Saudi Interference with Muslims During the Hajj

by Dr. Irfan Al-Alawi

The hajj pilgrimage to Mecca is one of the five pillars of Islam - every adult Muslim who is physically able and can afford it is required to make the journey once before dying. For about two million people each year, the hajj is a supreme moment of devotion to the religion of the Prophet Muhammad.

For the Wahhabi clerics who direct the official state sect in Saudi Arabia, however, the hajj is more an ideological than a spiritual observance.

The small number of Muslims allowed to make the journey - 2 million out of at least 1.3 billion Muslims around the world - is a giveaway: The Wahhabis carefully vet hajj pilgrims, to exclude those of whom they disapprove.

Saudi-Wahhabi adherents prohibit and interfere with honours offered by hajjis to Muhammad, his family, his companions, his successors, and other Muslim holy people. In the perverse Wahhabi system - shared with the Deobandi sect in South Asia that leads the Taliban - expressing love for the Prophet and other distinguished Muslims is polytheism, setting up ‘partners’ alongside the creator.

Today, Wahhabis and Deobandis condemn celebrating the Prophet’s birthday (mawlid) as an imitation of Christians, even though mawlid continues to be held wherever Muslims live - even, privately, in the Saudi kingdom. By contrast, traditional Islamic theologians praised the Christians for their love of their Prophet - as he is seen in Islam, although Muslims do not believe Jesus was the son of God. Traditional Muslims reply to the extremists that a religion that does not esteem its Prophet cannot bring fulfillment to its followers.

Wahhabis also despise the preservation of historic religious architecture, including shrines, graves, tombs, and notable mosques and madrassas. To them, Muslim prayer at any such sites is, again, polytheism - making a gravestone or a house into an idol.

During the nearly 150-year long effort, beginning in the 18th century, to establish the Saudi-Wahhabi regime, the fanatics banned any construction, visiting, or prayer at shrines, graves, and tombs. Today they remain especially avid to wipe out the structures in which Muhammad and his family lived, lest Muslims visit and pray at them. Since their seizure of Mecca in 1924, the Wahhabi mentors of the Saudi royal family have schemed to extirpate the very building in which Muhammad was born - it was first turned into a cattle market, then into a library, but remains under threat of replacement by a car park.

They have demolished or otherwise covered over the grave of the Prophet’s mother, and the house in which Muhammad lived with his wife Khadijah and their children. They also destroyed the first Islamic school in which the Prophet taught.

The Wahhabi mutawwa, or morals patrols (often miscalled a ‘religious police’) harass hajjis who visit the Prophet’s Shrine in Medina if pilgrims face the direction of Muhammad’s sarcophagus and utter blessings. But the intersection of naked vandalism and Wahhabi proscriptions against long-established Muslim customs is nowhere more dramatic than at Jannat-al-Baqi, the Medina cemetery of the Prophet’s family and companions. Jannat al-Baqi once included numerous domed shrines. But the Wahhabis tore down the monuments, turned the cemetery into a garbage dump, and prevented identification of any of the graves there.

Recent Western media coverage has noted that Shia Muslims continue to visit the site of Jannat al-Baqi and to pray, recite blessings, and express their emotions at the sanctity of those buried there.

The mutawwa - including Arabs, Afghans, and Bangladeshis who understand the hajjis’ speech - not only tell them to lower their voices, but also confiscate their religious literature, and frequently detain and abuse them. The controversy over Jannat al-Baqi has been interpreted by some non-Muslim commentators as an expression of geopolitical rivalry between the Saudi kingdom, which proclaims its adherence to Sunnism, and Shia Iran. Iran, it is said, is using the issue of cultural devastation in Arabia to gain support for its political position among the world’s Muslims.

To believe such a claim is a serious error. Sunnis, especially followers of Sufi spirituality, are no less outraged by the wanton destruction of Islamic heritage, as symbolized by the transformation of Jannat al-Baqi into a waste ground, than are Shias.

