SAUDI ARABIA: MORE THAN 2.5 MILLION MUSLIMS PERFORM STONING RITUAL AT HAJ PILGRIMAGE IN MINA
Record ID:
189760
SAUDI ARABIA: MORE THAN 2.5 MILLION MUSLIMS PERFORM STONING RITUAL AT HAJ PILGRIMAGE IN MINA
- Title: SAUDI ARABIA: MORE THAN 2.5 MILLION MUSLIMS PERFORM STONING RITUAL AT HAJ PILGRIMAGE IN MINA
- Date: 20th January 2005
- Summary: (W3) MINA, SAUDI ARABIA (JANUARY 20, 2005) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 1. VARIOUS OF MINA; PILGRIMS 0.16 2. WS: PILGRIMS ARRIVING AT THE STONE THROWING CEREMONY 0.20 3. VARIOUS OF PILGRIMS THROWING STONES (2 SHOTS) 0.31 4. WIDE OF CROWD 0.35 5. HAS: AMBULANCES 0.41 6. MORE OF CROWD (2 SHOTS) 0.50 7. VARIOUS: POLICE ORGANISING PILGRIMS AT THE ENTRANCE TO THE STONE THROWING (3 SHOTS) 1.04 8. WS'S: PILGRIMS GATHERED AT STONE THROWING (2 SHOTS) 1.12 9. VARIOUS OF PILGRIMS THROWING STONES (4 SHOTS) 1.39 10. WS/MV/SV: POLICE/AMBULANCES (3 SHOTS) 1.52 11. SCU/SV: INJURED PILGRIM BEING ATTENDED TO BY MEDICS/ AMBULANCE (2 SHOTS) 2.00 12. HAS/SV: PEOPLE SLEEPING AT THE SIDE OF THE ROAD (2 SHOTS) 2.08 13. (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) JORDANIAN PILGRIM SPEAKING ABOUT U.S. PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH'S INAUGURATION, SAYING: "He can swear in for the second, third, fourth time but we still do not have any faith in him. I know that a lot of people believe his second term will be better but we don't have any faith in it being a prosperous term. We only have faith in this Muslim gathering. In God's will we will be victorious." 2.30 14. VARIOUS OF PILGRIMS AT MINA (8 SHOTS) 3.14 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 4th February 2005 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: MINA, SAUDI ARABIA
- Country: Saudi Arabia
- Reuters ID: LVA9YJYHET652PXTBTCN8S034X9L
- Story Text: Some 2.5 million Muslim pilgrims perform stoning
ritual at Haj.
More than 2.5 million Muslims began a sacred stoning
ritual on Thursday (January 20), praising new measures
aimed at averting deadly stampedes that have marred the haj
pilgrimage in the past.
Last year, 250 people were crushed to death at Mena's
Jamarat Bridge, where the millions of pilgrims must stand
to stone three pillars in a symbolic casting-out of the
devil and rejection of temptation.
The stampede was the latest in a series of similar
tragedies which have struck the haj over the years. This
year, Saudi Arabia revamped the Jamarat site and deployed
thousands of security forces to control the crowd.
Saudi authorities, facing a storm of criticism, had
promised radical safety procedures, including electronic
signposts, more exits and other crowd control measures in
the Jamarat area.
The pilgrims who began streaming into the narrow
mountain pass early on Thursday found they could stone
three thick walls which replaced the thin pillars.
The walls, admired by the pilgrims, were erected this
year to provide a larger stoning target and prevent the
crush that occurred when pilgrims rushed to take aim at the
pillars.
This year's pilgrimage, a once-in-a-lifetime duty for
every able-bodied Muslim, has been overshadowed by the
Asian tsunami disaster and the threat of al Qaeda-linked
violence in the kingdom, which has been battling the group
for nearly two years.
About 57,000 police and special forces have deployed in
the holy sites and so far, no major incidents have
occurred.
In Mecca, a leading Saudi cleric warned Muslims against
waging terror attacks in the name of Islam during a sermon
to mark the feast of Eid al-Adha, the third day of haj.
Pilgrims have said they were praying for nations
ravaged by the giant wave and earthquake off Indonesia on
Dec. 26 which killed more than 226,000 people, mainly Muslims.
This year, for the first time, Muslim pilgrims have
been boarding flights in the Kurdish north of Iraq and
flying directly to the haj in Mecca, able to avoid the
overland journey through Iraq they feared with Saddam
Hussein in power.
Pilgrims must perform the stoning ritual three times.
Many will stay in Jamarat until Friday (January 21), the
penultimate day of the five-day haj which was first
performed by Islam's Prophet Mohammad 1,400 years ago.
Pilgrims, male and female, cut their hair after
completing the first stoning session. They then head to
Mecca to circle the Kabaa, which symbolises the house of
God, dressed in white robes meant to eradicate class and
make all Muslims equal.
During the Eid, Muslims also slay livestock in
commemoration of Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son
Ismail at God's command. Pilgrims buy special coupons from
the haj organisers that represent the slain animal.
Mecca, a city of traders who make their living from the
pilgrim traffic, was alive throughout the night as pilgrims
flocked to the Grand Mosque and then barbers for a haircut.
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