Australian Muslims lament rising cost of Hajj as pilgrimage unfolds in Mecca

As millions of Muslims wake to messages of “Eid Mubarak” this morning, more than one-and-a-half million pilgrims are completing the rituals of Hajj in Saudi Arabia. For those who make it, the pilgrimage is often described as the journey of a lifetime, a moment of forgiveness, surrender and renewal. But for many Australian Muslims, the fifth pillar of Islam is becoming harder to reach, because the cost has become overwhelming.