire, ordinary Yemeni men, women, and children are teetering on the brink of total famine. More than 20 million Yemenis are in need of immediate emergency aid. Partly due to the total collapse of the country’s infrastructure and partly due to the overwhelming malnourishment of the population, Yemen is now home to the world’s worst cholera epidemic. It is a man-made tragedy of such horrifying dimensions that they invite comparisons to the callousness and carelessness of a bygone era of colonial oppression, the depths of which perhaps only India can truly comprehend.

Hajj in a time of Cholera: Remembering India?s colonial past and Yemen?s tragic present

The Hajj, an annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, in the holiest city for Muslims is due to start from 30th August this year. It is reported that nearly two&nbsp;million Muslims from across the globe will be converging on Mecca in Saudi Arabia for the pilgrimage. The Hajj is a religious duty for those who can afford financially and physically.

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Mina is preparing for <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Hajj2017?src=hash">#Hajj2017</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Hajj?src=hash">#Hajj</a> <a href="https://t.co/SF5lHo6X51">pic.twitter.com/SF5lHo6X51</a>
&mdash; Captain ??? ????? &trade; (@ansari_captain) <a href="https://twitter.com/ansari_captain/status/901050110590631941">August 25, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Saudi&nbsp;Arabia, every year, comes out with a number of people they can accommodate&nbsp;from every country depending on the number of Muslims in the area.

Indonesia is the world&#39;s most populous Muslim nation, and it also provides the largest number of pilgrims for the Hajj. According to this division, Indonesia ranks up highest in terms of Muslims arriving for Hajj in Mecca followed by Pakistan and India in second and third positions.

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One of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Hajj?src=hash">#Hajj</a> 2017 oldest pilgrims, 104-year-old Mariah Marghani Muhammad of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Indonesia?src=hash">#Indonesia</a> greeted upon landing in Jeddah <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SaudiWelcomesTheWorld?src=hash">#SaudiWelcomesTheWorld</a> <a href="https://t.co/YEdhB2owGP">pic.twitter.com/YEdhB2owGP</a>
&mdash; CIC Saudi Arabia (@CICSaudi) <a href="https://twitter.com/CICSaudi/status/901543841316188160">August 26, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Subhan Allah ? 
The arrival of Indonesian Hajj group at Madinah Airport. Hajis reciting salawat while they are waiting at immigration. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Hajj?src=hash">#Hajj</a> <a href="https://t.co/LcB7xuvQne">pic.twitter.com/LcB7xuvQne</a>
&mdash; Wasim Bari???? ???? (@wasim_dr) <a href="https://twitter.com/wasim_dr/status/900721744553660417">August 24, 2017</a></blockquote>
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As reported by AFP, a 47-year-old woman named Eni from Indonesia said, &quot;I&#39;m so excited because many people dream of coming to this place.&nbsp;We feel more religious when we leave this place.&quot;

Eni&#39;s compatriots throng Jeddah airport 80 kilometers (50 miles) west of Mecca, as tens of thousands of pilgrims pass through the gateway to the Hajj every day. Eni is, however, oblivious to any of this and she continues to study the Koran in&nbsp;distressing heat.&nbsp;

She said, &quot;After my first pilgrimage I felt I wanted to come back to feel myself close to him.&quot; She referred to the Prophet Mohammed in this statement before returning&nbsp;to reading the Islam&#39;s holy book.

Hajj, according to Islam, is one of the five pillars of the religion.&nbsp;

Abdelmajeed Mohammad Al-Afghani, director of Hajj and Umra (lesser pilgrimage) affairs said to AFP, &quot;This year we expect around two million pilgrims.&quot;

In a turn of events, this year will see the return of&nbsp;pilgrims from Shiite Iran, a regional rival to Sunni powerhouse Saudi Arabia. This, when the entire Gulf region is clouded in a political crisis with an increase in violence in the area because of the&nbsp;Islamic State group jihadists.&nbsp;

Last year, pilgrims from Iran had not attended following a deadly&nbsp;Mecca stampede&nbsp;that killed nearly 2,300 pilgrims. It was the worst catastrophe in the history of the Hajj, with 464 people from the Islamic Republic of Iran among the dead.

