Two million Muslim hajj pilgrims scale Mount Arafat
Mount Arafat (Saudi Arabia), Aug 10: Two million Muslim pilgrims converged on Mount Arafat outside Mecca Saturday marshalled by tens of thousands of stewards in a bid to prevent any repetition of previous years' deadly stampedes.
Movable crowd control barriers were erected all around the foot of the rocky hill, also known as Jabal al-Rahma, or Mount of Mercy, where the faithful arrived on foot or in a seemingly endless line of buses.
Raising their palms skywards, the pilgrims set off on the climb to the summit where they hold prayers to atone for their sins in a ritual that is regarded as the high point of the annual hajj.
"Really, I am very satisfied," said Lassina Coulibaly, a 47-year-old Malian business employee as pilgrims clutching brightly coloured umbrellas gathered under the blazing sun.
"Fatigue is part of the pilgrimage," added the father of seven.
Thousands of faithful had spent the night under the stars, sleeping on prayer rugs or pieces of cardboard.
Trucks were parked at regular intervals on the route leading up to the hill, distributing bottles of water and meals to the faithful.
Thousands of workers prepared to clear the rubbish that littered the ground.
Helicopters criss-crossed overhead, part of the tight security precautions taken by the pilgrimage's Saudi hosts.
The hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam which every Muslim is required to complete at least once in their lifetime if they are healthy enough and have the means to do so.
"I came last year during Ramadan, now I am there for the hajj," said Indonesian pilgrim Zakir Uddin.
"It is an honour, praise be to god," added the 27-year-old cook.
Like other male pilgrims, he wears a seamless white garment that covers only one shoulder and emphasises unity regardless of social status or nationality.
The women wear loose dresses, most of them white, exposing only their faces and hands.
They are designed to help pilgrims enter a state of purity, called ihram.
Oudine, who works in the Saudi city of Jeddah less than 90 kilometres (barely 55 miles) from Mecca, says he is happy to see so many of his compatriots among the pilgrims.
"Indonesians make up the single largest contingent, such is the will of God," he said.
Pilgrims travelling from abroad account for 1.86 million of the 2.26 million taking part in this year's hajj, according to official figures.
After sunset prayers, pilgrims will make their way down Mount Arafat to Muzdalifah, another holy site where they will sleep under the stars to prepare for the final stage of hajj, a ritual "stoning of the devil".
That marks the beginning of Eid al-Adha, the festival of sacrifice, marked on Sunday.
Sheep are traditionally slaughtered for the three-day Eid al-Adha, a tribute to the prophet Abraham's sacrifice of a lamb after God spared Ishmael, his son.
Pilgrims then return to the Grand Mosque to perform a final "tawaf" or walk around the Kaaba.
The scale of the pilgrimage presents vast security and logistical challenges, with tens of thousands of safety officers deployed.
Riyadh faced strong criticism in 2015 when some 2,300 worshippers were killed in the deadlies stampede in the gathering's history.
This year's hajj takes place to a backdrop of Gulf tensions following a series of attacks on tankers, the downing of drones and the seizure of ships.
Riyadh blames regional foe Tehran for the attacks on commercial shipping, accusations Iran vehemently denies.
Despite the absence of diplomatic ties between the two countries, some 88,550 Iranian pilgrims are due to take part in the hajj this year according to Iran's Tasnim news agency.
As in previous years, Saudi authorities have been at pains to stress that the hajj is a religious event and have sought to prevent its politicisation.
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CSOH founder urges US panel to act on persecution of Muslims, Christians in India
Says BJP, RSS enabling persecution of Muslims, Christians
Washington, D.C.: Raqib Hameed Naik, founder and executive director of the Center for the Study of Organized Hate (CSOH), has urged the United States government to consider sanctions against certain Indian political leaders and Hindu nationalist organisations, alleging systematic persecution of Muslims and Christians in India.
Naik made the remarks while testifying before the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) on the condition of religious minorities in India.
In his testimony, Naik alleged that the persecution of Muslims and Christians in India is being enabled by senior leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party and networks linked to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
“The persecution of Muslims and Christians in India bears the sanction of the country’s top political leadership led by Prime Minister Modi and is implemented through both the state and the militant networks of the Hindu nationalist movement anchored by the RSS,” he said.
Naik named Narendra Modi, Himanta Biswa Sarma and Yogi Adityanath while discussing demolitions, hate speech and alleged discrimination against minorities.
He alleged that “this persecution is now embedded in bureaucracy, codified in law, shielded by absolute impunity, and steadily more ruthless in execution.”
Referring to Assam, Naik claimed that over the last five years the state government had demolished more than 22,000 structures and displaced nearly 100,000 people, mostly Bengali Muslims who were “falsely labelled as Bangladeshi infiltrators.”
“Forty per cent of those displaced lost their homes in 2025 alone,” he said, adding that there were documented cases of Muslims allegedly being taken to the Bangladesh border and forced across.
Naik also raised concerns over bulldozer demolitions in other BJP-ruled states, saying they continued despite a 2024 order of the Supreme Court of India prohibiting such punitive actions.
He named several companies, including JCB, Caterpillar Inc., Tata Motors and Mahindra & Mahindra, alleging that their machinery was used in demolition drives targeting Muslim homes.
The testimony also highlighted alleged violence linked to beef consumption and cattle transport.
“Organized cow vigilante groups now operate in almost 17 states,” Naik said.
He further alleged a rise in public events where swords and knives are distributed and in programmes where Hindu nationalist recruits receive firearms training.
Speaking about Christians, Naik said they face “assaults on pastors and worshippers, the forcible closure of churches, denial of burial rights, and arrests on fabricated conversion charges.”
Naik also criticised social media platforms, stating that “US-based social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and X serve as a central infrastructure for spreading this hate and bigotry and incitement to violence.”
According to CSOH’s 2025 report, Naik said the organisation documented 1,318 in-person hate speech events targeting Muslims and Christians in 21 Indian states.
“That is a shocking four hate speeches per day, and a 97 per cent increase over 2023,” he said.
During his testimony, Naik called on the US government to consider sanctions against certain BJP leaders and organisations such as the RSS, Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP).
He also urged greater scrutiny of social media platforms and companies whose equipment he alleged had been used in demolition operations.
