PHOTOS: The many faces of the female faithful at the hajj
PHOTOS: The many faces of the female faithful at the hajj
In this Sunday, Sept. 11, 2016 photo, Syrian women from Hama make their way down after prayer on a rocky hill known as the Mountain of Mercy, on the Plain of Arafat, during the annual hajj pilgrimage, near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)
In this Sunday, Sept. 11, 2016 photo, 60-year old Mariam Abdel Karim from Sudan poses for a photograph as she prays on a rocky hill known as the Mountain of Mercy, on the Plain of Arafat, during the annual hajj pilgrimage, near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Karim walked from Madina to Mecca to Arafat and will complete her pilgrimage by walking. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)
In this Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2016 photo, 36-year old Dalia from Lebanon takes off her hijab to start performing Wudu, a ritual of washing before prayer, inside an only women’s camp in Mina, Saudi Arabia. ÒI am not convinced that hijab is a must and sign of faith. I have been treating people with what I believe is ethical and human. I will continue to do so after the hajj. The Hajj was an opportunity though to look deep into myself and rediscover my faith and maybe to recall its importance in my life. I learned again how to pray after I stopped for more than 25 years,” says Dalia on her experience during the hajj. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)
In this Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2016 photo, Saudi women cast stones at a pillar symbolizing the stoning of Satan, in a ritual called “Jamarat,” the last rite of the annual hajj, in Mina near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)
In this Thursday, Sept. 8, 2016 photo, Amria from Dagestan, Russia, poses for a photograph near the Kaaba, Islam’s holiest site, at the Grand Mosque in the Muslim holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)
In this Thursday, Sept. 15, 2016 photo, a Saudi woman teaches Islam to women in Al-Masjid an-Nabawi or Prophet Muhammad’s Mosque, which situates Muhammad’s tomb, in Medina, Saudi Arabia. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)
In this Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2016 photo, 28-year old Sarah from Morocco takes a moment after removing her hijab and rests on a chair after arriving from camps in Arafat and Mina and finishing her pilgrimage, at a hotel in the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia. “It’s been quite a shock for me to discover that Mecca has been transformed in a giant mall. But aside of that the most incredible part was seeing people literally from every single part of the world standing all together in formation making rakat, a prayer movement, all at once,” says Sarah on her experience during the hajj. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)
In this Sunday, Sept. 11, 2016 photo, Fatma, 25, from Ghana carries her son Hisou as she poses for a photograph in Arafat during the annual hajj pilgrimage, near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Fatma walked with her son from Madina to Mecca to Arafat and will complete her pilgrimage by walking and not using any vehicles. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)
In this Sunday, Sept. 11, 2016 photo, an Egyptian woman prays inside the women’s camp in Arafat during the annual hajj pilgrimage, near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)
In this Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2016 photo, Fathima Akoo a 29 year-old Muslim educator and accountant from South Africak, poses for a photograph inside an only women’s camp in Mina, Saudi Arabia. “The hajj to me is a combination of childhood dreams coming true. It’s taught me unity and diversity,” says Akoo on her experience during the hajj. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)
In this Thursday, Sept. 15, 2016 photo, a Saudi girl gets caught in the crowd of women visiting Al-Masjid an-Nabawi or Prophet Muhammad’s Mosque, which situates Muhammad’s tomb, as she looks for her mother, in Medina, Saudi Arabia. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)
In this Sunday, Sept. 11, 2016 photo, 70-year old Fatma Mohammed from upper Egypt poses for a photograph as she rests in her tent in Arafat, near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Mohammed arrived by bus with a group to make her first Hajj pilgrimage. “The hajj was a lifetime dream for me,” says Mohammed. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)
In this Sunday, Sept. 11, 2016 photo, an African woman makes her way alone through the crowd towards a rocky hill known as the Mountain of Mercy, on the Plain of Arafat, during the annual hajj pilgrimage, near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)
In this Sunday, Sept. 11, 2016 photo, Indonesian women make their way down after prayer on a rocky hill known as the Mountain of Mercy, on the Plain of Arafat, during the annual hajj pilgrimage, near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)
In this Sunday, Sept. 11, 2016 photo, an Iraqi woman uses her prayer beads to make tasbeeh, or meditation, inside the women’s camp in Arafat during the annual hajj pilgrimage, near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)
