(Updates, adds quotes throughout) By Souhail Karam MENA, Saudi Arabia, Dec 30 (Reuters) - More than two million Muslim pilgrims began a symbolic devil-stoning ritual on Saturday, putting to the test new safety measures at a stage of the haj that has seen tragedy in the past. The rites were overshadowed by the news that former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, a hero to some Sunni Arabs because of his anti-U.S. stance, had been executed by the U.S.-backed Shi'ite government. Saudi Arabia attacked Iraq for marring the spirit of the haj, one of the world's biggest displays of mass religious devotion which is a duty for able-bodied Muslims with the means. "Leaders of Islamic countries should show respect for this blessed occasion ... not demean it," said a statement issued by the state news agency SPA and read on national television. Security fears were already high during this haj season because of sectarian strife between Sunni and Shi'ite Muslims in Iraq and elsewhere in the region. "We have not changed our plans. We have prepared for the worst, but so far things have been very quiet," said a security officer at Mena outside Mecca, who asked not to be named. Many Sunni Arabs on haj were angered by the news, but some Iraqi pilgrims said Saddam's death was a gift on the occasion of Eid al-Adha, the Feast of Sacrifice that began on Saturday. "Congratulations, this is like two Eids! I hope God will not have mercy on him," said Iraqi pilgrim Nadir Abdullah. Eid al-Adha, the most important day in the Islamic calendar, marks the beginning of the three-day stoning ritual at the Jamarat Bridge when pilgrims symbolically cast out sin. With such large crowds, Saudi Arabia deploys more than 50,000 security men to try to avoid deadly stampedes, as well as attacks by Islamists opposed to the U.S.-allied Saudi royals. ELATED PILGRIMS Hundreds of thousands of elated pilgrims, clad in white robes symbolising equality and selflessness, managed to move over the Jamarat Bridge on Saturday without incident. In the worst haj tragedy in 16 years, 362 pilgrims were crushed to death in January as crowds surged across the bridge to throw stones at three large walls representing the spot where Islam says Satan tempted the biblical patriarch Abraham. "Circulation has been fluid, people have managed to get on and off the bridge with ease," said Zohra Qanqum from Morocco. New construction work allows 250,000 pilgrims to pass over the bridge in safety each hour. For the first time, Saudi authorities have also removed most of the pilgrim squatters who in past years have set up tents at the side of the bridge. "This is incomparable to previous years. I managed to throw my stones in less than an hour early in the morning," said Mohammed Abdel-Jabbar from Sudan. Saudi government-backed clerics have encouraged pilgrims to stone throughout the day, challenging hardliners who insist on the afternoon and thus risk a surge of pilgrims at one time. Pilgrims, mostly moving on foot, cover a 44 km (28 miles) circuit around Mecca during the gruelling 5-day ritual. They must repeat the stoning twice more on Sunday and Monday. Saudi officials said on Saturday that 2.4 million pilgrims were performing haj. But with hundreds of thousands of local residents sneaking into Mecca without official permits, the total number could be closer to 3 million.
