Foreign Policy Blogs

3 Million Pilgrims

Today is a very holy day for Muslims around the world. Nearly three million Muslims have gone yesterday to Mount Ararat during the annual hajj pilgrimage, and today is Eid al-Adha. In English, it is called "Feast of the Sacrifice." The majority of pilgrims have been praying for the forgiveness of their sins, but of course, historically , there have also been elements of politics involved for some of the pilgrims. As always, the AP pointed out the "Iranian" element, and how some Iranians have been holding anti-U.S. and Israel "demonstrations" inside their tents. Saudi Arabia has traditionally refused to permit any political demonstrations, but of course, who can prevent people from chanting inside their tents? In the past, political demonstrations have led to hundreds of deaths (1987 for example, when 402 pilgrims died), and so naturally, the Saudis are attempting to make sure that the political side of this mass pilgrimage stays quiet. No matter what a person's religious beliefs, it is inspiring to see so many people gathering together to pray – many of them hoping for world peace.

 

Author

Karin Esposito

Karin Esposito is blogging on religion and politics from her base in Central Asia. Currently, she is the Project Manager for the Tajikistan Dialogue Project in Dushanbe. The Project is run through the Geneva Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies with the support of PDIV of the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs. The aim of the project is to establish practical mechanisms for co-existence and peaceful conflict resolution between Islamic and secular representatives in Tajikistan. After receiving a Juris Doctorate from Boston University School of Law in 2007, she worked in Tajikistan for the Bureau of Human Rights and later as a Visting Professor of Politics and Law at the Kazakhstan Institute of Management, Economics, and Strategic Research (KIMEP). Ms. Esposito also holds a Master's in Contemporary Iranian Politics (2007) from the School of International Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Iran and a Master's in International Relations (2003) from the Geneva Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies (GIIDS) in Switzerland.

Areas of Focus:
Islam; Christianity; Secularism;

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