After the disaster, Iran came out against&nbsp;Saudi Arabia&#39;s organisation of the Hajj. It resulted in the severing of diplomatic relations between the two. The two countries have now moved past it.&nbsp;

Speaking on the incident,&nbsp;Slimane Zeghidour, author of &quot;La vie quotidienne &agrave; La Mecque: De Mahomet &agrave; nos jours&quot; (Daily Life in Mecca from Mohammed to Today) said,&nbsp;&quot;To politicise an event like this does no good.&quot;

For&nbsp;author Zeghidour, going on the Hajj takes pilgrims to another level altogether. &quot;The pilgrim has to run, move, and perform several stages&quot; of the ritual.

He said,&nbsp;&quot;It is so physically and mentally demanding that he doesn&#39;t have time to think about the crisis in the Gulf. For him this is literature. Many pilgrims come from Asia or Africa, far from the Middle East, and they come to a place where they can try to forget their lives back home.&quot;

But this is not the only occasion on which Saudi Arabia has been accused of politicising the Hajj. For almost three months, there ensued a political crisis between Saudi Arabia and Qatar with Saudi boycotting the latter.&nbsp;

In the wake of making amends, Saudi Arabia has announced relaxing certain restrictions for Hajj pilgrims from Qatar.&nbsp;

(WION)

Saudi Arabia relaxes certain restrictions imposed on Hajj pilgrims from Qatar

The Hajj, an annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, in the holiest city for Muslims is due to start from 30th August this year. It is reported that nearly two million Muslims from across the globe will be converging on Mecca in Saudi Arabia for the pilgrimage. The Hajj is a religious duty for those who can afford financially and physically. Mina is preparing for #Hajj2017 #Hajj pic.twitter.com/SF5lHo6X51 — Captain ??? ????? ™ (@ansari_captain) August 25, 2017 × Saudi Arabia, every year, comes out with a number of people they can accommodate from every country depending on the number of Muslims in the area. Indonesia is the world's most populous Muslim nation, and it also provides the largest number of pilgrims for the Hajj. According to this division, Indonesia ranks up highest in terms of Muslims arriving for Hajj in Mecca followed by Pakistan and India in second and third positions. One of #Hajj 2017 oldest pilgrims, 104-year-old Mariah Marghani Muhammad of #Indonesia greeted upon landing in Jeddah #SaudiWelcomesTheWorld pic.twitter.com/YEdhB2owGP — CIC Saudi Arabia (@CICSaudi) August 26, 2017 × Subhan Allah ? The arrival of Indonesian Hajj group at Madinah Airport. Hajis reciting salawat while they are waiting at immigration. #Hajj pic.twitter.com/LcB7xuvQne — Wasim Bari???? ???? (@wasim_dr) August 24, 2017 × As reported by AFP, a 47-year-old woman named Eni from Indonesia said, "I'm so excited because many people dream of coming to this place. We feel more religious when we leave this place." Eni's compatriots throng Jeddah airport 80 kilometers (50 miles) west of Mecca, as tens of thousands of pilgrims pass through the gateway to the Hajj every day. Eni is, however, oblivious to any of this and she continues to study the Koran in distressing heat. She said, "After my first pilgrimage I felt I wanted to come back to feel myself close to him." She referred to the Prophet Mohammed in this statement before returning to reading the Islam's holy book. Hajj, according to Islam, is one of the five pillars of the religion. Abdelmajeed Mohammad Al-Afghani, director of Hajj and Umra (lesser pilgrimage) affairs said to AFP, "This year we expect around two million pilgrims." In a turn of events, this year will see the return of pilgrims from Shiite Iran, a regional rival to Sunni powerhouse Saudi Arabia. This, when the entire Gulf region is clouded in a political crisis with an increase in violence in the area because of the Islamic State group jihadists. Last year, pilgrims from Iran had not attended following a deadly Mecca stampede that killed nearly 2,300 pilgrims. It was the worst catastrophe in the history of the Hajj, with 464 people from the Islamic Republic of Iran among the dead. After the disaster, Iran came out against Saudi Arabia's organisation of the Hajj. It resulted in the severing of diplomatic relations between the two. The two countries have now moved past it. Speaking on the incident, Slimane Zeghidour, author of "La vie quotidienne à La Mecque: De Mahomet à nos jours" (Daily Life in Mecca from Mohammed to Today) said, "To politicise an event like this does no good." For author Zeghidour, going on the Hajj takes pilgrims to another level altogether. "The pilgrim has to run, move, and perform several stages" of the ritual. He said, "It is so physically and mentally demanding that he doesn't have time to think about the crisis in the Gulf. For him this is literature. Many pilgrims come from Asia or Africa, far from the Middle East, and they come to a place where they can try to forget their lives back home." But this is not the only occasion on which Saudi Arabia has been accused of politicising the Hajj. For almost three months, there ensued a political crisis between Saudi Arabia and Qatar with Saudi boycotting the latter. In the wake of making amends, Saudi Arabia has announced relaxing certain restrictions for Hajj pilgrims from Qatar. (WION)

