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Politics sneak in as Muslims mark high point of hajj

MOUNT ARAFAT, Saudi Arabia - Millions of Muslims marked the zenith of the annual hajj Tuesday, praying for God's forgiveness on a rocky desert hill where in Muslim tradition Adam and Eve were reunited after leaving Eden.

The ritual of standing at Mount Rahma is the most spiritual moment of the pilgrimage, when Muslims believe God will grant their prayers.

But some politics did peek through.

Several hundred Iranians held their own vigil in their section of the vast tent city where pilgrims are housed on the plateau called Mount Arafat, calling on Muslims to unite against the United States and Israel, which they said "dominate the Muslim world."

Iran and Saudi Arabia are regional rivals, but such tensions are supposed to be put aside during the hajj, a pilgrimage expected of every Muslim physically and financially able to make it.

The rally is an annual occurrence, arranged by the Iranian government.

An envoy read a statement from Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, to the faithful, telling them that hajj requires them to show love for God and to "expel, fight and stand up to Satan."

"They are hatching plots in Palestine, Lebanon, Iraq and Afghanistan and pitting one section of Muslims against the other," Ayatollah Mohammadi Reyshahri said, reading the statement.

About 3-million Muslims from around the world flooded into Arafat late Monday and early Tuesday.

They climbed Mount Rahma, the rocky hill on Arafat, and sought God's forgiveness of their sins. They performed noon prayers at the Namira Mosque, where the prophet Mohammed gave his last sermon.

The Arafat rituals ended at sunset Tuesday.

[Last modified December 19, 2007, 01:32:56]