It is not the religious ardour that strikes me when I am covering the hajj, but its pagan character centred around stone. The spirit of pre-Islamic rites seems to have survived their adoption by the Prophet. The moment they set foot in Mecca, millions of pilgrims walk slowly around the Kaaba, where a stone, supposedly a meteorite, is embedded. They become like stardust revolving around a stone in outer space.Stone worship also appears to be celebrated by pilgrims on Mount Rahma, made of huge stone blocks, in the Plain of Arafat, where according to legend, Adam met Eve, and where the Prophet addressed...