Two million pilgrims converge on Mecca for hajj

Six foreign pilgrims were hurt on Friday in Saudi Arabia when a suicide bomber targeting Islam&#39;s holiest site of Mecca blew himself up, the Interior Ministry said.

The incident happened around the Grand Mosque, where hundreds of thousands of worshippers gathered for early afternoon prayers on the last Friday of this year&#39;s Ramadan, the Muslim fasting month.

Ministry spokesman General Mansour al-Turki told Saudi television that police &quot;foiled the terrorist plan that targeted the security of the Grand Mosque, pilgrims and worshippers.&quot;

In dawn raids on Mecca and the Red Sea city of Jeddah officers arrested five suspects, including a woman, before surrounding the bomber&#39;s location around the Grand Mosque.

&quot;Unfortunately he started shooting towards security personnel once he noticed their presence in the area, which led to an exchange of fire before he blew himself up,&quot; Turki said.

The blast partially collapsed the building where he had taken refuge, injuring the six pilgrims, Turki said.

He added that four had already been released from hospital, and five security men were also slightly hurt.

Since late 2014 Saudi Arabia has faced periodic bombings and shootings claimed by the Islamic State jihadist group.

Purported images from the scene that circulated on social media showed an alley filled with bricks and other debris apparently from a blast.

Video showed what appeared to be a bearded man&#39;s head lying among rubble from a collapsed structure.

Counter-terrorism capabilities&nbsp;

Near the end of Ramadan last year in the Saudi city of Medina four security officers died in an explosion close to Islam&#39;s second holiest site, the Prophet&#39;s Mosque.

It was one of three suicide blasts around the kingdom on the same day, in which a total of seven people were believed killed. The others occurred in Jeddah and in the Gulf city of Qatif.

The US Central Intelligence Agency said those attacks bore the hallmarks of IS.

Most of the targets in Saudi Arabia have been the Shiite minority and security forces, killing dozens of people.

IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has called for attacks against the kingdom, a member of the US-led coalition battling the group in Syria and Iraq.

Since July last year police have arrested around 40 people, including Saudis and Pakistanis, for alleged extremist links.

Saudi Arabia&#39;s counter-terrorism capabilities -- which for years were led by Prince Mohammed bin Nayef -- are well-regarded internationally.

On Wednesday Prince Mohammed was ousted from his posts of crown prince and interior minister, replaced as heir to the throne by King Salman&#39;s son Mohammed bin Salman.

Friday&#39;s counter-terrorist operation was the first to take place under the new interior minister, Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Nayef, who is in his early 30s.

Prince Abdulaziz is the nephew of the deposed minister.

