MINA, 21 February — At Mina there was a sense of optimism. Hundreds of thousands of men and women arrived in waves to the sprawling tent city chanting “Here I am, O God, here I am” — the traditional Haj call or Talbiah.
The pilgrims were extremely pleased with the facilities that had been made available. A completely new tent city has been erected at the site. The tents came in many sizes and were roomy and comfortable as a rule. They had air-conditioning, electric lighting, rugs, and for journalists, the tents were even equipped with telephone lines and a fax machine. The tents were grouped conveniently near hygiene facilities. Individual stalls contained toilets and showers, while sinks were in a separate area. The lavatory facilities were cleaned hourly.
At the outskirts of the major tent groupings were huge numbers of food vendors. Tables were groaning under the weight of incredible amounts of food and beverages. Every imaginable type of edible was available except for western fast food. Shawarma grills were beside platters of biriyani, which competed with fried chicken and batter-dipped vegetables. Cookies and fruit were piled in colorful mounds. Soft drinks and water were being hawked on every corner. All the foodstuffs were price controlled with maximum prices set in advance by the municipality. Many of the pilgrims came to the food areas only for snacks as their three main meals were delivered to their tents by their tour organizers.
Despite the excellent facilities there still were significant numbers of individuals who were resting along the roadsides, sleeping under the overpasses or squatting on sidewalks. Even though Haj is only to be performed by those who are of the means, beggars were everywhere. Some went to great lengths to disguise the fact that they were able-bodied. When offered food or water these charlatans refused. They were only interested in cash.
With the huge crowds milling around, movement from place to place was an adventure. Police officers were clearly stressed as they attempted to keep traffic flowing. They did not want to be interrupted in their task with questions and instructed people to move along, although some pilgrims didn’t know where to go. Stopping in the street was frowned upon. Some police officers were aggressive with drivers who had pulled over outside designated areas. People were put at risk in cases where drivers of buses were ordered to move when passengers had not yet finished boarding. Drivers were forced to put vehicles in motion with mothers stuck in stairwells clutching small children and elderly pilgrims clinging for dear life to bus doors.
The morning began hot and sunny and there were fears that the heat might be overwhelming for those from cold climates, but the wind picked up early in the afternoon and the light breeze brought welcome relief.
Arab News met with hundreds of pilgrims from the United States. Many were of Arab heritage. Most of those that spoke with us had performed the pilgrimage previously even though it cost thousands of dollars for them to do so. They all felt that being a Muslim in the US had become more of a challenge since Sept. 11.
Saher Bedoui, a New Yorker of Egyptian heritage, is 42 years old and was performing his second Haj. He had come for pilgrimage the first time in 1983, so he noted many changes. Bedoui paid $2,000 for his entire Haj package. He was delighted with the improvements in the facilities at Makkah and Mina and he felt that thus far his Haj had been so much easier than the last time that he would like to come every year. He was impressed with the spirit of community around him at Mina.
“It has been hard for Muslims in the United States after Sept. 11,” Bedoui said. “Immediately after the attacks people were so shocked and that is when many Muslims were mistreated. Most of the aggression against Muslims was due to ignorance. Now people are discovering Islam and educating themselves and we aren’t experiencing so much ill will.”
Forty-five-year-old Jalal Hassan from New Jersey comes for Haj just about every other year. He spent $2,350 for his journey. Because he comes so frequently, Hassan doesn’t see dramatic changes in the organization of the event. He was very upset that it had taken 10 hours for him to clear customs and immigration in Jeddah. He believes that the immigration process needs to be streamlined and that the very best officers should be brought in to handle the vast numbers.
“Once we arrived in Mina I was happy to find that the facilities were much better, cleaner, more organized and user friendly than in the past,” said Hassan. “I wish this had been my first impression of this year’s Haj rather than the scene in Jeddah.”
Hassan did note that it was a pleasure to see so many Muslims in one place and so many Muslims who were proud to look like Muslims. He explained that in the US the public’s perception of Muslims is tainted because of misinformation put out by the media. Consequently some Muslims have had to change their appearance to avoid rude comments and abuse. They have taken to trimming their beards and modifying their dress so they could not be singled out as Muslims.
While most American Muslims who spoke to Arab News were from the northeastern part of the US, Muhammad Istradly said he hailed from South Carolina, a state lacking in frigid temperatures. Consequently, he found the weather in Mina really pleasant.
Perhaps because at 53 he was older than most of the other American pilgrims Arab News met, Istradly was more conscious of the aggressive behavior of some people. He wished for a Haj where everyone would be polite and helpful. He disliked the pushing and rushing, especially when he found himself unavoidably caught up in it.
Istradly spoke about life for American Muslims. He explained that there are eight million Muslims in America but that for many reasons they don’t have much power and influence. He hoped that the tragedies of Sept. 11 would help people discover the truth about Islam. He said that in conversations with American Muslim organizations he had been told that inquiries about Islam had increased dramatically since the autumn.
“It’s important that media in Islamic countries become more active,” Istradly advised. “Western media organizations are putting out the message that Islam is a militant, terrorist religion. Right now there’s nothing to counteract them. I don’t see a lot of improvement in Americans’ attitudes toward Muslims since Sept. 11. Some women are afraid to wear Hijab now. I don’t blame average Americans for this situation. But I do blame the people in the media. In order to improve matters all Muslims need to work harder to educate our communities and educate media members on the damage they are causing through their ignorance.”
There were many African Americans in the crowds. Haleem Abu Baker, from Newark New Jersey stopped for a quick chat. He had invested $2,500 in his pilgrimage. Abu Baker is just 35 years old but he has already come for Haj three times.
Abu Baker comes from an area where there are many Muslims and he says that the Muslim community has tried hard to be positive and move forward since Sept. 11. They have opened Masjid Al-Rahman in their city and they are offering many classes to help people understand Islam. “If people understand Islam, they will respect it,” explained Abu Baker. “But Muslims have to work hard for this to happen.”
Annan Hassan Ali, an Egyptian living in New York City, came to renew herself spiritually at Haj this year. At 63 years, she has seen a lot of human nature but even for someone with her experience, life since Sept. 11 has been tough. “It’s been very hard on Muslims in the US since September,” said Ali.
“I came here for Haj with only one idea in mind, to pray for Allah’s help. When I’m standing at Arafat I will have only one request to ask of Him: Please bring peace to the world.”
