The yearly hajj pilgrimage to Mecca has often been plagued by fires, stampedes and occasional riots. The risks are even greater this year, with epidemics from Asia and terrorism in Saudi Arabia.
But more than 2 million Muslims are expected to put their faith above their fears for the pilgrimage that will begin next week at Mecca's Grand Mosque, a trip required once in a lifetime of every able-bodied Muslim who can afford it.
PHOTO: AP
The ritual, which can last four to six days, is vitally important to Muslims. But it carries risks, in part because of sheer numbers: last year, nearly 2 million people attended. Pilgrims have several times been killed in stampedes of crowds, the worst of which in 1990 left 1,426 people dead.
The new challenges this year include infectious diseases as diverse as Ebola and SARS. In such close quarters, all pilgrims are at risk of infections from their fellow faithful.
Saudi Arabia has also been struck by two terrorist bombings in the past year that killed 51 people, including eight Americans, at housing compounds for foreigners. Saudi and US officials have blamed the al-Qaeda network of Saudi exile Osama bin Laden.
Along with the usual security concerns, Saudi authorities have been concerned about possible anti-American riots at the hajj since many Muslims are angry at the US war in Afghanistan, the occupation of Iraq and Washington's support for Israel.
But Mohammed Abdulaziz, head of a hajj group for American pilgrims in the Saudi city of Jiddah, said that more American pilgrims are arriving this year than ever before.
"Muslim Americans have not shied away despite the recent attacks in the kingdom," he said. "Their numbers have risen slightly from last year."
Deadly political protests are not new at the hajj. In 1987, 402 people, mostly Iranian pilgrims, were killed and 649 wounded in Mecca when security forces clashed with Iranians staging anti-US demonstration.
In 1989, two bombs exploded in Mecca, killing one pilgrim and wounding 16. Saudi authorites blamed Iranian-inspired terrorists and later beheaded 16 Kuwaiti Shiite Muslims for the bombings. Iran denied involvement, and relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia -- cut after the 1987 Mecca clash -- have improved in recent years.
In a statement Monday, Saudi Arabia's King Fahd urged pilgrims not to cause trouble during the hajj, warning them to follow the kingdom's laws and "avoid actions that would desecrate the pilgrimage."
"The hajj has historically been a period of potential trouble and instability, and my sense is that Saudi authorities are taking the security challenges before them very seriously," said Daniel Benjamin, a terrorism expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, who recently returned from Saudi Arabia.
The hajj rituals involve circling the Kaaba, the large cubic stone structure that Muslims face during their five daily prayers; praying at Mount Arafat; throwing pebbles from giant ramps surrounding three pillars symbolizing the devil; and slaughtering a camel, sheep or cow to mark the beginning of Eid al-Adha, the Feast of the Sacrifice.
In 2001, 35 people died in a stampede during the devil stoning ritual. In 1998, a stampede at the stoning ritual killed 180 people. A 1997 fire in Mina just outside Mecca killed more than 340 pilgrims and injured 1,500, and a 1994 stampede killed 270 pilgrims.
Saudi Health Minister Hamad al-Manie told reporters last week that pilgrims from the Republic of Congo will not be allowed at the hajj this year because of a recent Ebola epidemic there.
But he said there was no ban on Chinese pilgrims, despite the re-emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome. SARS killed 774 people worldwide last year, and three new cases have emerged in China since December.
Scanners to detect arriving pilgrims with high body temperatures -- a possible sign of SARS -- have been installed at airports, where 500 health workers have been deployed, said Khaled bin Saleh al-Sawaf, director of health services in Jiddah.
Arriving in Mecca is not always easy, with pilgrims facing bureaucratic hassles in home countries, visa problems, corruption and bad logistics.
About 6,000 Iraqi pilgrims, stranded at the border with Kuwait for several days because of problems with visas and flight schedules began trickling into Kuwait late Sunday and flying on to Saudi Arabia.
The pilgrims were initially supposed to fly directly to Saudi Arabia from Baghdad International Airport, but US authorities -- who control the airport -- blocked the flights for security reasons.
In all, some 30,000 Iraqi pilgrims are expected to make the pilgrimage this year, the largest contingent in 35 years, free from Saddam Hussein's restrictions.
In Indonesia, many potential pilgrims are fuming this year because of a government bungle that meant last-minute cancellations for 30,000 participants. Jakarta asked Saudi Arabia for an extra 30,000 visas, and sold the tickets, wrongly assuming its quota request would be granted.
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