Almost two million pilgrims for Hajj in Makkah
Mina (AsiaNews) - Nearly two million pilgrims arrived in Makkah yesterday for the annual pilgrimage (Hajj) that according to Muslim tradition every Muslim should make at least once in his or her lifetime. They are fewer than in previous years due to fears over the coronavirus and because of security problems.
Mina, which looked like a ghost town until yesterday, is now teeming with crowds from the entire Islamic world. During their stay, pilgrims will live in 45,000 tents, men dressed in the ihram, a seamless two-piece white garment that rituals require, with the women covered up except for their faces and hands.
Today, the mass of pilgrims made their way to Mount Arafat, where they will confess their sins and reject the devil. In the fierce heat, people were sprayed with water along the way.
Interior Minister Prince Mohammed bin Naif said the number of pilgrims from outside the country totalled 1.37 million, down 21 per cent from last year's 1.75 million.
The reduced number of pilgrims is due to the massive expansion projects in Makkah and government's aggressive campaign to bar undocumented pilgrims from undertaking the pilgrimage.
In fact, more than 70,000 violators who tried to reach the holy sites were turned away. Security forces also seized more than 138,000 vehicles.
The prince downplayed the danger of coronavirus infections, although this year the disease, which is similar to SARS, has already killed 60 people in the world, 51 in Saudi Arabia.
Security is tight with 100,000 soldiers deployed to prevent demonstrations or disturbances. All the sacred places are also under surveillance from 42,000 high-tech cameras, some of which can cover a distance of 60 km.
In past years, Shia pilgrims from Iran have clashed with Saudi police forces.
In early October, unnamed Saudi diplomatic sources said that Saudi Arabia had invited Iranian President Hassan Rouhani to attend Hajj; however, Iranian Foreign Ministry sources quickly denied the story, saying that Tehran had received no such invitation from Riyadh and that the president's agenda was already too charged for a visit.
Other Iranian officials suggested that perhaps Rouhani might go to Saudi Arabia right after the pilgrimage.
At his inauguration as president, Rouhani had expressed a desire to start a period of détente with "brotherly" Saudi Arabia.
Iran and Saudi Arabia support opposing sides in the Syrian conflict. The Saudis have backed and armed the rebels, whilst Iran is a staunch ally of Syrian President Assad.
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19/04/2016 14:05
