BBC OS Conversations: Hajj pilgrims

The Documentary Podcast

BBC

Society & Culture, Documentary, Personal Journals

4.3 • 2.6K Ratings

🗓️ 29 June 2024

⏱️ 25 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

The annual pilgrimage to Mecca, in Saudi Arabia, is something millions of people look forward to as an immensely spiritual experience. A main pillar of Islam, Muslims try to do it at least once in their lives, if they are physically and financially able. Saudi Arabia says 1.8 million people took part in Hajj this year. It coincided with a heatwave where temperatures reached more than 50C. Some 1,300 people died, many of those due to the intense heat. Three Muslims - from Kenya, the United States and Saudi Arabia – share their experiences of Hajj, including spiritual enlightenment, overcrowding, bereavement and sexual harassment.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello, I'm James Reynolds. Welcome to the documentary from the BBC World Service. In BBC
0:07.0	OS conversations we bring people together to share their experiences and this time we discuss Haj, after more than 1,300 people died during an intense heat wave in the Saudi city of Mecca.
0:22.0	It is a main pillar of the Islamic faith, a pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia that all Muslims
0:27.5	must attempt if they're able at least once during their lifetime.
0:31.3	In today's edition, three people share their own experiences.
0:34.3	One of our guests was eight months pregnant, but the chance to go to Mecca wasn't something
0:39.0	that she was going to turn down.
0:41.5	There were elders who had literally saved for 40 years to be able to make
0:45.6	hedge. The experience made me feel closer to God, more firm in my faith and also a
0:51.4	lot more patient.
0:55.0	Each year Muslims travel from all over the world to the holy city of Mecca, which they
0:59.9	consider to be one of the most sacred places on earth. And this year Saudi Arabia
1:04.0	says 1.8 million people took part in the annual pilgrimage. It coincided though
1:09.4	with a heat wave where temperatures reached over 50 degrees Celsius.
1:14.0	Because of this, 1,300 people died, many of those because of that intense heat.
1:19.0	Saida's parents who lived in Maryland in the United States were among those who lost their lives.
1:24.7	She's been speaking to the BBC.
1:26.7	This is something they wanted to do their entire lives, so the fact that they finally got the
1:31.2	opportunity to complete it, They were just beyond excited.
1:35.2	A lot of the things that were promised to them weren't provided. A lot of the transportation wasn't provided.
1:42.0	They went a few days with having to find food for them. was point where they had to buy a rice cooker and some of the people on the group just
1:54.1	came together to make food for themselves. My mom, the last message she told me,
	...

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