A Muslim pilgrim prays near where the Hiraa cave is located, at the top of Noor Mountain on the outskirts of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2009. According to tradition, Islam's Prophet Mohammed received his first message to preach Islam while he was praying in the cave. An estimated 2.5 million Muslims have converged on Mecca to attend the annual hajj pilgrimage.
Muslim pilgrims pray inside the Grand mosque in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2009. An estimated 2.5 million Muslims have converged on Mecca to attend the annual hajj pilgrimage.
A Palestinian woman holds on to barbed wire as she and other pilgrims from Gaza wait to pass through the Rafah border crossing to Egypt for the upcoming Eid al-Adha festival, in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2009. Muslims worldwide are preparing for the Eid al-Adha festival, or the Feast of the Sacrifice, celebrated to commemorate the prophet Ibrahim's faith in being willing to sacrifice his son.
An Afghan boy wraps himself up against the cold as he sells used clothing at a market in Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2009.
A delivery man pedals through a street alley in Tokyo, Japan, Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2009.
A vender holding a decorated lucky rake yells out to attract worshippers at Tori no Ichi fair at Ohtori Shrine in Tokyo, Japan, Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2009. On the day of the Tori, or Rooster, in Chinese calendar, hundreds of thousands of people throng to the shrine to purchase rake-shaped ornaments in hope of raking up their good health, good fortune and good business.
Butchers with butcher knives participate in religious rituals before slaughtering buffalos during a mass sacrifice ceremony at Gadhimai temple in Bariyapur, about 43 miles south of Katmandu, Nepal, Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2009.
A patient is examined during a scan at the University Hospital in Liege, Belgium, Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2009. Belgium's Rom Houben was misdiagnosed for 23 years as being in a coma until a doctor at Liege University discovered three years ago that Houben's brain was still functioning. Houben was diagnosed as being in a vegetative state following a car crash in 1983.