MINA, 12 February 2003 — We were lucky to leave Arafat ahead of the crowd on Monday. Many pilgrims could not get to Muzdalifa until midnight. Most of those who made it to Muzdalifa early came on foot. Hisham O. Hussein, a young Palestinian, said his bus moved only one meter every 10 minutes. Eventually he got tired of going nowhere and decided to walk. Unfortunately, that choice wasn’t open to pilgrims weighed down with too many belongings or afraid of getting permanently separated from their group. They were forced to stay with the buses and wait. Due to the lack of shelter, Arafat is a difficult place to stay for any length of time. After sunset the mosquitoes come out, attacking viciously. The male pilgrims were more affected than the females as their ihram did not give them adequate protection from the pests. Today, many pilgrims are sporting large swellings on their arms and feet.
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From the pictures in this and other newspapers and on television you might get the impression that Haj is a sea of white; but on the ground with the pilgrims Haj is amazingly colorful. Each national group carries a flag. Many of the pilgrims have signs or designs pinned to their clothing to help them identify each other. They carry prayer rugs over their arms and clutch bags in their hands. Even the pilgrims’ faces are colorful. Every shade of human skin is represented. Among the two million pilgrims are tall Afghans with flowing beards, bushy eyebrows and aquiline noses; Somalis with their graceful gait; Sudanese with smiles on their faces at all times; Egyptians with goatees; fair-skinned Iranians, always in a large group; and young Pakistanis with their trademark moustaches.
The pilgrims are of every age, too. Those from the Indian subcontinent are often elderly, 50 being the average age. This means that a huge number are crippled and infirm. They manage to get through the rituals by helping each other, but at the end of each day they are exhausted, their bodies completely sapped of resources. Many told me they wished they had found a way to go on Haj when they were younger.
Pilgrims from the Subcontinent tend to use their retirement or end-of-service benefits to finance the Haj. On the other hand, the Haj contingents from Indonesia and Malaysia are mostly young adults. The societies of these nations encourage their people to perform Haj before marriage. Additionally, there are a large number of housemaids from Indonesia at the pilgrimage. Their employment contracts specify that their employer must assist them in going to Haj during their two years in Saudi Arabia.
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Nations outside Saudi Arabia are doing more to educate the Muslims coming for Haj, and this has been very helpful. The efforts of the Indonesians and the Malaysians stand out. They are very well organized and have obviously received a great deal of education on how to perform Haj, focusing on both the spiritual and practical aspects. They have religious guides with them, who keep them engaged in prayer and directing their minds toward making the most of their time at Mina and Arafat. They walk together in tight groups, with the strongest pilgrims on the outside and the weakest at the center. They take small steps and move forward almost as one. This helps to keep them from getting lost or injured.
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Speaking of injuries, the scene this morning at the Grand Jamrat or Jamrat Al-Aqaba was incredible as usual. The pilgrims are supposed to throw small pebbles at this representation of Satan, but many get carried away and imagine that they are seeing Satan himself before their eyes. In a desperate attempt to strike at him, they throw sandals, shoes, umbrellas — almost anything — at the Jamrat. This can be very dangerous, as heavier objects do not travel far and sometimes come down on other pilgrims in the area. Worse, with all the sharp objects on the ground, those pilgrims who threw away their sandals find it difficult to complete the rest of the rituals.
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After the Jamrat has been stoned, the sacrifice made and the barber visited, joy is evident on the pilgrims’ faces and their minds turn to the more mundane pleasures of life, like shopping and sports. I was surprised when a Pakistani pilgrim came up to me and asked for the score of the cricket match. He thought I was listening to a radio held to my ear. Actually, I was using an ancient Ericsson cell phone, which looks a bit like a small transistor radio...
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In the few glimpses I have had of the Haj coverage on television, I have been saddened by the attempts of satellite channels to try and exploit the nationalist sentiments of some pilgrims. The reality is quite different. There are no disagreements or disputes among them. In fact, the pilgrims are saying that they must work for peace by holding tightly to the spirit of Islam that has been rekindled within them during Haj. Covering the Haj is a great opportunity to help change the image of Muslims that has been planted in Western minds. Islam is not about violence. The message of true Islam is peace. On the plains of Arafat I watched millions of Muslims pray for peace. There is no rancor in their voices. They seem secure in the belief that sooner or later the beauty of Islam will be realized.
