Abdul Rahman is one of the more than 1.7 million foreign pilgrims traveling to Mecca in Saudi Arabia for this year’s hajj and like many of them, is bringing his friends and family with him – via his smartphone. Abdul uses an app on his phone to video call into his 18 year-old son in Tanzania. “I’m showing him live… how happy we are, how lucky we are,” he says.
According to AFP,” Across the holy city, pilgrims from around the world can be seen with their arms extended, showing off their surroundings to friends and family back home. Travel agencies in charge of organizing trips to the hajj are now offering packages that include mobile internet so they can avoid roaming fees. “
Mohammed Ismaelzad, a 26-year-old pilgrim from Mali, says that he is posting his hajj on Facebook and Instagram. “My friends in my country can’t come here, so they can see the pictures. They just see on TV, but with my pictures they will see another angle, like from my angle when I do the prayers.”
