Muslim pilgrims mix religion, business at hajj
MECCA, Saudi Arabia – Hawking elegant silk prayer rugs on a back street in Islam’s holiest city, Sarajaeldinne Tartanoglu says he came to the annual hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia to mix business with religion because God helps those who help themselves.
“Earning your living is also worshipping, God will certainly bless you for your endeavor,” the Turkish pilgrim says.
Many of the thousands of Muslims who have converged on the holy cities of Mecca and Medina say they sell their crafts at the annual spiritual gathering because it’s a dandy business opportunity and a means to cover the increasingly high cost of making the hajj, a requirement for all Muslims able to undertake the journey.
But Saudis have started complaining about the large numbers of pilgrims who come to the cities with too little money for accommodations and end up living on sidewalks and in parks. Thousands of travelers also overstay their hajj visas, some moving to other Saudi cities.
About 2 million pilgrims from around the world were expected to take part in the hajj this year. The pilgrimage officially begins Monday and is capped by a four-day feast called the Eid al-Adha, beginning Tuesday.
Travel agents say the average cost of the hajj for those traveling tourist class and staying in moderately priced hotels is about $3,000 per person, with some deluxe packages costing up to $8,000. Many poor Muslims – from countries such as Egypt, Sudan, Turkey and Yemen – forgo plane tickets and make the long journey in cramped buses or ships.
Throughout the crowded neighborhoods of Mecca, thousands of hajj pilgrims-turned-street vendors have set up shop, spreading out handmade crafts rarely found in city shops crammed with cheap Chinese or Taiwanese imports.
Russian Muslims offer prayer beads made of precious stones. Nigerians and Senegalese sell wooden crafts. And Yemenis hawk pricey honey they insist comes from bees that harvest nectar only from local herbs grown at the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula.
Despite the commercialization, the pilgrimage season still exudes spiritual peace and renewal. But it admittedly is a big business for the Saudis: The hajj is the kingdom’s second largest source of income after oil, bringing in $10 billion annually, according to the Mecca-based Center for Research and Development of Hajj Economy.
Commerce has deep roots in Mecca, a key trading center on the Arab peninsula well before Mohammad revealed God’s message in the city in the sixth century. The prophet, however, made life better for businessmen as well as the faithful by declaring Mecca the “Mother of All Villages” and its holy site the “House of Allah,” and requiring a visit at least once by every physically and financially able Muslim.