MANILA, Philippines — Over two million pilgrims from the four corners of the globe, including more than 4,000 Filipinos, will begin moving this Sunday, Nov. 14, towards the tent city of Mina, near Mecca, Saudi Arabia, for the "Tarawiyyah," which signals the start of the five-day pilgrimage called hajj, Islam's fifth pillar of faith. National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF) Secretary Bai Omera D. Dianalan Lucman said on Saturday the more than 4,000 pilgrims flew direct to Saudi Arabia on board 10 flights from Oct. 19 to Nov. 10.
"All of our pilgrims who registered and paid and without any defects in their documents for the pilgrimage were issued hajj visa by the Embassy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia," she said.
Lucman lauded Saudi Ambassador Abdullah I. Al Hassan, Consul General Khaled Al Kahtani, and Abdullah Alazhari, country manager of Saudi Arabian Airlines (SAA), which transported most of the Filipino pilgrims, for facilitating their journey.
Three of the Filipino pilgrims are sisters Mrs. Wahida T. Kamaong of Datu Piang, Maguindanao, retired school principal Nayo K. Tukuran, and teacher Mrs. Tayan T. Sapad, both of barangay Kapimpilan, Midsayap, North Cotabato.
Though in her second hajj, Tukuran said she was just as excited as her two siblings who are on their obligatory first pilgrimage. Like the rest they saved money for many years to afford this year's US$1,075 cost of two-way plane fare, food, accommodation and transportation.
Aleem Said Ahmad Basher, graduate of the Al-Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt, said the hajj rituals occur yearly on Dhul Hijjah 8 to 12, 1431, which correspond this year to Nov. 14 to 18.
Edd Usman, Manila Bulletin
