Muslim pilgrims move to Muzdalifah, pray for peace

Muzdalifah (Saudi Arabia), Dec 30: More than 2 million Muslim pilgrims, mostly on foot, today streamed down to Muzdalifah near Mecca after a day of prayer in a haj marked by concerns over sectarian violence.

An elated mass of pilgrims, clad in white robes symbolising equality and selflessness, chanted prayers in Arabic as they slowly moved along a vast floodlit avenue towards Muzdalifah, where haj tradition says they should spend the night.

Many carried their belongings on their backs, and some pushed along relatives in wheelchairs. Others climbed onto motorbikes, buses and any other means of transport at hand.

''Spending the night at Muzdalifah is a test for all Muslims because they are exposed to the elements,'' said Mohammed Abbas, an Egyptian in his 60s resting by the roadside after the march.

''We are away from all comforts and this teaches us patience before we embark on the final haj rituals,'' he added.

In one of the world's biggest displays of mass religious devotion, pilgrims spend five days following a route around the mountains of the ancient city of Mecca.

The gruelling ritual is a duty for every able-bodied Muslim who can afford to make the trip. Pilgrims on foot have now walked some 35 km in the first two days.

A record 1.65 million pilgrims have come from abroad, a 6 per cent rise on the last haj. Several hundred thousand people inside Saudi Arabia usually receive permits too.

Earlier, pilgrims spent the day at Mount Arafat, a sacred zone outside Mecca where the Prophet Mohammad gave his last sermon 1,400 years ago and tradition says God is sure to answer the believer's prayers.

''There is a great feeling of spirituality fills you on haj, with this divine atmosphere and cooperation among Muslims,'' said Shakir Bakr, a student from an Islamic seminary in Mali.

Security Fears

With such large crowds, Saudi Arabia deploys more than 50,000 security men to try to avoid deadly stampedes, as well as attacks by Islamists opposed to the US-allied Saudi royals.

Security fears are heightened this year because of sectarian strife between Sunni and Shi'ite Muslims around the region. The authorities want to make sure it does not spread to the haj, which has witnessed political protests in the past.

''The haj rites are not the place for slogans, postures and name-calling,'' top Saudi cleric Sheikh Abdulaziz Al al-Sheikh said in an afternoon sermon at Mount Arafat.

Saturday, Sunday and Monday -- the last three days of the haj -- will be the key test of new safety arrangements at the Jamarat Bridge, scene of deadly stampedes in the past.

Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah today visited the site, reviewing construction work meant to allow 250,000 pilgrims to pass over the bridge in safety each hour.

Over three days pilgrims will come to throw stones at three large walls representing the spot where Islam says Satan tried to tempt the biblical patriarch Abraham.

In January, 362 pilgrims were crushed to death there in the worst haj tragedy in 16 years.

Many clerics of Saudi Arabia's hardline Wahhabi brand of Islam insist the stoning must take place in the afternoon, raising the prospect of a surge of pilgrims at one time.

Saudi authorities have said they will crack down hard on Muslims who try to sneak into Mecca without official permits -- but anecdotal evidence suggests total pilgrim numbers this season have swelled to more than the 2.6 million record.

Reuters