In this Sunday, Sept. 11, 2016 photo, Syrian women from Hama make their way down after prayer on a rocky hill known as the Mountain of Mercy, on the Plain of Arafat, during the annual hajj pilgrimage, near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)
In this Sunday, Sept. 11, 2016 photo, Syrian women from Hama make their way down after prayer on a rocky hill known as the Mountain of Mercy, on the Plain of Arafat, during the annual hajj pilgrimage, near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)
In this Sunday, Sept. 11, 2016 photo, 60-year old Mariam Abdel Karim from Sudan poses for a photograph as she prays on a rocky hill known as the Mountain of Mercy, on the Plain of Arafat, during the annual hajj pilgrimage, near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Karim walked from Madina to Mecca to Arafat and will complete her pilgrimage by walking. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)
In this Sunday, Sept. 11, 2016 photo, 60-year old Mariam Abdel Karim from Sudan poses for a photograph as she prays on a rocky hill known as the Mountain of Mercy, on the Plain of Arafat, during the annual hajj pilgrimage, near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Karim walked from Madina to Mecca to Arafat and will complete her pilgrimage by walking. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)
In this Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2016 photo, 36-year old Dalia from Lebanon takes off her hijab to start performing Wudu, a ritual of washing before prayer, inside an only women’s camp in Mina, Saudi Arabia. ÒI am not convinced that hijab is a must and sign of faith. I have been treating people with what I believe is ethical and human. I will continue to do so after the hajj. The Hajj was an opportunity though to look deep into myself and rediscover my faith and maybe to recall its importance in my life. I learned again how to pray after I stopped for more than 25 years,” says Dalia on her experience during the hajj. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)
In this Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2016 photo, 36-year old Dalia from Lebanon takes off her hijab to start performing Wudu, a ritual of washing before prayer, inside an only women’s camp in Mina, Saudi Arabia. ÒI am not convinced that hijab is a must and sign of faith. I have been treating people with what I believe is ethical and human. I will continue to do so after the hajj. The Hajj was an opportunity though to look deep into myself and rediscover my faith and maybe to recall its importance in my life. I learned again how to pray after I stopped for more than 25 years,” says Dalia on her experience during the hajj. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)
In this Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2016 photo, Saudi women cast stones at a pillar symbolizing the stoning of Satan, in a ritual called “Jamarat,” the last rite of the annual hajj, in Mina near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)
In this Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2016 photo, Saudi women cast stones at a pillar symbolizing the stoning of Satan, in a ritual called “Jamarat,” the last rite of the annual hajj, in Mina near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)
In this Thursday, Sept. 8, 2016 photo, Amria from Dagestan, Russia, poses for a photograph near the Kaaba, Islam’s holiest site, at the Grand Mosque in the Muslim holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)
In this Thursday, Sept. 8, 2016 photo, Amria from Dagestan, Russia, poses for a photograph near the Kaaba, Islam’s holiest site, at the Grand Mosque in the Muslim holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)
In this Thursday, Sept. 15, 2016 photo, a Saudi woman teaches Islam to women in Al-Masjid an-Nabawi or Prophet Muhammad’s Mosque, which situates Muhammad’s tomb, in Medina, Saudi Arabia. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)
In this Thursday, Sept. 15, 2016 photo, a Saudi woman teaches Islam to women in Al-Masjid an-Nabawi or Prophet Muhammad’s Mosque, which situates Muhammad’s tomb, in Medina, Saudi Arabia. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)
In this Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2016 photo, 28-year old Sarah from Morocco takes a moment after removing her hijab and rests on a chair after arriving from camps in Arafat and Mina and finishing her pilgrimage, at a hotel in the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia. “It’s been quite a shock for me to discover that Mecca has been transformed in a giant mall. But aside of that the most incredible part was seeing people literally from every single part of the world standing all together in formation making rakat, a prayer movement, all at once,” says Sarah on her experience during the hajj. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)