The rescue of Islamic heritage is not a political issue between states but a serious challenge to Muslims of any and all partisan views. Sunni Sufis who visit Jannat al-Baqi to express their affection for the Muslims interred there also suffer at the hands of the mutawwa: they are also pushed around and told how to pray, they see their religious books seized and torn up, and they have been arrested and beaten. In doctrinal terms, Sunni Sufis and Shias differ on many issues, but they are united in seeking to protect Islam’s physical legacy.

Saudi Arabia is the only country in the world that officially rejects the concept of cultural preservation.

While some archeological work goes on, it is typically hidden from the public or downgraded to minor facilities. Saudi King Abdullah has commenced various efforts to normalize his country, which is the sole state in the world to prevent women from driving, among other Wahhabi stupidities.

A bold step in the right direction would be the dissolution of the mutawwa and an end to interference with the spiritual habits of hajj pilgrims, Sunni and Shia, Sufi and non-Sufi, alike.

If anybody believes the contention over cultural vandalism in Arabia favors Iran, an end to such irresponsible Saudi policies would certainly deprive the Iranians of a basis for their complaints.

Hudson New York

Thirty flight crew members stranded in Medina, can't venture outside because they're non-Muslims

If they did venture out, the could be killed. Islamic Tolerance Alert from the Kingdom of the Two Holy Places: "Crew members stranded in Muslim holy city," from Herald Scotland, December 18

Thirty Flyglobespan crew members are stranded in the Muslim holy city of Medina in Saudi Arabia.

The airline had a contract to carry passengers between Delhi in India and Medina for the Hajj pilgrimage.

Flyglobespan captain Bob Lee revealed that the crew members have been confined to their hotel for at least four days because, as non-Muslims, they are not allowed to move around the city.

He said crew members were unable to get seats on flights out of Medina because of the huge demand.

Capt Lee said 1,000 Flyglobespan passengers from India were also trying to find alternative flights home, adding to the difficulties facing the crew.

Katrina McBride, from Fife, said: "My daughter and a number of other crew who work for Flyglobespan are currently based in Saudi and India - who's looking after them? Who will bring them home, when and how soon?

"We are currently in limited communication with my daughter who is in a state of panic.

"She has already phoned, crying her eyes out worrying about what will happen, who will pay her hotel bill as she been working out there for almost six weeks?"

With thanks to JihadWatch

Saudi flood victim toll increases

Saudi emergency services have said the toll from floods that tore through the port city of Jeddah this week has risen to 106.

Torrents of water inundated the Red Sea port on Wednesday after Saudi Arabia saw some of the heaviest rainfall in years. Some 1,400 residents had to be rescued.

Many of the victims were drowned or were killed by collapsing bridges and in car crashes.

Civil defence planes flew over the affected areas searching for missing people, the Jeddah authorities said in a statement to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).

No pilgrims attending the annual Muslim haj pilgrimage 80 km away in Mecca were among the dead, though Jeddah is the main point of travel for pilgrims leaving the city.

But Al Jazeera correspondent Omar Chtriwala reports on Sunday that bodies are still being recovered and that the toll is likely to rise.

Local anger places the blame for the high number of fatalities firmly with the government.

Waleed Abu al-Khair, a Riyadh-based human rights lawyer, says he plan to file complaints against the civic service departments.

A group launched on Facebook earlier in the week entitled “National Campaign to Save the City of Jeddah” in Arabic, criticises the government response and has registered 11,000 members so far.

Numerous media reports have flagged up the issue of Jeddah’s poor drainage and infrastructure in recent years, and the city saw water shortages over summer.

Saudi authorities said they are working around the clock to clear Jeddah’s roads of hundreds of vehicles destroyed by the floods before pilgrims from abroad begin to leave the country via the city’s air and sea ports.

The Saudi interior ministry on Saturday said 1.6 million visas had been issued to pilgrims from abroad, while around 700,000 permits were granted to those coming from inside the kingdom. Public security data, however, showed more than 2.5 million people had entered the Jamarat Bridge on Friday.

Al Jazeera

Iran Update

These events have been reported to World Threats.

Nov. 24 - Approximately 100 students from Ahwaz Free University were threatened with dismissal or long term suspensions by Discipline Committees of the university. This was in relation to their participation in the November Fourth protests that ended in the closure of the university.

