Mina, Saudi Arabia (AFP): Hundreds of thousands of Muslim pilgrims walked or rode buses Monday to Minaa — a tented city for pilgrims near Mekkah for the climax of the annual Hajj. After performing the ritual ‘Tawaf’ (circumambulation) of the Kaaba, the giant black cube at Mecca’s Grand Mosque that Muslims pray towards e...
Mekkah, Saudi Arabia (AFP) Braving the scorching Saudi heat, Mekkah resident Amer Abdullah distributed free tea and bread to worshippers performing the annual hajj pilgrimage, honouring a long-standing tradition in Islam’s holiest city. Joined by his five sons, the 45-year-old Saudi man who spends his evenings serving warm beverages to w...
Mekkah, Saudi Arabia: (AFP): Vast crowds of robed pilgrims made solemn circles around the Kaaba, the black cube at Makkah’s Grand Mosque, on Sunday as the biggest hajj pilgrimage in years began in the heat of the Saudi summer. Islam’s holiest site is expected to host more than two million worshippers from 160 countries during [&hel...
IDLIB, Syria (AA): Bustle has started at the livestock markets set up for the upcoming Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha in a de-escalation zone in northwestern Syria amid the ongoing civil war and continued attacks by the regime army. Hundreds of thousands of people, who have sought refuge in Idlib camps along the Türkiye-Syria border […]...
Mekkah, Saudi Arabia (AFP): Enormous crowds of worshippers are gathering in Mekkah, Islam’s holiest city, for the biggest hajj pilgrimage in years, with more than two million expected to brave the scorching Saudi Arabian heat. Pilgrims dressed modestly and simply in white robes and sandals packed the ancient city, now dotted with luxury ...
ISTANBUL (AA): Malaysia’s parliament has approved a bill to decriminalize attempted suicides. The Mental Health (Amendment) Bill 2023 was passed in the upper house of the Malaysian parliament, locally known as Dewan Negara, on Wednesday. It aims to “empower crisis intervention officers to apprehend individuals who attempt suicide,&...
ISTANBUL (AA): Saudi Arabia said on Saturday it has received more than one million pilgrims so far for this year’s Hajj pilgrimage. “Around 1,150,000 pilgrims have already arrived in Saudi Arabia for Hajj,” Mohammed al-Bijawi, undersecretary of the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, told the state-run Al-Ekhbariya TV channel. “The influx of pilgrims ...
ISTANBUL (AA): Saudi Arabia has said that it has decided to name an expansion project at the Grand Mosque in Mecca “Saudi Portico,” according to local media. “The Head of the Presidency for the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques, Sheikh Abdul Rahman Al-Sudais, announced on Sunday that the higher Saudi authorities have issued approval […]...
ISTANBUL (AA): The first batch of pilgrims for this year’s Hajj arrived in Saudi Arabia on Sunday, the country’s Ministry of Hajj and Umrah confirmed. The ministry shared photos of Hajj pilgrims on its Twitter account. Saudi Arabia is expected to receive over 2 million pilgrims during the Hajj season this year. Hajj is one […]
TORONTO (AA) – President Joe Biden hosted a reception for Eid al-Fitr, the holiday marking the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, at the White House on Monday. Biden thanked those in attendance and greeted them, saying “Welcome home.” “Thank all of you for joining us at the White House. It is the […]
