By Delores Jones
Kansas City, MO – The Hajj is the journey every Muslim hopes and plans to make to the spiritual homeland of Mecca. It takes place in the month of Zul-Hejja. This year by coincidence, the month began on January 1rst, the same time as the western New Year.
Millions of Muslims from around the world converge on the most holy site in Islam to perform a series of rituals in unison over the course of several days. What we often hear in the news about the Hajj is how some of these millions of travelers are injured or killed in the course of these rituals. But Tanveer Papa, a local Muslim businessman, who just returned from performing his Hajj, wants people to understand that this is in no way the most important aspect of the Hajj. Tanveer Papa is director of the Center for Islamic Education in North America, based in Kansas City.