Nov. 24 - Karrobi has revealed that a rape victim whom he did not name has vanished after a meeting with the regime’s General Prosecutor. Karrobi added, “now it is not clear whether she is alive or dead. Mr. Eje-ee must speak up about this lady and her current status. Was she right? Did she lie? We don’t have any news of her.”

Nov. 24 - Basiji dressed as students have attacked the Yemeni Embassy in Tehran with home made bombs. In a statement they announced while threatening that the Yemeni government must know that it would pay a high price for its anti-regime measures in Sadeh.

(This is part of the area in northern Yemen where the Houthi Rebellion is under way.) They said also that Saudi Arabia must be ready for the cries of the pilgrims against it.

At the end of the statement it says: “We demand a halt in relation with the oppressive Yemen government and traitor Saudi Arabia government. We also demand that the ambassadors of these two enemy countries be expelled. To show our protest we will set fire to the embassy of the corrupt government of Yemen.”

Nov. 24 - On Nov. 22 Khamenei’s banner in Mahshahr was torn apart. The sentence of death to Khamenei could be seen on the banner. the banner was removed as soon as the tearing was noticed.

Nov. 24 - Students of Khjenasir university are still protesting the arrest of Soheil Mohammadi and Ali Parviz. Members of the Basij had attempted to raise the flag of Hezbollah but the students prevented it. Film of the event may be seen here.

following Link is film of protest gathering of Khahenasir University students.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46-TMRVh1Ug

Nov. 24 - Students of the international University in Qazvin held a sit-in to protest the detention of political prisoners. The students announced they will continue the sit-in until Payam Haydar Qazvini, Farhad Fathi and Saeed Sakakian are freed.

Nov. 24 - Students of the Polytechnic University, Mahashahr campus are on their fourth day of protesting the beating of one of their fellow students by masked men. The plan to continue their protest until their security is guaranteed.

Nov. 24 - In a sham trial the regime has condemned Nasseh Faridi as “fighting God” for being connected to the People’s Mujahadeen of Iran. Nasseh was not represented by a lawyer during the trial.

Link of film regarding written slogans in streets of Iran against clerical regime specially Khomenie:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mN6bWYxH4c

Analysis. While not making light in any way of the Iranian government’s continued persecution of its people and primarily its university student population, the real item of importance here is the attack on the Yemeni Embassy in Tehran. It is becoming more apparent that the Iranian regime is making the Houthi Rebellion the primary focus of its battle for Iranian supremacy in the Middle East and Shiite supremacy in Islam.

While it is not possible to determine how far the Iranian government is willing to go to support the Houthi, attacking the embassy of a supposedly friendly country is not a good sign. Neither is the direct challenge to the Saudis calling them traitors presumably to Islam. This activity ties in directly with the Iranian dispatch of midget submarines to the Red Sea and the statements translated by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) posted yesterday. These activities are indicative of a nation preparing to go to war. I would not be surprised if the Yemenis and the Saudis do not sever diplomatic ties with Iran in the near future especially if the Saudi Embassy is attacked in a similar fashion.

The last sentence of the first paragraph, They said also that Saudi Arabia must be ready for the cries of the pilgrims against it, indicates that the Iranians may be ready to activate their agents within the Hajj to conduct the baraa demonstrations and disrupt the Hajj.

This would bring about a direct confrontation with the Saudi security forces and probably cause a large number of deaths and injuries among the pilgrims reminiscent of the 1987 siege of the Kaaba. The “Stoning of the Devil” ritual that is occurring over the next three days has been the scene of previous panics and many deaths. Even with the Saudi efforts to make this portion of the Hajj safer, it would be the perfect place to create chaos, injury and death among the pilgrims.

World Threats

Imam of Rifqa Bary's Ohio mosque led Hajj trip with Nidal Hasan's jihadist imam

Salah Sultan, formerly of the Noor Mosque in Columbus, Ohio, (before he himself was barred from entering the United States), and Anwar al-Awlaki, Nidal Hasan's jihadist imam, led a Hajj trip together in 2002.

Patrick Poole, who has done superb research work on the Noor Mosque, has the details here (thanks to Pamela).