(AFP)

In dawn raids on Mecca and the Red Sea city of Jeddah officers arrested five suspects, including a woman, before surrounding the bomber's location around the Grand Mosque

Six foreign pilgrims were hurt on Friday in Saudi Arabia when a suicide bomber targeting Islam's holiest site of Mecca blew himself up, the Interior Ministry said. The incident happened around the Grand Mosque, where hundreds of thousands of worshippers gathered for early afternoon prayers on the last Friday of this year's Ramadan, the Muslim fasting month. Ministry spokesman General Mansour al-Turki told Saudi television that police "foiled the terrorist plan that targeted the security of the Grand Mosque, pilgrims and worshippers." In dawn raids on Mecca and the Red Sea city of Jeddah officers arrested five suspects, including a woman, before surrounding the bomber's location around the Grand Mosque. "Unfortunately he started shooting towards security personnel once he noticed their presence in the area, which led to an exchange of fire before he blew himself up," Turki said. The blast partially collapsed the building where he had taken refuge, injuring the six pilgrims, Turki said. He added that four had already been released from hospital, and five security men were also slightly hurt. Since late 2014 Saudi Arabia has faced periodic bombings and shootings claimed by the Islamic State jihadist group. Purported images from the scene that circulated on social media showed an alley filled with bricks and other debris apparently from a blast. Video showed what appeared to be a bearded man's head lying among rubble from a collapsed structure. Counter-terrorism capabilities Near the end of Ramadan last year in the Saudi city of Medina four security officers died in an explosion close to Islam's second holiest site, the Prophet's Mosque. It was one of three suicide blasts around the kingdom on the same day, in which a total of seven people were believed killed. The others occurred in Jeddah and in the Gulf city of Qatif. The US Central Intelligence Agency said those attacks bore the hallmarks of IS. Most of the targets in Saudi Arabia have been the Shiite minority and security forces, killing dozens of people. IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has called for attacks against the kingdom, a member of the US-led coalition battling the group in Syria and Iraq. Since July last year police have arrested around 40 people, including Saudis and Pakistanis, for alleged extremist links. Saudi Arabia's counter-terrorism capabilities -- which for years were led by Prince Mohammed bin Nayef -- are well-regarded internationally. On Wednesday Prince Mohammed was ousted from his posts of crown prince and interior minister, replaced as heir to the throne by King Salman's son Mohammed bin Salman. Friday's counter-terrorist operation was the first to take place under the new interior minister, Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Nayef, who is in his early 30s. Prince Abdulaziz is the nephew of the deposed minister. (AFP)

Six hurt as suicide bomber targeting Grand Mosque in Mecca blows himself up

A Pakistani Christian has been held for liking and sharing a derogatory picture of the Kaaba, a building in Islam&#39;s most sacred mosque&nbsp;Al-Masjid al-Haram in Mecca. 
 
Nabeel Chohan, who is 18 years of age and hails from Punjab province, had apparently liked and shared a denigrating picture of the Kaaba. 
 
The teenager also had the photo saved on his phone.&nbsp; 
 
One of Chohan&#39;s friends, a Muslim, told police about the incident and later filed a blasphemy case, police official Shahbaz Ahmed told AFP. 
 
&quot;A case of hurting religious sentiments of Muslims and desecrating the religious place has been lodged,&quot; Ahmed further said. 
 
Pakistan has a stringent blasphemy law in the country. As many as 1,300 people have been arrested since 1987 and court punishment ranges from a fine to death sentence. 
 
The blasphemy laws were made stricter between 1980 and 1986 under the military government of General Zia-ul-Haq. 
 
(WION with inputs from AFP)

An 18-year-old youth was arrested for liking a disparaging picture of the Kaaba on social media

A Pakistani Christian has been held for liking and sharing a derogatory picture of the Kaaba, a building in Islam's most sacred mosque Al-Masjid al-Haram in Mecca. Nabeel Chohan, who is 18 years of age and hails from Punjab province, had apparently liked and shared a denigrating picture of the Kaaba. The teenager also had the photo saved on his phone. One of Chohan's friends, a Muslim, told police about the incident and later filed a blasphemy case, police official Shahbaz Ahmed told AFP. "A case of hurting religious sentiments of Muslims and desecrating the religious place has been lodged," Ahmed further said. Pakistan has a stringent blasphemy law in the country. As many as 1,300 people have been arrested since 1987 and court punishment ranges from a fine to death sentence. The blasphemy laws were made stricter between 1980 and 1986 under the military government of General Zia-ul-Haq. (WION with inputs from AFP)

Pakistani Christian held for 'blasphemous' Mecca photo

Saudi Arabia has stepped up its efforts to guard Islam&#39;s holiest sites as the annual Haj pilgrimage enters its final stages. 
 
