Iraqi Man Walks from UK to Mecca in 11 Months before Hajj Starts, Spreads Message of Peace
An Iraqi man has walked from the UK to Mecca in 10 months and 25 days, crossing 11 countries on the way. 52-year-old Adam Mohamed started from Wolverhampton on August 1 last year and covered a distance of 6,500 km to reach the Saudi Arabian city before Hajj pilgrimage starts on July 7. Arab News reported that Adam covered an average 17.8 km each day.
The electrical engineer pushed along a cart weighing 300 kg which was fitted with speakers that played Islamic recitations. Adam told Arab News that his aim was to spread the message of peace and equality.He had set up a GoFundMe page for himself. He wrote: “I am not doing all this for merely fame or money, but purely to highlight to the world we human being are all equal regardless our race, colour, religion and to spread the message of peace and unity that our religion Islam teaches.” Though his target was to raise only 1,000 pounds, he received donations of 26,000 pounds. Arab News reported that after the pandemic, Adam started questioning many things in life and dived deep into the Quran to find those answers. His decision to undertake this journey was a result of this soul searching. He was overwhelmed with all the love that people showered on him on the way. He broadcasted his journey on TiKTok and gained half a million followers. He also wore hijab for a day to encourage women to wear it.
After a gap of two years, Saudi Arabia has allowed 1 million Muslims to perform Hajj this year. In 2020 and 2021, Hajj was limited to Saudi Arabia residents only. A statement issued by the Hajj Ministry of Saudi Arabia claimed that 2,66,000 Hajj pilgrims had reached Mecca and Madina by Sunday midnight. The Saudi Press Agency said that 1,71,606 pilgrims had left Madina during the past few days on their way to Mecca, while 95,194 are in the holy city.
