Arab Spring, regional tensions overshadow Muslim pilgrimage
By Nehal El-Sherif, dpa
Cairo (dpa) - Every year, when around 3 million Muslims gather in Saudi Arabia for the hajj pilgrimage, a major incident seems to overshadow the rituals - the worldwide swine flu scare, floods in Saudi Arabia or even economic crises.
This year, the event is dominated by the Arab Spring and political upheaval, although many of the pilgrims come from outside the region.
"I came to thank God that we have been liberated," Saeed Abdullah, a Libyan pilgrim, said in Mecca.
"I will pray for the safety of my country during the hajj," said Abdullah, who arrived from the eastern city of Benghazi, the birthplace of the Libyan uprising.
The protests calling for democracy and freedom, which have already ousted three North Africa leaders, has produced new friends and foes.
While Saudi Arabia has welcomed the Libyan uprising against their old rival Moamer Gaddafi, it sent troops to help neighbouring Bahrain suppress Shiite pro-democracy protests against the ruling Sunni family.
The oil-rich kingdom has urged pilgrims to forget the tumult and tensions in the different states and concentrate on religion. It has also warned against the distribution of political flyers.
"We are ready to face all events, whatever they are. Our means are peaceful... except for those who want to attack, whom we will prevent with all means," said Interior Minister Naif bin Abdel Aziz, who was recently designated crown prince.
Some fear possible ill-treatment in the kingdom that hold Islam's holiest sites.
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| Pilgrims at Mount Arafat during the Hajj (epa) |
In September, hundreds of Egyptians returning from the minor pilgrimage, known as Umrah, claimed they had faced "deliberate humiliation," while stranded for a week at Jeddah Airport.
Others claimed they had been beaten by Saudi security officers for "putting (ousted president Hosny) Mubarak on trial." Saudi and Egyptian officials denied this, attributing the disagreements to excess baggage.
The hottest topic is the feud between Riyadh and Tehran over an alleged Iranian plot to kill the Saudi ambassador to Washington.
While Iran strongly denies involvement, Saudi Arabia is taking the threat seriously.
The accusations come after a series of protests by Saudi Arabia's Shiite minority in the eastern part of the state. The monarchy blamed the unrest on a "foreign country," alluding to Iran.
Naif dismissed any threat from pilgrims from Shiite-dominated Iran, saying that "the Iranians have always shown their respect for the hajj."
There has long been rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Iran, which both see themselves as guardians of the Muslim world, exacerbated by the fact that both are rich in oil reserves.
In 1987, violent clashes erupted during the Hajj pilgrimage between Shiite pilgrims and demonstrators backed by Saudi Arabian security forces. These took place after tensions escalated between the two sides and left around 400 dead.
There has been no violence since then, and the pilgrimage has been marred only by isolated crushes often resulting in dozens of deaths.
Clerics urge pilgrims to use the hajj exclusively for worship and to take their minds off politics.
"I think the hajj is separate from the so-called Arab Spring and the toppling of a number of Arab leaders in the popular uprisings. Pilgrims want only to get closer to God," said Sheikh Mohannad al-Rikabi, an Iraqi Shiite cleric.
"The joy of change and overthrowing tyrants is great and I see people congratulate each other for that, but I do not think it will prevail during the Hajj," al-Rikabi told dpa from Baghdad.
The Hajj rituals begin on Friday and peak on Saturday, when pilgrims gather from dawn until sunset on Mount Arafat, where the Prophet Mohammed is said to have delivered his Farewell Sermon to those who accompanied him on the hajj 14 centuries ago.
This could be the chance for pilgrims to exchange views on the latest developments in Yemen and Syria, where pro-democracy protests are violently suppressed almost daily.
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