It’s that time again – time for the Hajj, the annual Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca undertaken by millions of faithful from all over

the world.

The LA Times has their own writeup on this years’ Hajj, complete with a reporter who is sending back reflections during the journey.

Relatedly, Religion Dispatches reports on why some Muslims are calling to replace Greenwhich Mean Time (the system used by most nations) with Mecca Time.

Meanwhile, the AP notes that 80,000 showed up to pray together in the freezing streets of Moscow to celebrate the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha.

In completely different news, the By Way of Beauty looks at the religious roots of America’s most famous comedians.

Finally, Lewis Richmond reflects on the past 50 years of American Buddhism.

Oh, and the Tweet of Day is from @cdbush via @UnvirtuousAbbey. Apparently someone is doing a little early prepping for Thanksgiving by reminding us all what we should REALLY be thankful for:

@cdbush – @UnvirtuousAbbey For grandmas who give you a big piece of cake when you asked for a little piece to be polite, we give thanks to the Lord.

Image courtesy Ali Mansuri via wikimedia commons.