Mideast war to affect Pinoys’ Haj

An attack on Iraq led by the United States may affect some three million Muslims, including 3,000 Filipinos, who will participate in the annual pilgrimage to the holy cities of Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia, a ranking official of the Office of Muslim Affairs (OMA) said yesterday.

Tahir Didasan, OMA director for external affairs, said if the US invades Iraq, this will be the first time in the history of the Islamic world that a war coincides with the annual Muslim ritual.

"The Haj, which is one of the pillars of Islam, promotes peace. This is the first time that a war will erupt as millions of Muslims perform the ritual," Didasan told The STAR.

Every able-bodied Muslim who can afford the Haj is obliged to perform the ritual once in his lifetime. The Haj will officially start in the second week of February and will last for only five days. Participants usually stay in the holy cities for up to two months.

Didasan noted that the holy city of Mecca is only 14 hours’ drive from Iraq. Should war break out, the conflict may spill over to the holy city.

He expressed hope that the US will take the ongoing pilgrimage into consideration and postpone its attack until the religious ritual is over.

"We are appealing to the US to exhaust all peaceful means to resolve the crisis so as not to compromise the safety of the pilgrims," Didasan said.

He said the OMA, which is headed by Undersecretary Datu Zamzamin Ampatuan, is coordinating with the Department of Foreign Affairs to ensure the safety of 3,000 Filipino Muslims who will be making the pilgrimage.