Perspective: Saudi Arabia braces for haj

RIYADH, Dec 24 (Reuters) - Over two million Muslims begin the haj in Saudi Arabia this week, amid fears of sectarian violence and militant attack as well as the stampedes and hotel collapses that have marred the pilgrimage in recent years.

A duty for every able-bodied Muslim at least once in a lifetime, the gruelling five-day ritual beginning on Friday is one of the world's biggest displays of mass religious devotion.

Pilgrims converge on the Grand Mosque in Mecca and follow a route around the rocky mountains of the ancient city in line with a tradition established by the Prophet Mohammed.

Overcrowding is a perennial worry but this time, regional tension between Shi'ites and Sunnis has heightened security concerns while authorities remain on the look-out for al Qaeda-linked militant violence -- a fear in recent years.

"We have been prepared to deal with the worst, may God forbid it, including things that can be deadlier than sectarian violence ... stampedes or building collapses," said a senior police officer in Mecca, declining to say if measures were in place to monitor specific religious sects during the pilgrimage.

The haj takes place in the shadow of violence between Sunnis and Shi'ites that has taken Iraq to the brink of civil war this year. Sunni-Shi'ite tension is also high in Lebanon, where Shi'ites are leading efforts to bring down a Sunni-led cabinet.

Iranian and other pilgrims have used the haj for political protests in the past. Shi'ite Iran is at loggerheads with the West over its nuclear programme and its backing Shi'ite groups in Arab countries, raising the potential for trouble at the haj.

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