Gazans barred from Hajj, animal sacrifice as major Muslim festival nears

By Nidal al-Mughrabi and Haseeb Alwazeer GAZA/CAIRO, May 20 (Reuters) – In a tent in southern Gaza, Najia Abu Lehia mourns not only her husband but also their failure to make the pilgrimage to Mecca, or Hajj, together before he died a year ago because of war and border closures. Mecca, in Saudi Arabia, is Islam’s holiest city, and the Hajj is one of its Five Pillars, a mandatory duty for Muslims who are physically and financially able to undertake it at least once in their lifetime.