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Live at the Hajj |
Pilgrims travel from across the world to experience the Hajj. They
say nothing prepares you for this trip of a lifetime, decide for youself
when Channel 4 presents the Hajj through the eyes of five Muslims.
Follow them from their homes in Britain, Pakistan, America and Kuwait
to Mecca, the birthplace of Islam. How will they cope with the physical
and emotional demands of the greatest trip on Earth?
Meet our eyes and ears at the Hajj, and see how they prepared themselves.
Go to video
- Serfraz
Qayyum - A 23 year-old new father and care worker from Middlesborough
- Kosser Shiekh
- A young mother and careerwoman on her first Hajj guided by her
brother
- Aamer Chaudhary
- A Pakistani newspaper editor performing Hajj so his father can
rest in peace
- Hallalah
Hasam - An African-American Muslim who's not in Kansas anymore
- Mohammed
Alawadi - A young Kuwaiti undertaking Hajj for the first time
and acting as a guide.
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Serfraz Qayyum from Middlesborough, UK
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Serfraz Qayyum
The 23 year-old care worker from Middlesbrough will leave behind
a wife, toddler and newborn baby to perform Hajj.
The birth of his second child at the end of 2002 put this Hajj journey in doubt, and
he considered remaining at home to help his wife.
"Before he was born, there were all these fears in my mind about
what would happen, so I put all my trust in God that everything
would be fine...as he was born early, it was like a sign that I
could go, the path was clear, and I could leave him in the care
of God and my family."
Serfraz is now determined to perform Hajj again, although he admits
this time he feels "overwhelmed" about having his experience recorded
on television for millions of viewers in the UK.
"I do feel nervous. But I truly believe that the programmes will
help show the truth about Muslims - our religion and philosophy
of life. It will help against all the recent misconceptions in the
media and help the image of Islam. If this happens, then it's worth
all the effort."
Watch
Video
Go
to Serfraz's chat transcript
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Kosser Sheikh from London, UK
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Kosser
Sheikh
Although the 29 year-old has a demanding job in London's Canary
Wharf, she will leave behind the office and more importantly, her
husband and two children to perform Hajj.
"I am really looking forward to Hajj. I was okay a few months back,
but as time draws near I'm beginning to feel nervous. I am not scared
or panicky as I am relying 100 per cent on my mehram, my beloved
brother Asif, who ma-shallah is very experienced.
"I'm nervous because I would like to do everything right; there
are key things to do at precise times during Hajj and I'm just worried
I might do it all wrong. But I keep telling myself that I have nothing
to worry about since Asif will be with me, inshallah, to guide me."
Having television cameras follow her every move won't put Kosser
off.
"Whilst on Hajj, my intention will be to focus on it alone and nothing
else, therefore I will not be thinking of the fact that my Hajj
will be televised. I will focus completely on my pilgrimage, after
all it's a once in a lifetime opportunity."
Watch
Video
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Aamer Chaudhary from Lahore, Pakistan
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Aamer Chaudhary
Aamer is a magazine editor for an English language newspaper in
Lahore, Pakistan. He's performing Hajj-e-Badal (Hajj on behalf
of someone else) - for his father who died on March 7, 1998.
For Aamer, the opportunity to be part of the first western televised
broadcast of the Hajj is "immensely positive".
"I hope I will be able to help quell the interpretation of a biased
few in the media about Muslims. Personally, I hope to achieve peace
for my father's soul and forgiveness of my sins."
Watch Video
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Hallalah Hasam from
Kansas City, USA
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Hallalah Hasam
This bankworker from Kansas City in Missouri is a sixth generation
African-American Muslim. Hallalah will perform Hajj with her mother
and aunt - "her two moms".
Hallalah runs an Islamic singing group in her hometown - although
some scholars believe that listening to music is un-Islamic - she
disagrees.
"Music is a part of the African American culture. As long as the
music is positive, it's okay."
Hallalah's enthusiasm and commitment to her beliefs means Hajj could
be habit-forming, "every chance I get I want to go back because
I just love being around people, and people that have a lot in common
with you, you can relate to each other".
Watch
Video
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Mohammed Alawadi from Kuwait
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Mohammed
Alawadi
A 20-year-old Kuwaiti, Mohammed had a tumultuous upbringing in various
towns in the UK where, by his own admission, "I would have ended
up in jail or killed, and I just thank God that I didn't carry on
that way".
He returned to Kuwait in his teens and began practising Islam seriously
just over a year ago. He now works for a charity that provides information
and conversions to non-Muslims.
Mohammed is taking a group of western businessmen, including Britons
and Americans, to Hajj. All are recent converts to Islam and will
be performing Hajj for the first time under his guidance - even
though it's his first time too.
"I'm only going to start off with the basics. The best thing I can
do is really read, and read, and read. I try and read as much as
I can on Hajj."
Watch
Video
You can view video of each of the pilgrims here
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