Muslim pilgrims in mass movement as hajj begins

MECCA, Oct 2 (AFP): Hundreds of thousands of Muslim pilgrims began a mass movement out of the holy city of Mecca towards the nearby Mina Valley in Saudi Arabia on Thursday, beginning the hajj.
One of the world's largest annual gatherings and a pillar of the Islamic faith, this year's hajj comes with authorities striving to protect pilgrims from two deadly viruses, Ebola and the MERS coronavirus.
It also comes against the backdrop of widespread revulsion among Muslims toward Islamic State group jihadists.
Saudi Arabia and four other Arab states have joined Washington in air strikes in Syria against the militants, who have declared a "caliphate" straddling Iraq and Syria where they have committed a spate of atrocities.
Authorities say close to 1.4 million believers have come from abroad to follow the 1,400-year-old tradition of Prophet Hazrat Muhammed (PBUH), alongside pilgrims from Saudi Arabia. "It is a beautiful feeling," said Aziza Yousfy, 60, from Algeria, before leaving Mecca.