Annisa Essack | kzn@radioislam.org.za
25 June 2023 | 22:00 CAT
2 min read

Photo Credit: Arab News

A French Hajj pilgrim of Moroccan origin, Nabil Ennasri, began his journey in Paris on April 22 and has crossed 11 countries including Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, Greece, Jordan, and Türkiye.

French affairs analyst, writer and civil society activist recently arrived in Saudi Arabia after covering a distance of over 5,000 km by bicycle.

Ennasri shared an emotional video of his arrival at the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah, in which he said: “It is difficult to express these feelings because your prayer is not the same as when you have been on a 57-day trip to come and pray at the Prophet’s Mosque, and when you take a seven-hour flight.”

The 41-year-old, who shared updates from his journey on social media, said that he wanted to revive the traditional pilgrimage experience that Muslims followed and draw attention to global warming.

According to Ennasri, global warming is a major problem facing humanity today.

“It is important for me to protect nature and our world, and to explain this to the Muslim community. I think there is a misunderstanding about global warming; people don’t understand what it is about.”

During his short stay in Jeddah, the Saudi Cycling Federation warmly welcomed the French cyclist and held a practice session with the club members on the Jeddah Corniche.

His trip is intended to inspire other Muslims and community members to rethink their approach to travel.