MINA, 18 December 2007 — Journalists, who are described as the chroniclers of the first draft of history, are here in large numbers covering the largest gathering of Muslims in the world. There are journalists from all over the globe reporting for all kinds of media: print, broadcast and web.

And because Saudi telecom companies have arranged Wi-Fi access points here in this tent city, many Western journalists are blogging their stories for a more-than-eager home audience.

Talking to Arab News at the media center here, they were unanimous in their view that this was not just any other black and white story.

“Haj is one event where the professional and personal line of a reporter is blurred by a fervor of religious enthusiasm,” said Saudi journalist Hassan Al-Harthy.

“I cannot describe my feelings despite the fact that I have been reporting this event for the last eight years now,” he said.

“Extraordinary is the word that I want to use for this particular story. I have seldom seen a gathering of so many people behaving in such a dignified manner, crying for mercy and helping each other. I feel proud to be part of this great show of humanity,” he said.

“Haj is a unique event,” said Imtiaz Jaleel of India’s NDTV channel. “Two million people doing the same thing at the same time without losing their tempers in an orderly fashion ... It can only be experienced and not described in word,” he said.

“Imagine a 46-year-old man carrying his mother, whose age is evident from the wrinkles on her face, in the hot mid-day sun looking for their tent in Mina and still feeling happy. ... Where else can you come across such poignant footage,” he added. Naseer Salimi, deputy editor of Daily Pakistan, felt that reporting about the Muslim world would remain incomplete without covering the Haj. “Indeed, this is a big story,” he said.

“The spirit of sharing and caring here is remarkable. The pilgrims move in big groups, are highly organized and always walk in small, measured steps. However, the one thing that will always remain with me is the Talbiyah: ‘Labaik Allahumma Labaik...’ It has a magical effect on me,” Salimi said.

“I would like to cover Haj again and again,” said Ibrahim Al-Zaidy, a TV journalist from Brunei.

“Haj is the manifestation of Muslim unity. There is a lesson for everybody here. In Islam, racial and international boundaries have no meaning,” he said. “The sense of piety and the sense of responsibility, and the eagerness of young pilgrims has to be seen to be believed,” Al-Zaidy added.

“I have been covering Haj for quite some time now and I have to commend Saudi Arabia for extending what seem like unimaginable facilities. They have left nothing to chance. ... And that’s why hundreds and thousands of hands will go up in prayers for them at Arafat tomorrow,” he said.

Rafik Alam, who owns an English weekly in his home country, said, “The Saudis have done a wonderful job. They have spent millions of dollars to provide the best of facilities for pilgrims.”

He added, “For me coming here is like a spiritual journey ... a renewal of faith ... I want Muslims to unite, I want them to sit together to sort out their problems and I want them to regain their lost glory ... If we can forget our differences, our dress and our cultures here we can overcome differences as well.”

Jameela Zaitun, editor of a Malay magazine, said covering Haj was very different in that here you cannot stay aloof from the crowd. “You become part of it. ... You get carried away. ... I was impressed by the show of unity here,” she added.

Muhammad Wadud, an Egyptian photojournalist, said, “I wish they had invented even bigger lenses to capture all of the two million pilgrims ... weeping and praying for mercy with their trembling hands outstretched in prayer.... This is amazing and unbelievable.”

But nobody can forget the fact that it was Riz Khan who put Haj on the international media scene with his scintillating coverage for the CNN in 1998. Riz Khan himself, however, credits the success of that coverage to his producer Jim Miller. “He was the man who effectively brought the Haj to the world on satellite television,” Khan wrote in one of his article. But how?

“As one of CNN’s top international field producers, Jim had seen action in just about every war zone, disaster zone and general news zone. In 1990, CNN had sent him to Saudi Arabia as part of the large logistical team producing coverage on the invasion of Iraq and subsequent intervention by US-led forces. While he was there, Jim monitored local television channels and witnessed the huge gathering of pilgrims in Makkah. Saudi TV was putting the pictures out across the country, and Jim just stood there with his mouth open in awe. He was stunned by the sight of so many people crammed into such a small town. As he investigated what the pilgrimage was all about, he realized that this was actually a big story for an international news network.”

And since then it has indeed become the most sought after story in the world of media.