Yet we are told that Rifqa Bary won't be in any danger, as a convert from Islam to Christianity, if she is returned to her father, who attends this mosque and who she says threatened to kill her.

The willful ignorance of the authorities on the Rifqa Bary case continues, despite mounting evidence that the girl is in grave danger.

Do join us for another Rally for Rifqa on December 22 in Columbus.

That's the day of her dependency hearing, and she could be sent back to her family. The only thing we can do is continue to shine a light on her situation and the questionable actions of the authorities involved. Join us.

And ask your favorite "conservative" blogs why they're saying nothing about this poor girl, who has become a symbol of religious freedom -- and our declining national will to preserve it.

With thanks to JihadWatch

Haj pilgrims stranded by floods

JEDDAH :The heaviest rainfall in years triggered flooding that wiped out bridges and streets in Mecca province, stranding Haj pilgrims and killing at least 77 people, none of whom were pilgrims.

The deaths also increased worries about the country’s infrastructure as more than a million people made their way through the port city of Jeddah, the gateway to the Haj in Mecca.

About 1.6 million pilgrims have come to Saudi Arabia from abroad for the Haj this year, the world’s largest yearly religious gathering.

The state-run Saudi Press Agency said Wednesday’s deaths were in Jeddah, Rabigh and Mecca. The statement blamed the deaths on flooding and collapsed homes.

The floods forced the closure of a motorway to Mecca, stranding pilgrims who were unable to complete their journey. A spokesman for the Saudi interior ministry, Brig Gen Mansour al-Turki, said yesterday that none of the casualties were among the millions of pilgrims.

At least 900 people had to be rescued after being stranded by the floodwaters, according to a statement by the kingdom’s civil defence rescue service on Wednesday.

The downpours ceased yesterday but the rescue service warned residents not to go outside today as it expects to see more rain.

According to the civil defence, about 3,000 cars drifted away in the floods in Jeddah. An eyewitness said he saw at least 30 people carried away by floods in South Jeddah.Jeddah, which saw rainfall of up to 76mm on Wednesday morning, lacks drainage systems to handle the inundation, although the government says over the past five years it has allocated billions of riyals to developing such a system.

More at the National

Yemeni Situation Update and the Hajj

Debka has two updates on the situation in Yemen and the Houthi Rebellion. First, Debka is reporting here that the Iranians are planning to deploy midget submarines to the area. This is apparently in response to the assignment of the USS Chosin to lead Task Force 151 patrolling the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

The Yemeni conflict is fast evolving from a Houthi insurgency against the Abdullah Salah regime in Sanaa to a broad regional conflagration drawing in Saudi Arabia and Egypt as major players and increasingly the United States, whose involvement is building up into a direct confrontation with the rebels’ sponsor, Iran.

The belief is that the Iranians are bringing the midget submarines to assist in the supplying of arms and equipment ot the Houthi rebels.

On the same note, Debka is also reporting here that Jordan has sent its 2000 strong Special Forces to assist the Saudis in dealing with the Houthi Rebellion. This dispatch was at the request of the Saudis.

At the same time the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) is reporting in translation here that Iran is attempting to create chaos during the Hajj.

A few days before the Hajj (November 25-30, 2009), Iranian officials deliberately intensified statements calling on Shi’ites, and all Hajj pilgrims to Mecca, to conduct baraa - a kind of political protest against the infidels and apostates instituted by the founder of the Islamic Revolution in Iran, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini - against the U.S. and the Saudi Wahhabis, whom Iran currently claims are slaughtering Shi’ites in Yemen. [1] During the baraa ceremony, pilgrims demonstrate in denunciation of apostates and the enemies of Islam, chanting political slogans such as “Death to America” and “Death to Israel.”

In addition, Iranian senior officials, as well as the country’s leading newspapers, hinted and warned that the unrest in Yemen would not be bound by that country’s borders, and could spill over into Saudi Arabia, threatening the stability of the regime there.

