(31 May 2024)
IRAQ HAJJ
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
LENGTH: 2:22
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Baghdad, Iraq – 28 May 2024
1. Various of travelers on their way to perform the Islamic Hajj pilgrimage standing in line to board flight at Baghdad International Airport
2. Various of employee at counter checking boarding cards
3. Various of elderly and disabled soon-to-be pilgrims getting boarding cards
4. Office of the High Commission for Hajj and Umrah pilgrimages at the airport
5. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Kadhim al-Luaibi, director of High Commission for Hajj and Umrah at Baghdad International Airport:
"The High Commission for Hajj and Umrah has started flights to take pilgrims (to Saudi Arabia) to perform Hajj. We’ve had 21 flights so far. Everything related to the travel of pilgrims from Baghdad International airport is going well. God willing, there will be no obstacles in their travel."
6. Various of soon-to-be pilgrims waiting at airport hall
7. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Kafiya Yusr, soon-to-be pilgrim from Baghdad:
"This (the Hajj) was one of my life’s wishes. I had dreamt of visiting the house of God since I was a child. But that never happened because of the conditions in Iraq, which were very difficult. Now, thank God – God made this wish come true. I feel like I am in a dream and that I live in another world. I wish for success for Iraq."
8. Various of soon-to-be pilgrims waiting at airport hall
9. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Abdul-Jabbar Alwan, soon-to-be pilgrim from Baghdad:
"I feel the way any Muslim performing the pilgrimage would feel. I am very happy because I am fulfilling this duty and I pray that God supports Islam and Muslims, and that he grants victory for our people in Gaza and Palestine. God willing, peace and good will prevail in the entire Muslim world, especially in Iraq."
10. Various of Baghdad International Airport building
STORYLINE:
Hundreds of Iraqis are going on the trip of their lifetime, heading to Saudi Arabia to perform the Islamic Hajj pilgrimage.
"This (the Hajj) was one of my life’s wishes. I had dreamt of visiting the house of God since I was a child," said Kafiya Yusr, a traveler from Baghdad who was on her way to perform the Hajj.
The annual Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam, and Muslims are required to undertake it at least once in their lives if they are physically and financially able to do so.
Last year’s Hajj pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca brought together 1.8 million Muslims from around the world, making it one of the world’s largest religious gatherings.
This year, it’s scheduled to begin on the evening of June 14 and conclude on June 19.
Flights departing from Baghdad International Airport are taking the soon-to-be pilgrims to Saudi Arabia, where they will make their way to Islam’s holiest sites.
There have been 21 flights so far, said Kadhim al-Luaibi, director of High Commission for Hajj and Umrah at Baghdad International Airport.
The travelers are preparing for one of the most significant events of their faith.
For those performing the Hajj, it is a profound spiritual experience that wipes away sins, brings them closer to God and highlights Muslim unity.
Abdul-Jabbar Alwan who is on his way to Saudi Arabia from Baghdad is praying that people across the Middle East will see better times.
"I pray that God supports Islam and Muslims, and that he grants victory for our people in Gaza and Palestine," he said.
"God willing, peace and good will prevail in the entire Muslim world, especially in Iraq," he added.
AP video shot by Ali Jabar
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