In an effort to avoid a repeat of last year&#39;s devastating stampede, the Saudi authorities have redesigned parts of the Jamarat area and deployed drones to watch over nearly two million pilgrims.&nbsp; 
 
The faithful descended Mount Arafat on Sunday, climbing down the craggy hills outside Mecca at sunset and set out en masse for the open plateau of Muzdalifah. 
 
There they collected pebbles in the dark before retreating for the night into Mina, the narrow city of air-conditioned white tents where last year&#39;s crush occurred. 
 
The Saudi government has spent billions of dollars upgrading the security apparatus, expanding infrastructure and crowd control technology.&nbsp; 
 
Drones are being used to reinforce a network of electronic surveillance of the crowds that would alert authorities to intervene quickly if necessary. 
 
The frequent disasters at the holy site have led to an escalating war of words with Iran.&nbsp; 
 
Iran supreme leader had accused the Saudi authorities of the deaths of over 2,000 pilgrims last year.&nbsp; 
 
Pilgrims of Iran are not attending the pilgrimage this year over safety concerns.&nbsp; 
 
But Saudi government had suggested part of the blame lied with the pilgrims that failed to follow crowd control rules.&nbsp; 
 
An investigation into last year&#39;s disaster is still pending.&nbsp; 
 
(WION with inputs from agencies) 
&nbsp;

Saudi government has spent billions of dollars to upgrade the security and crowd control technology at Mecca

Saudi Arabia has stepped up its efforts to guard Islam's holiest sites as the annual Haj pilgrimage enters its final stages. In an effort to avoid a repeat of last year's devastating stampede, the Saudi authorities have redesigned parts of the Jamarat area and deployed drones to watch over nearly two million pilgrims. The faithful descended Mount Arafat on Sunday, climbing down the craggy hills outside Mecca at sunset and set out en masse for the open plateau of Muzdalifah. There they collected pebbles in the dark before retreating for the night into Mina, the narrow city of air-conditioned white tents where last year's crush occurred. The Saudi government has spent billions of dollars upgrading the security apparatus, expanding infrastructure and crowd control technology. Drones are being used to reinforce a network of electronic surveillance of the crowds that would alert authorities to intervene quickly if necessary. The frequent disasters at the holy site have led to an escalating war of words with Iran. Iran supreme leader had accused the Saudi authorities of the deaths of over 2,000 pilgrims last year. Pilgrims of Iran are not attending the pilgrimage this year over safety concerns. But Saudi government had suggested part of the blame lied with the pilgrims that failed to follow crowd control rules. An investigation into last year's disaster is still pending. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Saudi Arabia deploys drones to watch over Haj pilgrims

The haj is no longer an old person&#39;s ritual as a new generation of youthful Muslim pilgrims has transformed both the annual rites and Mecca itself. 
 
&quot;The younger you are, the easier it is,&quot; says Saniah, a British pilgrim who, at 25, was on her second trip to Islam&#39;s holiest site in Saudi Arabia. 
 
&quot;Twelve years ago my family and I came for umrah,&quot; the lesser pilgrimage which can be performed throughout the year, she says, elegantly veiled in green and black. 
 
This year, Saniah returned for the haj because it is a religious obligation and &quot;a radical change of life&quot;, said the Briton, preferring not to give her last name. 
 
Saniah is among roughly 1.5 million people from across the world attending the haj which formally began on Saturday. 
 
The haj is one of the five pillars of Islam, which capable Muslims must perform at least once, marking the spiritual peak of their lives. 
 
A can of soft drink in one hand and a cone of French fries in the other, Saniah eats with her husband at one of the many modern commercial centres dotted around the Grand Mosque in Mecca after performing Friday prayers. 
 
&quot;In early generations young people waited to be old before doing the pilgrimage,&quot; Saniah says.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;But the new generations, we&#39;re more aware of our religious obligations.&quot; 
 
Smiling, she adds that the long haj marches and prayers under a burning sun &quot;are easier to bear when you&#39;re young&quot;. 
 
