This year’s Hajj — the annual pilgrimage of millions of Muslims to the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia — was bookended by a pair of heartbreaking, tragic events that made international headlines: the collapse of a construction crane at Masjid al-Haram (Grand Mosque) that killed 118 people just days before the beginning of Hajj, and a human stampede during one of the final rituals of Hajj that cost more than 700 people their lives.
The end of Hajj is celebrated throughout the Muslim world as Eid al-Adha, one of two major Islamic holidays along with Eid al-Fitr (the end of Ramadan). In the wake of the stampede tragedy, Muslim athletes from a variety of sports and backgrounds were still sharing well-wishes to the ummah for Eid:
Oday Aboushi – Football (NFL) – USA
Yaya Toure – Soccer (Premier League) – Ivory Coast
Sonny Bill Williams – Rugby – New Zealand
Benoit Assou-Ekotto – Soccer (Ligue 1) – France
Mahama Cho – Taekwondo – England/Ivory Coast
Amir Khan – Boxing – England/Pakistan
Karim Benzema – Soccer (La Liga) – France
Tamir Ibn Amaar Herbert – Boxing – USA
Mesut Ozil – Soccer (Premier League) – Germany
Husain Abdullah – Football (NFL) – USA
Ali Al Habsi – Soccer (Premier League) – Oman
Demba Ba – Soccer (Chinese Super League) – Senegal/France
Enes Kanter – Basketball (NBA) – Turkey
Abou Diaby – Soccer (Ligue 1) – France
Amna Al Haddad – Weightlifting – United Arab Emirates
Andre Ayew – Soccer (Premier League) – Ghana/France
Kei Kamara – Soccer (MLS) – Sierra Leone
Jusuf Nurkic – Basketball (NBA) – Bosnia & Herzegovina
Anthar Yahia – Soccer (Ligue 2) – Algeria/France
Usman Khawaja – Cricket – Pakistan
Mohamed Salah – Soccer (Serie A) – Egypt
Categories: NEWS
Eid Mubarak to you all as well…. Taqabbal Allahu minna wa minkum