It would appear that Iran is attempting to arouse unrest in Saudi Arabia, against the backdrop of increased demands in recent days by the U.S. and Russia that Iran accept the conditions for its nuclear program proposed by the 5+1 in Vienna, and also against the backdrop of the ongoing fighting in Yemen between the Shi’ite Houthis, who are aided by Iran, and the Yemen government troops, aided by Saudi Arabia, in which the latter side is prevailing.

Please read the entire article which is too long to print here.

Analysis.I believe that there can be little doubt that the theocracy of Iran is attempting to destabilize the region. Unlike the MEMRI analysis in the third paragraph above, I believe that the pressure on Iran to stop enriching uranium is only part of the impetus behind the Iranian efforts.

The major goal of the Iranians is to make Shia Islam the primary sect of Islam.

Shiites believe that the leadership of Islam should follow the lineage of the family of Mohammad. The Sunni believe that there is no supreme leader but that leadership in Islam is by a caliph selected as the most pious among them. Secondarily I believe that the theocracy is attempting to create the chaos necessary to cause the Hidden Imam to return.

This particular confluence of events is most demonstrative of the goals. The Iranians have already established their Northwestern Front with Syria and Lebanon. Yemen is the Southwestern Front. Mecca is only about 350 miles from the Saudi/Yemeni border.

While I doubt that the Houthi could reach Mecca en masse, it is quite possible that small groups of saboteurs could reach Mecca and possibly cause a mess as happened in 1987. This would be another embarrassment to the Saudis.

The question right now is how far the Iranians will go. Will they use their midget submarines to try and break the blockade of the Yemeni ports to get arms and supplies to the Houthis and take the chance of engaging American warships?

Will they cause the Syrians or Hezbollah to threaten Jordan to force the recall of the Jordanian Special Forces? Will they try to disrupt the Hajj? All the above? None of the above? Something in the Persian Gulf?

At this point all we can do is react. That is not a good mode to be in but short of direct military action against Iran there is little that can be done at the moment. It is clear that diplomatic efforts are having no effect on Iran’s goals or actions.

I would expect that Debka will reveal additional meetings between the Intelligence chiefs of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Israel. Nor would I be surprised that the Iraqi Intelligence Chief had joined the group since the shrine that is built over the well that the Hidden Imam will use to return is in Iraq.

World Threats

On Thanksgiving eve, Obama issues special message to world's Muslims on hajj

"Michelle and I would like to send our best wishes to all those performing Hajj this year, and to Muslims in America and around the world who are celebrating Eid-ul-Adha.

The rituals of Hajj and Eid-ul-Adha both serve as reminders of the shared Abrahamic roots of three of the world’s major religions.

During Hajj, the world’s largest and most diverse gathering, three million Muslims from all walks of life – including thousands of American Muslims – will stand in prayer on Mount Arafat.

The following day, Muslims around the world will celebrate Eid-ul-Adha and distribute food to the less fortunate to commemorate Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son out of obedience to God.

This year, I am pleased that the Department of Health and Human Services has partnered with the Saudi Health Ministry to prevent and limit the spread of H1N1 during Hajj. Cooperating on combating H1N1 is one of the ways we are implementing my administration's commitment to partnership in areas of mutual interest.

On behalf of the American people, we would like to extend our greetings during this Hajj season – Eid Mubarak. "

LATimes

Saudi flexes its muscles ahead of Hajj

Days before the start of the Islamic pilgrimage, Saudi Arabia holds a massive display of its armed forces. An annual event, the parade is meant to deter any who might seek to disrupt the event.

On top of fears of an outbreak of H1N1 flu during Hajj, Saudi Arabia has found it also has a number of security issues to be concerned about this year. One of those issues has been rising tensions between Saudi and nearby Iran.

In the past, Iranian pilgrims have complained, held protests and even clashed with police over being mistreated during Hajj. This time, though, the complaints have been over Saudi's part in operations against Houthi fighters in northern Yemen.

An annual pre-Hajj event, Saudi authorities held a massive security forces demonstration at Arafat on Sunday evening, showing off the various battalions and personnel that are currently being deployed for the "protection of the pilgrims".

The military parade is largely seen as a show of force by the government, meant to deter any and all who might seek to disrupt the holy pilgrimage.