Omar Saghi, author of &quot;Paris-Mecca, Sociology of the Pilgrimage&quot;, says the haj is no longer &quot;the mystical horizon of an entire life but a rational event&quot; which has become almost routine. 
 
Mohammed, 33, who travelled to the haj with his wife from Paris, says a number of their friends have already performed the haj. 
 
Their travel agency told them it is also sending many other young couples. 
 
&quot;The haj is one of the five pillars of Islam,&quot; says Mohammed, a physical education teacher. 
 
&quot;It&#39;s an obligation and so, as soon as we had the means and while we&#39;re healthy, we decided to do it,&quot; he says, waiting in line at a luminous fast food counter with his wife Madiha, 28, a student of education science. 
 
&quot;Rather than buy material things like a car, better to spend our money on something that is going to benefit us on a spiritual level,&quot; she says. 
 
Mohamed Khazma, who works on the security team at a hospital in Tripoli, Libya, is searching for a table to eat his fried chicken. 
 
At 27, he says he is delighted he was able to gather enough money to come to Mecca, because &quot;it&#39;s an opportunity that not everybody has&quot;. 
 
The rising number of such young people, &quot;more educated and already used to tourism and mass consumption&quot;, has slowly helped to change the face of Mecca, the author Saghi says. 
 
&quot;The big (advertising) signs, the big companies, capture this new clientele that the classical market of hotels and family restaurants can&#39;t satisfy,&quot; he says. 
 
Saniah recalls that, during her first visit to Mecca 12 years ago, they ate in the street. 
 
&quot;It&#39;s a lot better (now). We have the option of five-star service.&quot; 
 
Khazma, however, wants nothing to do with the shopping centres, their air conditioning, restaurants and shops. 
 
&quot;I forget all of that,&quot; says the young man with a short trimmed beard and long grey jalabiya robe. 
 
&quot;I take my Koran, some dates and some water and I stay in the Grand Mosque from afternoon until the middle of the night,&quot; says Khazma. 
 
Mohammed also says he is sometimes uncomfortable with all the modern conveniences which are &quot;very far from the time of Abraham and the harshness of the desert&quot; thousands of years ago. 
 
He says he and his wife were obliged to accept their travel agent&#39;s plan and hotel to perform the pilgrimage in the footsteps, they believe, of the Prophet Mohammed and Abraham before him. 
 
&quot;But we often wonder if all of that is in line with our spiritual quest,&quot; Mohammed says. 
 
&quot;The shops, the luxury, the commercial centres, it clouds the spiritual&nbsp; 
 
(AFP) 
&nbsp;

A new generation of youthful Muslim pilgrims has transformed both the annual rites and Mecca itself

