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专家系统中的分类识别程序

Muslims mass for Hajj
 
The pilgrimage takes place under the shadow of 11 September

By the BBC's religious affairs correspondent Mark Duff 

Some two million Muslims have gathered in Saudi Arabia's holy city of Mecca to begin the rites of the Hajj. 

The annual pilgrimage, which takes them to the barren plain of Mina and the slopes of Mount Arafat, is the biggest yearly mass movement of people on the planet. 
The Saudi authorities have put extra security in place

But this year's Hajj has been overshadowed by the fallout from last September's attacks on the United States and the war in Afghanistan. 

For all the efforts of Muslim leaders to distance themselves from 11 September, many in the West still associate the violence - however nebulously - with Islam. 

But that has not deterred the faithful from making the journey that is a once-in-a-lifetime obligation for every physically-able Muslim who can afford it. 

American pilgrims 

The pilgrims began leaving Mecca in the early hours to take part in the five-day ritual. 

Among those who have made the journey are a few thousand Afghans, some 200,000 people from the world's biggest Muslim nation, Indonesia and about 10,000 American Muslims - an increase on last year despite earlier fears that many Americans would be deterred from going. 

Arriving pilgrims faced stringent security checks, including digital eye tests, as they entered Saudi Arabia on their way to Mecca. 

 
Arafat is the traditional site of the Prophet Mohammad's last sermon 14 centuries ago

The concentration of so many people in a relatively small area has in the past proved a recipe for disaster. 

Fire and stampedes have claimed the lives of hundreds of people over the years. 

But it is the potential for political unrest that is of greatest concern to the Saudis this year. 

In 1987 some 400 people died during clashes between security forces and Iranian pilgrims protesting against Israel and the United States. 

That is why - in the wake of 11 September - the Saudi authorities have insisted that they will not tolerate any attempt to exploit the Hajj for political purposes. 
Unemployment among ethnic minority workers may be influenced by religion, a report suggests. 

Among the UK's Asian community, Muslims are more likely than Hindus or Sikhs to be unemployed, the research commissioned by the Cabinet Office says. 

Bangladeshi Muslims were around a third more likely than Hindus to be out of work. 

Pakistani Muslims also fared badly compared to Sikhs and Hindus. 

 
But the issue was "complex", with Indian Muslims less likely to be unemployed than both Hindus and Sikhs, the report's authors said. 

Religious factors within ethnic groups "may influence the relative disadvantage of minority groups", they wrote.
Summer riots 

The study is part of a project - started by Prime Minister Tony Blair - aimed at increasing employment and career achievement among ethnic minority workers. 

Unemployment by race 
White: 11% 
Bangladeshi/Pakistani: 31% 
Caribbean: 25% 
Other Black: 29% 
Indian: 14% 
Chinese:13% 
Males aged 16-64 Source: Labour Force Survey 

The research team was set up last March - before the summer riots involving Asians in northern towns and the September 11 attacks turned the spotlight onto religion differences. 

But irrespective of religion, unemployment among all ethnic groups is still very high. 

More than a third of Bangladeshis and Pakistani men and a quarter of Caribbean men were jobless compared to a rate of 11% for their white counterparts. 

Chinese workers were the non-white workers most likely to be in work with just over 13% unemployed. 


Career progress 

The report also highlighted some positive developments. 

Compared to figures from the 1970s, all ethnic groups had been successful in climbing up the career pole to managerial and professional posts. 
"Overall it appears that the second-generation have closed the gap on the White British with respect to occupational attainment but not with respect to unemployment," the report said. 

Women of Caribbean origin were singled out as doing particularly well. 

On average they earned significantly more per hour than their white counterparts. 

And, like Indian women, second-generation Caribbean women - those born since 1960 - were also better represented than their white counterparts in managerial and professional positions. 

In the same age group men of Indian origin had overtaken their white counterparts in the professional and managerial sector. 

But the report concluded that overall ethnic minority men had made less progress in the workplace than women. 

The report is the first stage of the Cabinet Office project. 

The next step will involve the team, led by Dr Shamit Saggar, making recommendations to government on policy changes to improve the situation for ethnic minority workers.