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American Morning

This Week Marks Beginning of Annual Pilgrimage to Mecca

Aired February 19, 2002 - 07:50   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: This week marks the beginning of Hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca. All Muslims are expected to make the journey during their lives. This year nearly two million of the world's one billion Muslims will descend on the city in western Saudi Arabia. And security, a concern every year, has become even tighter post September 11. CNN's Zain Verjee is in Mecca and joins us now.

Zain, what is the security like there today?

ZAIN VERJEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi Anderson. How are you? I'm here standing right in front of the grand mosque here in Mecca. You can actually hear the start of the call of the prayers behind me. But on the subject on security, it's really at the maximum here in Saudi Arabia -- it really starts at the airport. What the pilgrims do is they come and they get off the plane and as soon as they arrive their baggage is x-rayed, hand checked, and many people have to go through the physical fingerprinting, eye scanning and so forth.

That's something new that's happened this year. Also another interesting thing on the issue of security is that every single person has to hand over their passport before they can enter Mecca, and they can only take it back when they leave. And that's the way that the government gets to track people and control the flow of people in Mecca.

Now when you actually go to Mecca, there are a few checkpoints - beg your pardon, on the roads, about five main roads, and there are five checkpoints on these roads. And also at the mosque behind me there are more than 650 surveillance cameras just so they can keep track of what's going on and there's no trouble around the area.

There are also reports that al Qaeda supporters to try and use the Hajj as a cover to try and regroup or to recruit. So the Saudi government has said look, we really hope that that won't happen, but it might, and they say that they are prepared for anything. By and large, the people we've talked to say they feel safe, and the Saudi government hopes it stays that way - Anderson.

COOPER: All right, Zain Verjee at Mecca at the Hajj. Thanks very much for joining us this morning.

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