The haj is no longer an old person's ritual as a new generation of youthful Muslim pilgrims has transformed both the annual rites and Mecca itself. "The younger you are, the easier it is," says Saniah, a British pilgrim who, at 25, was on her second trip to Islam's holiest site in Saudi Arabia. "Twelve years ago my family and I came for umrah," the lesser pilgrimage which can be performed throughout the year, she says, elegantly veiled in green and black. This year, Saniah returned for the haj because it is a religious obligation and "a radical change of life", said the Briton, preferring not to give her last name. Saniah is among roughly 1.5 million people from across the world attending the haj which formally began on Saturday. The haj is one of the five pillars of Islam, which capable Muslims must perform at least once, marking the spiritual peak of their lives. A can of soft drink in one hand and a cone of French fries in the other, Saniah eats with her husband at one of the many modern commercial centres dotted around the Grand Mosque in Mecca after performing Friday prayers. "In early generations young people waited to be old before doing the pilgrimage," Saniah says. "But the new generations, we're more aware of our religious obligations." Smiling, she adds that the long haj marches and prayers under a burning sun "are easier to bear when you're young". Omar Saghi, author of "Paris-Mecca, Sociology of the Pilgrimage", says the haj is no longer "the mystical horizon of an entire life but a rational event" which has become almost routine. Mohammed, 33, who travelled to the haj with his wife from Paris, says a number of their friends have already performed the haj. Their travel agency told them it is also sending many other young couples. "The haj is one of the five pillars of Islam," says Mohammed, a physical education teacher. "It's an obligation and so, as soon as we had the means and while we're healthy, we decided to do it," he says, waiting in line at a luminous fast food counter with his wife Madiha, 28, a student of education science. "Rather than buy material things like a car, better to spend our money on something that is going to benefit us on a spiritual level," she says. Mohamed Khazma, who works on the security team at a hospital in Tripoli, Libya, is searching for a table to eat his fried chicken. At 27, he says he is delighted he was able to gather enough money to come to Mecca, because "it's an opportunity that not everybody has". The rising number of such young people, "more educated and already used to tourism and mass consumption", has slowly helped to change the face of Mecca, the author Saghi says. "The big (advertising) signs, the big companies, capture this new clientele that the classical market of hotels and family restaurants can't satisfy," he says. Saniah recalls that, during her first visit to Mecca 12 years ago, they ate in the street. "It's a lot better (now). We have the option of five-star service." Khazma, however, wants nothing to do with the shopping centres, their air conditioning, restaurants and shops. "I forget all of that," says the young man with a short trimmed beard and long grey jalabiya robe. "I take my Koran, some dates and some water and I stay in the Grand Mosque from afternoon until the middle of the night," says Khazma. Mohammed also says he is sometimes uncomfortable with all the modern conveniences which are "very far from the time of Abraham and the harshness of the desert" thousands of years ago. He says he and his wife were obliged to accept their travel agent's plan and hotel to perform the pilgrimage in the footsteps, they believe, of the Prophet Mohammed and Abraham before him. "But we often wonder if all of that is in line with our spiritual quest," Mohammed says. "The shops, the luxury, the commercial centres, it clouds the spiritual (AFP)

Young hajis transform Mecca pilgrimage

Eighteen pilgrims have been injured in a stampede near Islam&#39;s holiest site, Saudi media reported on Saturday, as the kingdom continues to review safety after a deadly crush during last year&#39;s hajj. 
 
The incident happened on Friday night near the Grand Mosque in Mecca, the Al-Riyadh newspaper said, as Muslims gathered in large numbers to mark the Night of Destiny, one of the high points of the holy fasting month of Ramadan. 
 
All the injured were treated at the scene and none required admission to hospital, the newspaper cited a health official as saying. 
 
Every year, hundreds of thousands of pilgrims flock to Mecca to carry out the lesser umra pilgrimage during Ramadan -- especially during its last 10 days. 
 
They include the Night of Destiny, when the angel Gabriel is believed to have given the Prophet Mohammed the verses of the Koran. 
 
The incident comes as Saudi authorities continue to unveil new safety measures for this year`s hajj in September. 
 
A crush at last year`s hajj killed more than 2,000 pilgrims in the worst disaster to ever strike the annual ritual.&nbsp;According to figures from foreign officials, at least 2,297 pilgrims died. Saudi Arabia issued a death toll of 769. 
 
Newspapers reported on Friday that, among new security measures, hajj pilgrims this year will have to wear an electronic safety bracelet to store their personal information, including address and medical records. 
 
The hajj and umra pilgrimages bring millions of Muslims to the holy places in Saudi Arabia every year. 
 
(AFP)

Every year hundreds of thousands of pilgrims flock to Mecca to carry out the lesser umra pilgrimage during Ramadan

