Human sea on Mt Arafat
 Uptothree million Muslim pilgrims started the annual haj on Saturdayamidfears of attack or deadly stampedes. -- PHOTO: ASSOCIATED PRESS
Muslim pilgrims circle the Kaaba at the Grand mosque in Mecca. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
They spend the rest of their time on MountArafat praying and beseechingGod for his forgiveness, as a symbol ofthe wait for judgement day. --PHOTO: REUTERS
ARAFAT (Saudi Arabia) - A HUMAN tide washed over Mount Arafat onSundaymorning as hundreds of thousands of devoted Muslims gathered forthekey moment of the annual haj pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia
Starting just after dawn, in mild weather, the faithful made theirwayslowly on foot or by bus onto the hill, also known as the MountofMercy, where the prophet Mohammed delivered his last sermon morethan14 centuries ago. So far no major problems have developed,organisers said,although a record number of people have come fromoutside Saudi Arabiafor the event and media say the total number ofparticipants may reachthree million.
For the second day of the haj, which lasts four days or more,the malepilgrims wore two pieces of unstitched cloth, serving as ashroud, whilethe women were entirely covered apart from face andhands.
Closely monitored by security forces, the crowd chantedthephrases: 'Here I am in answer to Thy call, Lord, here I am. There isnoother God but Thee. Praise be unto Thee.' 'This is a day of greatjoy,'one man said before breaking down in tears on his arrival atArafat,overwhelmed with happiness on taking part in the hajj, one ofthe fivepillars of Islam which the Koran says Muslims must carry out atleastonce in their lives if they are well enough and can afford it.
Just as emotional, Suad Dasuqi, a 50 year-old Egyptian woman,called for'the victory of Islam and a tightening of the ranks ofMuslims,'praising the hajj for uniting the faithful of different racesandcolours, and from all continents.
As the vast crowd edged along, sometimes delayed by theawkward movementof hundreds of buses carrying pilgrims, the faithfulwere offered mealsand drinks, handed out free by volunteers.
A highlight comes in the middle of the day when pilgrims joinincollective prayers at the Namera mosque, built on the sitewhereMohammed prayed while making the pilgrimage.
They spend the rest of their time on Mount Arafat praying andbeseechingGod for his forgiveness, as a symbol of the wait forjudgement day.
At sunset the faithfulstart to move towards the valley of Muzdalifah, a few kilometres away,to spend the night.
On Monday, participants return to Mina, where thepilgrimage began on Saturday with a day of prayer and contemplation.
Once back in Mina, they sacrifice an animal, usually a sheep,to recallAbraham's willingness to sacrifice his son on God's order.This ritualmarks the start of the Eid al-Adha feast.
They then spend another two days in Mina for the stoning ofSatan, thelast and most dangerous rite, which has left many peopledead inprevious years after stampedes broke out.
The authorities have built bridges at three different levelson the sitein a bid to avoid the trampling that caused the death of364 people in2006, 251 in 2004 and 1,426 in 1990.
So far this year 'no incident has been recorded,' accordingto Prince Khaled al-Faisal bin Abdel Aziz, the governor of Mecca.
The Saudi interior ministry has assembled 100,000 stewards toensuresafety during the hajj and the health ministry has supplied11,000 ofits medical and paramedical staff along with 140 first aidpoints and 24field hospitals containing a total of 4,000 beds.
The ministry said on Saturday that 1,728,841 pilgrims fromabroad, thehighest ever number, had entered the kingdom. They joinedthe hundredsof thousands of Saudi citizens and other residentsparticipating thisyear.
Stringent checks
Theflow of traffic was notably smoother than last year, as morepilgrimswere transported on buses and authorities imposed stringentchecks onentry points to the Mecca area to keep out people without hajpermitshoping to join the rites.
The government says it will stop Saudis and foreign residentsfromtaking part without official permits, a main cause ofovercrowding. Over1.75 million haj visas have been granted to Muslimsabroad, and at least500,000 locals receive authorisation.
'The objective of this work is to account for all pilgrims,whether theyare Saudis or non-Saudis,' said organiser Ahmed al-Sulaimias securityforces stopped cars at a checkpoint.
The government warned pilgrims not to politicise the haj.
'Saudi Arabia is above any party or political intentions behindthe haj.Pilgrims should not raise any slogans other than that ofIslam,' IslamicAffairs Minister Saleh bin Abdul-Aziz Al al-Sheikh saidin commentspublished in Saudi newspapers.
There have been clashes between police and Iranian pilgrimsin the pastover political slogans. Sectarian tensions have arisenrecently in theArab world after Shi'ite Muslims came to power in Iraq,emboldening Iranand its Shi'ite allies.
Disputes between Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah delayedandprevented some Palestinian pilgrims from arriving, addinganotherpotential flashpoint.
Speaking in Mecca, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas blamedHamas.'Unfortunately, this is the first time in the history of thePalestinianpeople that pilgrims were prevented.
Israel never once prevented pilgrims,' he told reporters.
The Saudi government is also wary of militancy. Despite anAl-Qaedacampaign to destabilise Saudi Arabia from 2003 to 2006, Thehaj hasnever been targeted by Al-Qaeda militants.
Islamist militants rampaged through the Indian financial capital ofMumbai last week, killing 171 people. -- REUTERS, AFP
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Author
Post time 8-12-2008 11:37 PM
SALAH en Adi 
S E L A M A T P A G I 
Good Mornin':tea::flower:[/fly]
