As Haj begins, Saudi officials focus on protecting pilgrims

Muslim pilgrims leave the Grand Mosque, walking toward Mina during the Hajj on October 2. Saudi Arabia sought to assure the public that the kingdom was safe and free of health scares as an estimated two million Muslims streamed into a sprawling tent city near Mecca on Thursday for the start of the annual Islamic hajj pilgrimage. Khalid Mohammed / AP PhotoShow less

MECCA // Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims began a mass movement on Thursday out of the holy city of Mecca towards nearby Mina at the launch of Haj.

This year’s Haj comes with Saudi authorities striving to protect pilgrims from two viruses, Ebola and Mers.

It is also taking place against the backdrop of widespread revulsion among Muslims towards the ISIL militant group.

The UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain and Jordan have joined Washington in airstrikes in Syria against the militants, who have taken over areas of that country and Iraq where they have committed a spate of atrocities.

Authorities say close to 1.4 million believers have come from abroad to take part, alongside pilgrims from Saudi Arabia.

“It is a beautiful feeling,” said Aziza Yousfy, 60, from Algeria, before leaving Mecca.

Seeing nearby Mina Valley and Mount Arafat “has always been a dream for me”, she said.

Sayed Tajamul Haq, 64, an Indian pilgrim walking with his wife, voiced hope that “God will accept our prayers for forgiveness and mercy”, during an experience he described with a smile as “fantastic”.

A recent French convert to Islam had driven 7,000 kilometres from North Africa to take part, the Arab News reported.

Pilgrims were moving a few kilometres from Mecca to Mina by bus or on foot on Thursday.

In Mina, they will pray and rest before moving on to Mount Arafat for the climax of the pilgrimage rituals on Friday.

Security has not noticeably increased around the holy sites, but a witness saw three checkpoints between Jeddah and Mecca, where security officers checked for Haj permits.

Officials say they have intensified efforts to stop people attending Haj without authorisation, as part of safety measures for such a large gathering with massive logistical challenges.

The official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported more than 145,000 unauthorised pilgrims have been turned away.

Eighteen aircraft and Black Hawk helicopters will patrol and be on standby for emergencies including “terrorist attacks”, Arab News reported.

“The aircraft are equipped with thermal cameras and shooting platforms,” General Mohammed Eid Al Harbi said.

Saudi news channel Al Ekhbariya has broadcast footage of commandos rappelling from helicopters and performing other exercises to demonstrate their readiness.

Supplementing the security and civil defence officers are thousands of health workers.

While Ebola has hit Africa, most Mers cases worldwide have been in Saudi Arabia.

Pilgrims from Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, the three nations hardest-hit by Ebola which has killed more than 3,000 people in West Africa this year, have been denied entry.

No Ebola cases have yet been found in the kingdom.

The health ministry on Wednesday announced the country’s latest Mers victim, a 43-year-old Saudi man who died in Taif, east of Mecca.

But “no infectious cases have been recorded among the pilgrims,” said the acting health minister Adel Fakieh.

He said “the health situation of the pilgrims is reassuring”.

* Agence France-Presse