Mina: Day three of Hajj.
We are at the foot of the winding path, looking up the hill to the second floor of the jamarat, the stone walls that represent the devil who had tempted the prophet Abraham against the sacrifice of his son. There, the Saudi soldier greets pilgrims. I look up in surprise. It’s not that the soldiers and police officers marshalling the crowd through these last days have been discourteous. Not at all. Most have been polite. And when I’ve seen some lose their composure, I’ve admired their restraint. Yet even…