Speaking at the parade, Muhammad bin Abdullah al-Shahrani, head of emergency special forces that oversees Hajj security, said more than 100,000 personnel were being deployed this year. That number includes soldiers and security forces, police and emergency response teams.

It would seem the entirety of that force - from bomb squads to K9 units, and including ambulances, helicopters and armoured personnel carriers - were on display on Sunday.

After the sun set, the closely-controlled crowd of cameramen and journalists were corralled into a news conference with Prince Naif bin Abdul Aziz, Saudi's interior minister.

When asked about tensions with Iran and the possibility of a protest, Naif responded saying that if anyone were to threaten the sanctity of Hajj, they would be dealt with by force.

However, in response to follow-up questions, Naif clarified that he does not expect any disruptions of Hajj by Iranian pilgrims this year, as officials from Tehran had recently arrived in the kingdom, offering their reassurances and guarantees that no protests would be held.

On the subject of Yemen, Naif felt the need to reiterate that the Saudi and Yemeni governments were united against the "bad people", adding that fighting with the Houthis had nothing to do with Hajj.

With a word of praise for his men, Naif said he was completely satisfied with the security preparations being taken this year.

Al Jazeera

Reality Check: The Hajj

This month, hundreds of thousands of Muslim pilgrims from around the globe are converging upon the Saudi Arabian holy cities of Mecca and Medina to perform the hajj, the pilgrimage that believers are supposed to make at least once in their lives as long as they have the health and the means to manage it.

The hajj takes place this year from Nov. 25 to 29, but many of the faithful are already thronging the airport and docks of Jeddah, the main entry point for pilgrims.

It's an event of huge religious significance. Some three million Muslims from all around the world -- Indians and Pakistanis, Nigerians and Bosnians, Arabs and non-Arabs, rich and poor, Sunni and Shia -- will commune, worship, and celebrate the global unity of Islam.

They'll be performing the same set of ritual acts, dressed in exactly the same clothes, all equal in the sight of God. For those who've completed the hajj, it's a lifetime landmark, a transformative religious experience.

In reality, though, there's another reason why the hajj is important -- even if most Muslims would rather it weren't the case.

Today's hajj -- given the widening sectarian rifts within Islam -- is also very much about politics.

To some extent, of course, it's always been that way. The royals in Riyadh have always taken their guardianship of the Two Holy Places in Mecca and Medina as a key to the spiritual and political guidance of the global community of believers. (It should be said, by the way, that though the Saudis invariably evoke the "nonpolitical" character of the hajj, they've also been known to shower pilgrims with literature espousing the benefits of the sere Wahhabi version of Islam that holds inside the kingdom.)

Given this potentially explosive mix of politics and religion, the recent war of words between the governments of Iran and the hajj's Saudi Arabian hosts deserves to be taken seriously.

On Oct. 26, Iran's Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, met with officials from the Iranian hajj organizing committee and seized the occasion to rail against alleged past mistreatment of his compatriots during the pilgrimage.

"Such acts are against the unity of Muslims and contribute to the goals and wishes of the U.S. and foreign intelligence services," he said. "The Saudi government should fulfill its duty in confronting these acts."

More at Foreign Policy

Saudi Arabia warns agains political activity at Haj

Saudi Arabia warned on Monday against any attempts to politicise the annual haj pilgrimage, saying they would threaten the safety of more than two million Muslims expected to attend the ritual.

The warning followed remarks by Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to departing pilgrims that the haj should "display the firm resolve of the Muslim nation to confront attempts that damage its unity and progress".

Source: YNet

Former Bengali Muslim on Islamic Sermons and "Capitol 9/25"

Why Muslims Chose the Capitol Hill Lawn to Pray to Allah?
By Mohammad Asghar on 10/01/09 • Categorized as Criticism of Islam

Capitol in Washington, D.C. is the House of the United States’ Legislative Branch of Government. It is known as Congress, which consists of two parts: the House of Representatives, and the Senate. This Congress makes laws and studies problems that affect the well being of the American nation. In other words, it is a vital and effective organ of the American government. Abolish or cripple the Congress, there will be no democratic government in the United States!

