CHANNEL 4 will be bringing the Hajj to Britain's screens next February.

The Hajj is the world's largest annual pilgrimage and the most important event in the Muslim calendar. Every Muslim must make The Hajj at least once in their lifetime if its physically and financially possible and each year up to three million Muslims from all over the world travel to Saudi Arabia to perform this religious duty in the desert around Mecca.

A Channel 4 News team will head out to Saudi Arabia to produce a series of documentaries and news reports to cover the event. The coverage of The Hajj will be part of a major season examining Islam.

The coverage will commence with a one-hour documentary introducing a range of pilgrims whose progress Channel 4 will follow during the week. As the week unfolds Channel 4 will broadcast daily films following the news and will break into the schedules at key times of the week to go live to Saudi Arabia for important moments in the Hajj. The week will end with a second one-hour documentary summarising the main events of the pilgrimage.

The channel is also currently looking for candidates from the more that one billion Muslims worldwide. The hope is to find two to three participants from Britain and the same number from different parts of the globe, each reflecting different perspectives on Islam.

The team want to hear from people who intend to perform Hajj in 2003 and would like to hear from anyone interested in taking part.

They want to include a whole range of people - young old, rich and poor and are particularly keen to meet people who will be performing Hajj for the first time. Hajj is a religious obligation for all Muslims but the programme makers would like to hear from people who are at a turning point in their lives which has motivated them to perform Hajj next year. You can contact Bridget on 0207 430 4385 or email hajj@itn.co.uk

"A lot of coverage of media coverage of Muslims since September 11 has concentrated on extremist groups - but these are a tiny minority. By reporting on The Hajj we'll offer a fascinating, in-depth portrayal of Islam, which will interest the Muslim community and help non Muslims understand this hugely important world religion," says Dorothy Byrne, Channel 4's acting head of news and current affairs.

"The logistical requirements of the project make it an expensive and complex undertaking," says Jim Gray, editor of Channel 4 News, who will be executive producer. "Non Muslims are not allowed to take part in the Hajj so Muslim crews will go to Mecca. The films will be edited in Jeddah and transmitted back to Britain via satellite each day. We want to convey the energy and exhilaration of the event so I'm glad that we will have the opportunity to break into the event live and deliver on the day reports, as well as the longer documentaries," says Gray.