Pilgrimage to Mecca: For Muslims this year, a somber and tense hajj

Can you hear me now?

Nearly 3 million Muslims have gathered in Mecca (or “Makkah” as the Saudis spelled it after its English expropriation) for the annual Haj pilgrimage, which culminates in the Eid-ul-Adha festival on Friday. Foremost on the minds of many are the recent Asian tsunamis, which claimed the lives of many in Muslim countries, prompting some (ahem) Saudi clerics to blame the victims. “How can it be our fault? This tragedy was too big,” said Haj participant Saeed Abderrahman, an Indonesian from Kalimantan. “I don’t think we could be so bad as that.” Also this year, many are adapting the use of technology to enhance their Haj experience, sending videos from their mobile phones, watching giant screen televisions, and sending pictures home by e-mail (although according to the technology of astronomical calculations, some say Eid occurs on Thursday). And lest we forget what neighbourhood we’re in, up to 50,000 security forces have been deployed in what is likely the most tense of recent Haj pilgrimages, given the recent brazen attacks on Western interests (and their Eastern collateral damage). Speaking of American interests, a Haj of a different sort is also scheduled for Thursday with the inauguration (coronation?) of US President George W. Bush and his orbiting neo-conservative supporters (and even more security). The more than 10,000 American Muslims attending the Haj this year will be wondering if they will be stopped at the border for questioning as they return (as Hamza Yusuf was recently upon returning from Canada). Still, the Haj is a symbol of hope for millions and a dream for many, many more. As one young Briton put it, “Like many my age, I hope to perform Hajj one day and from then onwards pray five times daily, perform all my religious duties and never drink again!”

Zahed Amanullah is associate editor of altmuslim.com. He is based in London, England.