Hajj climax ends in anti-US protest

CREATING a sea of white robes, nearly three million Muslims converged on a rocky desert hill outside Mecca yesterday to perform the ritual of forgiveness marking the climax of the annual hajj.

Chants of “at thy service, my God, at thy service”, reverberated through the valley as the pilgrims stood to pray for God’s forgiveness in the most spiritual moment of the entire pilgrimage.

However, while most spent the day praying and reading Islam’s holy book, the Quran, thousands — mostly Iranians, Lebanese, Iraqis and Bahrainis — held a rally inside their tents to denounce the United States and Israel.