Sacred Meets Profane During Hajj
Politics and profit mix with spirituality during the annual pilgrimage to Mecca.
More than 2 million pilgrims are visiting Mecca in Saudi Arabia for the annual pilgrimage season that will culminate in celebrating Eid. This mass ritual has always been tightly controlled for fear of it turning into a political rally. The Saudi authorities insist that pilgrims only chant religious supplication, perform the elaborate stages of the journey and return home thanking the Saudi leadership for providing security, comfort, transport and health care. From the Saudi authorities' point view, any political slogans, especially those that denounce Saudi policies, are seen as an aberration and a security concern.
Any accidents resulting from overcrowding are bound to undermine Saudi legitimacy that unfold during this season. After all, the Saudi king adopts the title "Servant of the Two Holy Mosques," Mecca and Medina. This service, however, is not only for religious reasons, as the pilgrimage season is also a time for politics and profiteering.
The Saudi leadership was keen to extend its control over the holy cities in the West of the Arabian Peninsula for two main reasons.
First, political legitimacy was crucial, as those who control the holy cities have always claimed to represent Muslims, or at least the Sunnis among them. Mecca was and continues to be the jewel in the Arab crown. Without it, the Saudi leadership would be just one regional power among many others. Yet Mecca was not destined to be the seat of power, and the Saudis preferred to keep it as a religious cornerstone while the court remained in Riyadh, the strong base of the Al-Saudi rule.