Eighteen pilgrims have been injured in a stampede near Islam's holiest site, Saudi media reported on Saturday, as the kingdom continues to review safety after a deadly crush during last year's hajj. The incident happened on Friday night near the Grand Mosque in Mecca, the Al-Riyadh newspaper said, as Muslims gathered in large numbers to mark the Night of Destiny, one of the high points of the holy fasting month of Ramadan. All the injured were treated at the scene and none required admission to hospital, the newspaper cited a health official as saying. Every year, hundreds of thousands of pilgrims flock to Mecca to carry out the lesser umra pilgrimage during Ramadan -- especially during its last 10 days. They include the Night of Destiny, when the angel Gabriel is believed to have given the Prophet Mohammed the verses of the Koran. The incident comes as Saudi authorities continue to unveil new safety measures for this year`s hajj in September. A crush at last year`s hajj killed more than 2,000 pilgrims in the worst disaster to ever strike the annual ritual. According to figures from foreign officials, at least 2,297 pilgrims died. Saudi Arabia issued a death toll of 769. Newspapers reported on Friday that, among new security measures, hajj pilgrims this year will have to wear an electronic safety bracelet to store their personal information, including address and medical records. The hajj and umra pilgrimages bring millions of Muslims to the holy places in Saudi Arabia every year. (AFP)

Eighteen injured in Mecca stampede: Saudi media

Fifty young men have been arrested in Saudi Arabia for haircuts, necklaces and other adornments considered un-Islamic. 
 
The suspects were detained during a Ramzan crackdown in the Western Saudi city of Mecca, Islam&#39;s holiest site, according to Saudi news website Sabq. 
 
&quot;They were handed over to the department of criminal investigations,&quot; said Sabq, which accompanied investigators during their visits to shopping areas in the city. 
 
Officers noticed &quot;a number of offences like strange haircuts, chains that are hung upon the chest or arms, head wraps and short clothes and immodest ones -- for both men and women,&quot; reported Sabq, which is close to the authorities. 
 
The law enforcement team, which included women, advised citizens against &quot;habits and traditions that are against religious teachings.&quot; 
 
Islam&#39;s holy fasting month of Ramzan, which ends in early July, is one of the religion&#39;s five pillars. During Ramzan the faithful must devote themselves to piety and charity as well as compassion and generosity. 
 
Saudi Arabia, an absolute Islamic monarchy, is one of the world`s most conservative countries. 
 
Women dress from head to toe in black and are not allowed to drive or mingle with unrelated men. 
 
But more than half of Saudi citizens are under the age of 25, an Internet-savvy generation that spends much of its life online away from official strictures. 
 
One of the kingdom`s most powerful figures, Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, 30, is leading the Vision 2030 reform drive to diversify the economy and also bring social change. 
 
The plan calls for more entertainment, cultural and sports opportunities. 
 
In April, cabinet stripped the frequently criticised religious police of their powers to arrest. 
 
Members of the Haia force, among whose duties was to monitor people`s dress, can now only offer advice. They must report violators to regular police officers for follow up. 
 
(AFP) 
&nbsp;

The men were detained during a Ramzan crackdown in the holy city of Mecca

Fifty young men have been arrested in Saudi Arabia for haircuts, necklaces and other adornments considered un-Islamic. The suspects were detained during a Ramzan crackdown in the Western Saudi city of Mecca, Islam's holiest site, according to Saudi news website Sabq. "They were handed over to the department of criminal investigations," said Sabq, which accompanied investigators during their visits to shopping areas in the city. Officers noticed "a number of offences like strange haircuts, chains that are hung upon the chest or arms, head wraps and short clothes and immodest ones -- for both men and women," reported Sabq, which is close to the authorities. The law enforcement team, which included women, advised citizens against "habits and traditions that are against religious teachings." Islam's holy fasting month of Ramzan, which ends in early July, is one of the religion's five pillars. During Ramzan the faithful must devote themselves to piety and charity as well as compassion and generosity. Saudi Arabia, an absolute Islamic monarchy, is one of the world`s most conservative countries. Women dress from head to toe in black and are not allowed to drive or mingle with unrelated men. But more than half of Saudi citizens are under the age of 25, an Internet-savvy generation that spends much of its life online away from official strictures. One of the kingdom`s most powerful figures, Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, 30, is leading the Vision 2030 reform drive to diversify the economy and also bring social change. The plan calls for more entertainment, cultural and sports opportunities. In April, cabinet stripped the frequently criticised religious police of their powers to arrest. Members of the Haia force, among whose duties was to monitor people`s dress, can now only offer advice. They must report violators to regular police officers for follow up. (AFP)

50 men arrested in Saudi Arabia over 'un-Islamic' haircuts and adornments

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