Muslim pilgrims say safety in God's hands at haj

MECCA, Saudi Arabia, Dec 28 (Reuters) Nazir Hussein's uncle and aunt were among 362 Muslim pilgrims who were killed in a stampede in Mecca in January.

But that has not stopped the Indian-born London Underground worker and his two sons from joining 2 million pilgrims who will begin the 5-day haj ritual in the birthplace of Islam tomorrow.

''I have absolutely no fear, no concern whatsoever. It is part of our faith and that's why we are here,'' said Hussein, one of some 23,000 British nationals in Mecca for the annual haj.

''You have to put everything out of your mind because accidents do happen everywhere else in the world.'' A duty for every able-bodied Muslim at least once in a lifetime, haj is one of the biggest displays of mass religious devotion in the world. With such large crowds, many of whom gripped by religious fervour, tragedies do happen.

In January, 362 pilgrims were crushed to death due to overcrowding at the Jamarat Bridge during the last haj season. The toll was the worst on the bridge for 16 years. It followed the death of 76 people in the collapse of a hotel in Mecca before the rites began.

Saudi Interior Minister Prince Nayef said improvements introduced this year would prevent overcrowding at the Jamarat Bridge, which will witness from Sunday the symbolic stoning of the devil, the most incident-prone of haj's rituals.

''We hope that this year's haj will not witness any incidents,'' Prince Nayef told reporters on Tuesday.

Saudi Arabia has allocated 1.1 billion dollar to expand the Jamarat Bridge into a multi-storey structure. The first phase, completed in time for this week's haj, allows up to 250,000 pilgrims to move across the bridge each hour, a Pilgrimage Ministry official said.

Once the three remaining levels of the bridge are completed, the bridge will be able to accommodate over 4 million pilgrims.

IN THE HANDS OF GOD Ibrahim Mustapha said he had noticed improvements since last year but that the pilgrims' fate was in God's hands.

''I'm not worried about potential incidents because, at the end of the day, it's all in the hands of God,'' said the 26-year-old Mauritanian, his second pilgrimage in two years.

Saudi authorities have deployed more than 35,000 security and rescue staff in Mecca for the haj. They broadcast messages in several languages around the Grand Mosque after prayers, urging pilgrims to proceed slowly and avoid pushing.

Police have barricaded roads leading to the Jamarat Bridge to prevent pilgrims from camping out there and blocking the way.

Even some clerics are helping the kingdom's efforts to avoid overcrowding. They issued a religious edict this month allowing pilgrims to begin the devil-stoning ritual in the morning rather than the afternoon as per tradition.

Pilgrims were less concerned about potential attacks by al Qaeda militants or violence between Sunnis and Shi'ites, despite growing tension between members of Islam's two main branches.

''We are under a complete news blackout, we focus on our daily prayers and on performing the rituals,'' said Imran Adam, a London-based management consultant. ''This is a time of unity for all Muslims, Shi'ites and Sunnis.'' REUTERS PDM PM1814