Hajj pilgrims stone 'devil' Bush
Friday, January 21, 2005 Posted: 9:12 AM EST (1412 GMT)
MENA,
Saudi Arabia (Reuters) -- Hajj pilgrims pelted stones at symbols of the
devil on Friday, with many saying they were targeting U.S. President
George W. Bush and other world leaders seen as oppressing Muslims.
Last
year, 250 people were crushed to death at Mena's Jamarat Bridge, but so
far new measures by the Saudi authorities have averted any stampedes.
This
year, more than 2.5 million Muslims streamed into the area for the
stoning, meant as an act of purification and rejection of temptation.
Many
pilgrims said they were thinking of Bush and his allies while they were
hurling pebbles at the site where the devil is said to have appeared to
the biblical patriarch Abraham.
"Yes, the devil is Bush and that
other one from Israel -- (Prime Minister Ariel) Sharon. And there's
(British Prime Minister) Blair too," said Egyptian Tia'amah Mohammed.
"We throw the stones so we can vent our anger at them."
Many
Muslims revile Bush for his perceived bias towards Israel and the U.S.
occupation of Iraq. Anger at Sharon also runs deep over Israel's
occupation of Palestinian land and Jerusalem, the site of one of
Islam's holiest shrines.
"During the stoning I couldn't help thinking of Bush, Blair and Sharon," said British Muslim activist Yvonne Ridley.
Saudi
Arabia, facing a storm of criticism, revamped the Jamarat area,
expanding the stoning targets and deploying thousands of security
forces to control the crowd.
They also replaced the three pillars
the pilgrims stone with thick walls providing a larger target to
prevent the crush that normally occurs at the site.
Graffiti denouncing Bush had daubed the pillars. The new walls have so far remained clean.
Other
pilgrims said politics did not cross their minds. "This is all about
God, and that's all I was thinking about when I threw the stones,"
Yemeni Ali al-Suweiny said.
Pilgrims, in white robes meant to
eradicate differences in race and class between Muslims, have poured
into the Jamarat area since Thursday, the first day of the stoning
ritual and the start of the Eid al-Adha feast.
Most pilgrims will
finish by Friday -- the penultimate day of the Hajj -- and then go to
Mecca to circle the Kaaba, which symbolizes the house of God, for the
final time.
"Thank God, we have not witnessed anything unusual or
any accidents or deaths so far during the stoning," Brigadier Mansour
al-Turki told reporters. "We hope the improvements will continue to
keep the pilgrims safe."
This year's pilgrimage, a
once-in-a-lifetime duty for every able-bodied Muslim, has been
overshadowed by the Asian tsunami disaster and the threat of al
Qaeda-linked violence in the kingdom, which has been battling the group
for nearly two years.
On Thursday, a leading Saudi cleric warned
Muslims against waging terror attacks in the name of Islam. The Hajj
was first performed by Islam's Prophet Mohammad 1,400 years ago.
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