Even in Luton, the Holy City of Mecca looms large.
In the town's Central Mosque, Muslims turn to face in the direction of Mecca, kneel and touch their faces to the floor in prayer.
Dominating the wall in front of them are two large photographs, showing teeming crowds of pilgrims swirling in a broad river of people around the al-Haram mosque at the spot where their religion was founded.
An estimated 100,000 British Muslims are already in Mecca for the Hajj, the annual pilgrimage that Muslims are called upon to make once in their lifetimes.
But many more have been left behind, excluded from what they regard as a sacred duty by an extraordinary increase in prices.
Jahangir Akhtar is one of them.
At a stone's throw from the mosque Mr Aktar and his wife look wistfully through colourful brochures advertising "Hajj packages" they stand almost no chance of buying.
The Akhtars are in their 50s, unemployed and live on benefits.
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I suspect that doing hajj was far more dificult for the past generations.
Besides, being unemployed will price you out of a lot of things.
"For too long, we have been a passively tolerant society, saying to our citizens 'as long as you obey the law, we will leave you alone'" - David Cameron, UK Prime Minister. 13 May 2015.