A recent study found that participating in “the hajj may be helpful in curbing the spread of extremism in the Islamic world.”
The annual Muslim pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca—an act that every able Muslim is expected to perform at least once in their life (and that Hamas prevented Palestinians in Gaza from partaking in this year)—reached its climax with the celebration of Eid Monday. Before it was over, they got to hear this not-so-uncommon rant
Despite a ban on political activities at haj, a senior Iranian cleric gave a speech at Arafat to a group of pilgrims, who chanted “Death to America” and “Death to Israel”, Iran’s state television showed.
Ayatollah Mohammad Mohammadi Reyshahri, head of Iran’s haj mission, told the pilgrims some Muslims had despaired “in the face of Western civilization’s onslaught” but that today there was a “resurgence of Islam”.
Amazing how political agents have no shame in hijacking religious ceremonies to prop up their agenda. Most how been awkward for the thousands, maybe tens of thousands, of American Muslims on hajj.
(Hat tip: Mere Rhetoric)
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