MEDINA, Saudi Arabia — Prayers rang out for Afghans Friday at the main weekly service in Medina, Islam's second holiest city.
Leading prayers at the Prophet's Mosque, Sheik Hussein Ali Sheik implored God to "protect all the Muslims in Afghanistan and Palestine." He repeated the call several times, and each time the crowd of worshippers echoed his words in a vast murmur, then chanted "amen."
The prayers followed a sermon in which no direct mention was made of the Sept. 11 terror attacks on the United States and the U.S. retaliatory air strikes on Afghanistan that began Sunday. During his sermon, Ali Sheik called on Muslims to strengthen their faith.
Friday prayers are a rare opportunity in this tightly controlled country for public expression, making the expression significant.
The mosque, which can hold 167,000, was full Friday. Thousands of others prayed in an adjacent courtyard.