Pilgrims cast sanitised stones

o Last major ritual of haj held under tight restrictions

RIYADH: Pilgrims cast sanitised pebbles on Monday as they took part in the “stoning of the devil”, the last major ritual of this year’s haj which was held under tight coronavirus restrictions.

From first light, small groups of pilgrims made their way across the Valley of Mina near Mecca to symbolically “humiliate” the devil at the Jamrah al-Aqaba mosque.

Wearing masks and the ihram, the pilgrim’s seamless white garment, they each threw seven stones at a pillar symbolising Satan, taking them from sealed bags provided by the authorities.

The pandemic has for a second year forced authorities in Saudi Arabia to dramatically downsize the haj and just 60,000 fully vaccinated citizens and residents of the kingdom are taking part – up from 10,000 last year.

“From the beginning, our priority has been the safety of pilgrims, and for this reason, we decided to limit their numbers to 60,000 to ensure that the precautions are enforced and everyone is safe,” Saudi Health

Minister Tawfiq Al Rabiah told AFP.

“We are monitoring the situation continuously,” he said on Monday, adding that not a single case of coronavirus had been detected so far among pilgrims.

Barring overseas pilgrims has caused deep disappointment among Muslims worldwide, who typically save for years to take part.

“If we can guarantee that there will be full control (of Covid) and ensure the safety of pilgrims too, which is a priority for the kingdom and its leaders, the haj can happen again in the future as it was before,” the health minister said.

Meanwhile, Indonesians prayed outside mosques and slaughtered goats to commemorate a sombre Eid al-Adha festival on Tuesday despite efforts to stop mass gatherings as coronavirus deaths skyrocket in one of the world’s worst-hit countries.

Indonesia has recently been overtaking India and Brazil as a global Covid-19 hotspot and its daily death toll hit a record of 1,338 on Monday.

Authorities have banned large crowds, including at traditional events that feature the sacrifice of livestock, and urged the public not to gather for religious acts.

In the capital Jakarta and elsewhere, some heeded an official request not to go inside mosques but instead gathered to pray on nearby roads, while residents in Bandung laid out their prayer mats in alleyways.

Jakarta’s Istiqlal mosque, the biggest in Southeast Asia, was shut, but thousands of people in Banda Aceh on Sumatra island assembled outside the Baiturrahman Grand Mosque.

President Joko Widodo appealed to Muslims to pray at home rather than risk infection at public gatherings.

“In the midst of the pandemic, we need to be willing to sacrifice even more,” he said in a Monday television address.

“Put the interests of the community and others first.”