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Tue Dec 26th, 2006
About two million Muslims undertaking hajj, the annual week-long pilgrimage, have arrived in Saudi Arabia, according to Saudi authorities.
The official Saudi Press Agency [SPA] quoted the Hajj Commission as saying that more than one and half million people had arrived in the kingdom by Sunday to take part in the pilgrimage which begins officially on Thursday.
More than two million pilgrims are expected to undertake Hajj this year.
More than 9,600 medical personnel have been mobilised and 21 field hospitals set up at Mecca and Medina, Islam's two holiest places, for this year's pilgrimage, Saudi Arabia's health ministry said.
The Hajj Supreme Committee said 202 pilgrims have died since arriving in the kingdom, mainly the elderly or infirm.
Blaze
In Mecca on Monday, a fire in a hotel left a number of pilgrims suffering from smoke inhalation.
The SPA quoted General Mansur al-Turki, an interior ministry spokesman, as saying that "13 pilgrims suffering from smoke inhalation were admitted to hospital, where their condition is stable". The SPA also said that on Tuesday, prince Nayef bin Abdul Aziz, who heads the Hajj Supreme Committee, will inspect security arrangements at Mecca.
Earlier this month Saudi Arabia agreed to admit more than a thousand Iraqi pilgrims stranded at the border where they were denied because they did not have the correct visas for hajj.
At dawn on Friday the pilgrims will make their way to Mount Arafat where they will typically spend the day in prayer.
Later pilgrims return to Mina to celebrate Eid al-Adha, the Feast of the Sacrifice, on Saturday.
Pilgrimage to Mecca is one of the five pillars of Islam and undertaking it is considered an obligation for Muslims at least once during their lives, if they can afford to do so.
"Hajj (pilgrimage) to the House (Kaabah) is a duty that mankind owes to Allah, those who can afford the journey. And whoever disbelieves (i.e. denies Hajj) then he is a disbeliever of Allah and Allah stands not in need of any of His Creatures." (Surah Al-Imran 3:197)
Over two million Muslims arrived in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, to begin the rituals of the holy pilgrimage of Hajj.
Hajj, one of the five main pillars of Islam, is a duty to be performed at least once in a lifetime by every Muslim, as long as he or she is free, of sound mind and able to undertake it.
The five-day ritual begins on Friday.
Muslims will begin converging on the Grand Mosque in Mecca and follow a route around the mountains of the ancient city, following the tradition of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
Authorities tightened security at the holy lands, expecting possible terror attacks. They also adopted new measures to avoid stampedes that killed many people in previous years due to overcrowding at the Mecca shrine.
50,000 security men are expected to be deployed near Mecca shrine to protect the pilgrims against any possible attacks and to disperse possible demonstrators like those organised by Iranians in previous years.
News reports mentioned that some officials fear possible sectarian violence.
"There is enough violence and bloodshed on the news about Muslims. Shame on those who provoke or get involved in more violence against fellow Muslims and spoil the Hajj for themselves and others, "said Iranian teacher Ahmed Nasifi, in Mecca for Hajj.
"We have been prepared to deal with the worst, may God forbid it, including things that can be deadlier than sectarian violence ... stampedes or building collapses," said a senior police officer in Mecca.
Iraqi pilgrims die at Saudi border
The pilgrims had travelled to the Saudi border by bus [EPA]
Saudi Arabia has agreed to admit more than a thousand Iraqi pilgrims stranded at the border, where four have died, after the Iraqi government appealed to the Saudi king, an Iraqi official said.
The pilgrims were denied entry for several days apparently because they did not have visas issued for Islam's annual hajj pilgrimage to Mecca.
The four died while camping in the cold weather in the desert along the Saudi-Iraqi border, Zahid al-Bayati, a spokesman for the Iraqi committee organising the pilgrimage, said.
He said: "We asked the king to end the suffering of the stranded pilgrims and he responded positively to our appeal."
"All the pilgrims who came by land are now in Saudi Arabia. We extend our thanks to the Saudi king."
Al-Bayati had said that about 1,205 legitimate pilgrims had been prevented from crossing the remote Arar border post.
He said: "The problem is that some pilgrims were not able to fly for the lack of space on our planes.
"At least four Iraqi pilgrims have died of cold and hunger at Arar.
"Iraq is allowed to send 32,000 pilgrims. Iraq has not exceeded that quota."
Pilgrim quota
In Riyadh, a Saudi official did not explain why the pilgrims had been denied entry, but said the kingdom always admits Iraqi pilgrims with valid visas.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the media, said about 12,836 Iraqi pilgrims had crossed the border to perform hajj this year.
Under a quota formulated by the Organisation of the Islamic Conference, Saudi Arabia issues 1,000 visas for every million people in a particular country.
Last year Iraq's Shia-led government accused Saudi Arabia of blocking some Iraqi pilgrims.
But Prince Nayef bin Abdul Aziz, the interior minister, rebuked the Iraqis for sending more than their quota of pilgrims.
Neither Iraqi nor Saudi officials have said whether the stranded pilgrims were Shia or Sunni Muslims.
Privately, Saudi officials have accused the Baghdad government, which is Shia-controlled, of giving more visas to Shia pilgrims than to Sunnis. The Iraqi government denies this.
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