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Fast food big hit in Mecca for Muslim pilgrims

MECCA: Hibatullah came from Iran to Saudi Arabia seeking spiritual fulfilment and completion of a religious duty.

But as the 46-year-old social worker prepared to start the pilgrimage ritual in the holy city of Mecca, he was pleased with a little bonus on the side: his first bite of a Burger King hamburger.

"It is delicious, and it is halal," Hibatullah, who did not give his second name, said on Sunday, referring to meat from animals slaughtered according to Islamic ritual.

"It is a nice surprise to find such a restaurant here as one can try it without worrying about the meat," he told Reuters at an outlet of the well-known fast food chain in a shopping mall across the street from the Grand Mosque, Islam's holiest site.

Islam bans the eating of meat and poultry unless the animals are killed in accordance with Islamic ritual.

Mainly U.S. fast food restaurants in the holy city thrive during the pilgrimage or haj season when nearly two million Muslims from 100 countries flock to Mecca.

Pilgrims in seamless white robes queue outside counters of household names like McDonald's, Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) and Baskin Robbins to grab a bite or an ice cream during a break from worshipping.

"We get very busy around the clock during the haj season and (holy month of) Ramadan," said Sharif al-Sukari, manager of a KFC outlet.

"Many pilgrims, especially from Asia and Africa, say they are eating fast food for the first time though they have the same fast food chains back home. Here they are sure it's halal," he said.

Nearby, one of Sukari's staff was busy taking an order for a "haj and ummrah (mini pilgrimage) meal" -- three chicken pieces, French fries and a soft drink.

But the large shopping mall which houses KFC and other outlets, the Mecca Commercial Housing Centre, is not just about food.

Several thousand pilgrims check out the large array of shops offering everything from modest praying rugs to electronics, designer clothes and expensive watches and jewellery.

"I like this place," said Umm Mohammad, a Lebanese women clad in a sky-blue robe and a white veil. "It offers us a respite and a chance to get presents for our families back home."

But none of the hundreds of pilgrims-turned-shoppers inside the modern building appeared to have lost focus on the important task that brought them here in the first place.

Within seconds of the start of a call for prayer from the Grand Mosque, the pilgrims rushed outside, leaving the shops virtually empty.

With the mosque and surrounding streets full of hundreds of thousands of worshippers, the shoppers lined up at the entrances of the mall and joined in a prayer led by an imam inside the Grand Mosque.-Reuters