A Very Mortal Disease

Abstract

Each year millions of Muslims make their way to Mecca, the birthplace of Islam’s prophet Muhammad and site of its holiest city, about 50 miles from the Red Sea on the western border of Saudi Arabia. This Hajj, the ritual pilgrimage to Mecca, is a conditional obligation to be performed at least once in the lifetime of every follower of Islam [1]. Early in its history, pilgrims arrived solely by sea or via caravan along numerous distinct overland routes from “distant” lands like Syria, Iraq, and Egypt. In modern times, the sojourner is more apt to arrive by airplane from any number of places around the world.