In this Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2016 photo, 28-year old Sarah from Morocco takes a moment after removing her hijab and rests on a chair after arriving from camps in Arafat and Mina and finishing her pilgrimage, at a hotel in the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia. “It’s been quite a shock for me to discover that Mecca has been transformed in a giant mall. But aside of that the most incredible part was seeing people literally from every single part of the world standing all together in formation making rakat, a prayer movement, all at once,” says Sarah on her experience during the hajj. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)
In this Sunday, Sept. 11, 2016 photo, Fatma, 25, from Ghana carries her son Hisou as she poses for a photograph in Arafat during the annual hajj pilgrimage, near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Fatma walked with her son from Madina to Mecca to Arafat and will complete her pilgrimage by walking and not using any vehicles. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)
In this Sunday, Sept. 11, 2016 photo, Fatma, 25, from Ghana carries her son Hisou as she poses for a photograph in Arafat during the annual hajj pilgrimage, near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Fatma walked with her son from Madina to Mecca to Arafat and will complete her pilgrimage by walking and not using any vehicles. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)
In this Sunday, Sept. 11, 2016 photo, an Egyptian woman prays inside the women’s camp in Arafat during the annual hajj pilgrimage, near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)
In this Sunday, Sept. 11, 2016 photo, an Egyptian woman prays inside the women’s camp in Arafat during the annual hajj pilgrimage, near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)
In this Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2016 photo, Fathima Akoo a 29 year-old Muslim educator and accountant from South Africak, poses for a photograph inside an only women’s camp in Mina, Saudi Arabia. “The hajj to me is a combination of childhood dreams coming true. It’s taught me unity and diversity,” says Akoo on her experience during the hajj. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)
In this Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2016 photo, Fathima Akoo a 29 year-old Muslim educator and accountant from South Africak, poses for a photograph inside an only women’s camp in Mina, Saudi Arabia. “The hajj to me is a combination of childhood dreams coming true. It’s taught me unity and diversity,” says Akoo on her experience during the hajj. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)
In this Thursday, Sept. 15, 2016 photo, a Saudi girl gets caught in the crowd of women visiting Al-Masjid an-Nabawi or Prophet Muhammad’s Mosque, which situates Muhammad’s tomb, as she looks for her mother, in Medina, Saudi Arabia. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)
In this Thursday, Sept. 15, 2016 photo, a Saudi girl gets caught in the crowd of women visiting Al-Masjid an-Nabawi or Prophet Muhammad’s Mosque, which situates Muhammad’s tomb, as she looks for her mother, in Medina, Saudi Arabia. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)
In this Sunday, Sept. 11, 2016 photo, 70-year old Fatma Mohammed from upper Egypt poses for a photograph as she rests in her tent in Arafat, near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Mohammed arrived by bus with a group to make her first Hajj pilgrimage. “The hajj was a lifetime dream for me,” says Mohammed. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)
In this Sunday, Sept. 11, 2016 photo, 70-year old Fatma Mohammed from upper Egypt poses for a photograph as she rests in her tent in Arafat, near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Mohammed arrived by bus with a group to make her first Hajj pilgrimage. “The hajj was a lifetime dream for me,” says Mohammed. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)
In this Sunday, Sept. 11, 2016 photo, an African woman makes her way alone through the crowd towards a rocky hill known as the Mountain of Mercy, on the Plain of Arafat, during the annual hajj pilgrimage, near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)
In this Sunday, Sept. 11, 2016 photo, an African woman makes her way alone through the crowd towards a rocky hill known as the Mountain of Mercy, on the Plain of Arafat, during the annual hajj pilgrimage, near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)
In this Sunday, Sept. 11, 2016 photo, Indonesian women make their way down after prayer on a rocky hill known as the Mountain of Mercy, on the Plain of Arafat, during the annual hajj pilgrimage, near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)
In this Sunday, Sept. 11, 2016 photo, Indonesian women make their way down after prayer on a rocky hill known as the Mountain of Mercy, on the Plain of Arafat, during the annual hajj pilgrimage, near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)
In this Sunday, Sept. 11, 2016 photo, an Iraqi woman uses her prayer beads to make tasbeeh, or meditation, inside the women’s camp in Arafat during the annual hajj pilgrimage, near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)
In this Sunday, Sept. 11, 2016 photo, an Iraqi woman uses her prayer beads to make tasbeeh, or meditation, inside the women’s camp in Arafat during the annual hajj pilgrimage, near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)