Undeterred by difficulties they encountered in this year’s Hajj pilgrimage, 60 Muslims from Cebu will proceed to Mecca today as scheduled.
Imam Aladdin Ubpon said everyone from Cebu is safe. They left the tent city in Mina about an hour before the stampede, which killed more than 700 people and injured nearly 900.
“Everyone from Cebu is safe in here. We are just very careful as we continue our pilgrimage here,” Ubpon told Cebu Daily News in an overseas call.
Ubpon said they will be in Mecca for the next five days to visit the Black Stone and walk seven times around it. They will then proceed to Madinah to visit the museum of Prophet Muhammad.
Ubpon said this year’s pilgrimage is challenging because of sandstorms, strong rain and thunderstorms, the stampede and hot weather, with temperatures reaching 40 degrees Celsius.
“We make sure to have wet towels and we drink water from time to time,” he said.
Most of the pilgrims from Cebu are in their 50s and 60s.
They are housed in tents constructed by the Saudi Arabian government.
Ubpon asked everyone to pray for their safety until their return to the Philippines on October 12.
Muslim pilgrims undertake the Hajj, or the rituals based on those conducted by the Prophet Muhammad, at least once.
The stampede occurred during the “stoning the devil” ritual in Mina.
During Eid al-Adha, Muslims around the world gather not only to pray but also to discuss issues affecting them. They slaughter sheep and other livestock, giving away a portion of its meat to the poor.
In Cebu City, Imam Ustadz Najeeb Razul urged Muslims to unite and called for an end to discrimination.
In his sermon at Al-Khairiah Mosque in barangay Mambaling, Cebu City, Razul reminded Muslims how beautiful their religion is.
“It is a religion that brought humanity together. The problem is that there are some who are less educated. They tend to interpret Islam in an extreme way either radical or extremist,” he said.
“I am categorically saying that they do not represent us. Islam is a religion of peace, love, uniting humanity. Our belief is that every human being is created from one male and female,” he added.
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