MINA, Saudi Arabia // Chanting "God is great", millions of Muslims yesterday stoned pillars representing the devil in a symbolic rejection of temptation during the second day of the annual Haj pilgrimage.
The day also marked the start of the Islamic holiday of Eid Al Adha.
Vast crowds flowed past the three pillars, which resemble curved walls, in a four-level sprawling concrete structure built to expedite the flow of pilgrims, casting pebbles at the largest one.
The ritual would be repeated for two more days, with participants eventually casting stones at all three pillars.
The event in the desert valley of Mina commemorates Ibrahim's stoning of the devil. It is said the devil appeared to the prophet three times to try to tempt him.
The stoning is one of the most dangerous stages of the Haj, with the press of people around the pillars creating the risk of a stampede.
In 2004, 244 people were killed and a year later at least 360 others died when several pilgrims tripped over baggage while others behind them kept pushing ahead.
Saudi authorities subsequently built the current complex to reduce the stampede danger.
Officials estimate 2.5 million pilgrims have joined the Haj this year.
Among them were Libyans long denied the opportunity to make the Haj as the country's allotments were usually reserved for Muammar Qaddafi's cronies.
A celebratory mood dominated the Libyan tent camp more than two weeks after the October 20 capture and killing of Qaddafi, which ended an eight-month civil war.
A red carpet had replaced the Qaddafi green at the camp, while those given preference this year to fill the North African nation's quota were relatives of fighters killed trying to oust the longtime dictator.
Abdul-Hamid Kashlaf, 45, a building inspector from Tripoli, and his wife were among about 7,000 Libyans who received a free Haj trip from the governing National Transitional Council.
Mr Kashlaf's son, Abdul-Bari, 17, was part of a secret cell in Tripoli that helped revolutionary forces overrun the capital in late August .
He was killed when pro-Qaddafi forces opened fire on him and fellow fighters in a mosque.
"I pray to God to grant us security and to put our country in the hands of good people," Mr Kashlaf said.
In the past, Qaddafi's regime strictly controlled the list of Libyans selected to perform the Haj, as each country is given a limit by the Saudis.
"It was very hard for normal people to have a share in Libya's nearly 7,000 seats because the beneficiaries were Qaddafi's henchmen, relatives and government officials," Mr Kashlaf said.
Prayers were also offered for anti-government protesters still facing bloody crackdowns in other Arab countries.
"I pray to God for an end to the bloodshed in Syria and Yemen and for our Syrian and Yemeni brothers to achieve victory," said Mohammed Abdul-Salam Al Misrati, 27, who lost his father in the fighting in Libya.
Like all Libyan pilgrims, Mr Al Misrati's identification card bore the country's new tricolour flag.
Hundreds of Yemenis have been killed since protests demanding the resignation of the president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, began in February.
Syria has suffered a bloody uprising in which more than 3,000 people have been killed since mid-March, according to the UN.
"I wish for security to be maintained in my country. I pray to God that we in Syria be unified and stand shoulder to shoulder," said Sheikh Ahmed Garman, 37, who led a group of Syrian pilgrims from Aleppo.
This year, Saudi authorities have used the latest technology to help control the vast crowds.
The ministry of religious affairs sent 3.25 million text messages each day to the mobile phones of pilgrims to inform them of correct procedures for the Haj rites to "prevent that which is harmful", according to a ministry official, Sheikh Talal Ul Uqail, cited by the official SPA news agency.
The messages, managed by more than 3,000 clerics, translators and administrators, aimed to correct "errors" made by some pilgrims.
Saudi authorities followed and managed the movement of the crowds by means of electronic monitors that tracked every pilgrim during the five-day Haj, according to the Saudi minister of Haj, Fuad Al Farsi.
The religious police posted videos and documents offering pilgrims guidance on the video-sharing website YouTube, accessible at www.youtube.com/user/movieshajj
In Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim country, Eid Al Adha was marked by all-night prayer, the sacrifice of goats and cows and family meals of rice cakes and meat dishes. In keeping with tradition, the president, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, offered a cow weighing 1.2-tonnes for sacrifice after prayers at Jakarta's Istiqlal mosque, which was to slaughter 60 cows and 27 goats for meat to be distributed to 10,000 people.
* Associated Press and Agence France-Presse
@For more on EID AL ADHA, visit thenational.ae/topics
Other workplace saving schemes
- The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
- Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
- National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
- In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
- Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
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Personalities on the Plate: The Lives and Minds of Animals We Eat
Barbara J King, University of Chicago Press
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Key recommendations
- Fewer criminals put behind bars and more to serve sentences in the community, with short sentences scrapped and many inmates released earlier.
- Greater use of curfews and exclusion zones to deliver tougher supervision than ever on criminals.
- Explore wider powers for judges to punish offenders by blocking them from attending football matches, banning them from driving or travelling abroad through an expansion of ‘ancillary orders’.
- More Intensive Supervision Courts to tackle the root causes of crime such as alcohol and drug abuse – forcing repeat offenders to take part in tough treatment programmes or face prison.
THE BIO
Bio Box
Role Model: Sheikh Zayed, God bless his soul
Favorite book: Zayed Biography of the leader
Favorite quote: To be or not to be, that is the question, from William Shakespeare's Hamlet
Favorite food: seafood
Favorite place to travel: Lebanon
Favorite movie: Braveheart
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What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
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Tonight's Chat on The National
Tonight's Chat is a series of online conversations on The National. The series features a diverse range of celebrities, politicians and business leaders from around the Arab world.
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The biog
Favourite books: 'Ruth Bader Ginsburg: A Life' by Jane D. Mathews and ‘The Moment of Lift’ by Melinda Gates
Favourite travel destination: Greece, a blend of ancient history and captivating nature. It always has given me a sense of joy, endless possibilities, positive energy and wonderful people that make you feel at home.
Favourite pastime: travelling and experiencing different cultures across the globe.
Favourite quote: “In the future, there will be no female leaders. There will just be leaders” - Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook.
Favourite Movie: Mona Lisa Smile
Favourite Author: Kahlil Gibran
Favourite Artist: Meryl Streep
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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