By Tarra QuismundoPhilippine Daily Inquirer 2:19 am | Sunday, October 13th, 2013 The sun sets behind the minarets of Imam Muhammad Ibn Saud Islamic University mosque in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. AP FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines—Everybody flies for the Hajj, with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Going on a pilgrimage to Mecca has been a lifelong dream for lawyer Samina Macabando but the hefty price of the journey—up to P200,000—was always a barrier. This year, the Marawi City native is finally making the sojourn that Muslims around the world make their life’s mission. The 31-year-old lawyer is among 47 Filipinos the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is flying to and billeting for free in Mecca this month for the Hajj, in Islam a defining expression of devotion to the faith. “I’ve been dreaming of this ever since I was young,” said Macabando. “It’s very important. It’s one of the five pillars of Islam. If you go on the pilgrimage, your faith is complete,” she told the Inquirer. Officials of the Saudi Embassy in Manila and the National Commission for Muslim Filipinos (NCMF) feted the pilgrims at the embassy in Makati City on Saturday where they were handed their plane tickets, the Ihraam (the sacred white clothing that Muslims wear for the Hajj) and other gifts. The group, selected from around the Philippines through a stringent process, will be provided “luxurious accommodations and other services that befit them as guests” during their 10-day trip, said the embassy’s chargé d’affaires, Abdullelah Aljebreen, in remarks Read More …