On 25th of September, 2009, about 3,000 Muslims gathered on the lawn of the iconic Building of the Capitol to offer their Friday (Juma) prayer to Allah. The organizers of the congregation had expected 50,000 Muslims to be in attendance, but their expectation did not come true due, reportedly, to lack of publicity.

In my understanding, there are at least 15 mosques in the Greater Washington, D.C. area. Muslims have been offering their daily and Juma prayers at these mosques ever since they were constructed. This being the fact, one must wonder why Muslims chose the lawn of the Capitol Building last Friday to offer their prayer to Allah!

To solve the puzzle, and to find out the truth, we will need to know what prayer, if any, was offered to Allah and what sermon, also known as khutbah, the leader (Imam) of the Friday prayer had delivered to the congregation of the Muslims.

Khutbah was introduced by the Prophet of Islam. His khutbah contained words of exhortation, instruction and important announcements, including those pertaining to raid and war preparations, to his followers.

Following his tradition, Imams have been delivering khutbahs to the Muslims’ congregations all over the world. Their khutbahs are vastly different from those delivered by Muhammad. Unlike the Friday congregation of the time of Muhammad, the present-day congregations may include the presidents, prime ministers, high government and military officers, doctors, professors and scientists of the Muslim countries as well as the illiterate, but militant Muslims.

Read more: http://www.faithfreedom.org/2009/10/01/why-muslims-chose-the-capitol-hill-lawn-to-pray-to-allah/

H1N1 prompts hajj restrictions

Arab health officials have agreed to restrict certain groups from performing the annual Muslim pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia this year amid growing concerns about the H1N1 flu pandemic.

Those considered high-risk such as the elderly, young children and the chronically ill have been advised to avoid making the hajj or the lesser umrah pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca.

But Abdullah al-Rabeeah, the Saudi health minister, said on Wednesday the kingdom has no plans to restrict the number of visas it issues for pilgrims, though numbers are expected to be lower.

"We did not change the percentage of any country, we changed certain rules," he said after a meeting of Arab health ministers and representatives of the World Health Organisation (WHO).

"It's up to the country to replace [applicants who fall under the restrictions] with" other pilgrims.

The move to keep the vulnerable groups away from the pilgrimage is expected to be ratified by the respective Arab governments.

Hussein Gezairi, the WHO regional director for the Eastern Mediterranean region, said he expected Riyadh to ratify the recommendations, adding there was a "consensus" among the health ministers at the meeting.

"The Saudi government will make [these conditions] a requirement... No one will get their visa unless these requirements are fulfilled."

Gezairi said the Saudi government was well equipped to deal with communicable diseases among the large number of annual pilgrims.

"[Our] government has a very long experience now... because Saudi Arabia every year receives between 25 and 30 cases of cholera and no epidemics are happening."

Around three million Muslim pilgrims from over 160 countries head for the holy city of Mecca in western Saudi Arabia each year in one of the world's biggest religious gatherings.

Travel warnings

In June, Saudi Arabia called on elderly, ill and other unfit Muslims - including pregnant women - to postpone their pilgrimages to Mecca because of the threat of H1N1.

Oman issued a similar warning on July 6.

This year the hajj will take place in November, while the umrah can be performed at any time but is popular during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which starts in August.

On Monday Egypt became the latest country to warn vulnerable Muslims against the pilgrimage to Mecca, after an Egyptian woman returning from Saudi Arabia succumbed to H1N1 - the first death in the Middle East and Africa.

Egyptian health officials have said all returning pilgrims will be quarantined.

"We are separating patients who are positive for avian flu in hospitals," said Hatem el-Gabali, the health minister in the most populous Arab country.

In Iran, a health ministry official repeated calls on Tuesday for elderly Iranians and children to avoid travelling to Saudi Arabia for the pilgrimage as the number of confirmed H1N1 cases in the Islamic republic rose to 16.

Tunisia earlier this month suspended umrah pilgrimages because of the virus, while reserving judgement on whether the main hajj pilgrimage should be undertaken in November.

The airborne H1N1 virus has now been diagnosed in tens of thousands of people worldwide, and has killed more than 430 people, according to the WHO.

Source: Al Jazeera (English)