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Article: American Muslims turn pilgrimage to Mecca into a multimillion-dollar industry.
- Article from:
- Chicago Tribune (Chicago, IL)
- Article date:
- January 20, 2005
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2005 Chicago Tribune. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Byline: Deborah Horan
Jan. 20--Zubair and Aisha Khan wanted to make the spiritual pilgrimage to Mecca, to circle the black stone shrine in the glistening Saudi desert and become "hajjis," a title bestowed on Muslims who make the sacred journey to Islam's holiest city.
So the Chicago couple slapped down roughly $7,000 last year to Barakah Hajj & Umrah, an Oak Brook-based company that plans every detail of the annual religious rite, from the airfare to the air-conditioned tents that house pilgrims during one leg of the journey.
For that lump sum, the Khans got airline seats, stays in four-star hotels and tents, three meals a day, bus rides, ...