Mecca: Hajj pilgrimage starts in tight security

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Source: CCTV.com | 12-29-2006 09:32

Nearly three million Muslims from around the world marched through a desert valley outside Mecca on Thursday, the first day of the annual Hajj pilgrimage.

Local police and aid organizations have been prepared for emergency services to the pilgrims in case of deadly stampedes.

Seamless white robes, symbolizing the equality of mankind under God. For pilgrims streaming in from all continents, the Hajj is a crowning moment of faith. It's a duty for all able-bodied Muslims to carry out at least once.

This year's Hajj takes place amid increasing worries across the Islamic world. The bloodshed in Iraq, violence in the Palestinian territories and a new war in Somalia.

Amid the crises, tensions have increased between the two main sects of Islam, Sunnis and Shiites. They come together in the five days of Hajj rituals centered around Mecca, birthplace of Islam's Prophet Muhammad.

More than 30,000 police and other security forces have fanned out around the holy sites to help smooth traffic around ritual sites that have been plagued by deadly stampedes in the past.

More than 360 people were killed during last year's Hajj in a stampede at Mina, during a ritual symbolizing the stoning of the devil.

Editor:Du Xiaodan