Over 300 Killed in Hajj Stampede

A stampede occurred in Mina, Saudi Arabia, during a part of the yearly Muslim Hajj ritual. Death tolls have been reported as high as 345 so far, with numerous people injured besides. The stoning ritual, in which participants throw stones at three pillars representing Satan to purge themselves of sin, is a notorious bottleneck in the yearly pilgrimage, and has been the site of similar (and more deadly) stampedes in the past. This stampede appears to have been caused by participants who were rushing to finish this part of the pilgrimage before sunset while others were tripped by luggage and trampled.



I have to say I'm curious about attempts to stop this kind of incident. Apparently this has happened at least twice before. Perhaps the pilgrims should not be allowed to bring their luggage to this site, as it is obviously a problem.

Also, it has clearly been a bad year for the Hajj, what with 76 other people dying when a hostel housing pilgrims collapsed on January 5.

I’m also curious about how many people will use this as an opportunity to slander Muslims. You know, like, “see, they can’t even have their own rituals without killing someone.” That kind of thing. Sad day for them.

Related News Links:
timesofindia.indiatimes.com
www.turkishpress.com

imagine no religion too

nothing to kill or die for

its easy if you try

Stampedes like this have occurred at the Hajj before. Anytime you have so many people cramped into a small place things like this are likely to happen...sorry, but don't see any conspiratorial value to this.

edit:

and to the poster above, religion really has nothing to do with this, it was a stampede in a crowd, no one died or was killed by religion. The same thing could have happened in a secular mad rush of women to get free abortions from NOW...

[edit on 1/12/2006 by djohnsto77]

Originally posted by syrinx high priest
imagine no religion too

nothing to kill or die for

its easy if you try

Thanks, Mr. Lennon, but I'm not exactly what your point is here. Are you suggesting that the solution for providing better safety is to disband religion?

If so, isn't that a bit like suggesting we should burn down our houses to make sure they're not robbed?

I agree it is tragic but not conspracy, nor terror related that I can see.

Or did the author leave something out?

Originally posted by djohnsto77
Stampedes like this have occurred at the Hajj before. Anytime you have so many people cramped into a small place things like this are likely to happen...sorry, but don't see any conspiratorial value to this.

Not a conspiracy. Just general news. It's allowed. That's why it's an option when submitting news.

Of course, we could suggest that Bush planted the luggage to kill off some Muslims.

There. Now it's a conspiracy.

Really, though, if this is the wrong place, move it. I can't.

[edit on 12-1-2006 by Hamburglar]

The BBC has some pictures here:

news.bbc.co.uk...

I believe that the Saudi government is responsible for not maintaining the pilgrimmage route and not properly supervising the festivities.

DIE INFIDEL DOWGS!!!

Oh sorry that's what they would say if it was a westerner.

Originally posted by Hamburglar

Originally posted by syrinx high priest
imagine no religion too

nothing to kill or die for

its easy if you try

Thanks, Mr. Lennon, but I'm not exactly what your point is here. Are you suggesting that the solution for providing better safety is to disband religion?


don't be so sensitive because it s your news item. would you feel warm and fuzzy if I posted this;

wow ! great find ! I just saw this on the elevator in my building, but I needed to see it here too ! You complete me
If so, isn't that a bit like suggesting we should burn down our houses to make sure they're not robbed?

don't be so sensitive because it s your news item. would you feel warm and fuzzy if I posted this;

wow ! great find ! I just saw this on the elevator in my building, but I needed to see it here too ! You complete me



i think the lyrics are pretty self explanatory. if you need help comprehending them, do a goggle search

CNN.com has a decent article about this tragedy in addition to providing some details of previous incidents in which pilgrims were killed while attending Hajj activities.

Just a quick snipet below, the entire article can be found Here.

More recently, 251 pilgrims died two years ago in a stampede during the stone-throwing ritual. A stampede in 2003 killed 36 pilgrims, most of them en route to the devil-stoning ritual, conducted outside Mecca. In 2001, a stampede at the same ritual killed 35.cnn.com

Seems like this is an unfortunate side affect to this religious gathering. I would think that the Saudi government would come up with some kind of plan to prevent such incidents from happening in the future.

EDIT: Punctuation

[edit on 1/12/2006 by DCFusion]

mod edit to use "ex" instead of "quote"
Posting work written by others. **ALL MEMBERS READ**


[edit on 12-1-2006 by sanctum]

Sorry to say what I am about to say,

But this Year was pretty Calm Compared to Other Accidents and Incidents that happen on Hajj in Mecca:

Accidents in Hajj

On April 15, 1997 343 pilgrims were killed and 1,500 injured in a tent fire.

July 2, 1990: 1,426 pilgrims, many of them Malaysians, Indonesian and Pakistanis, killed in Mecca stampede in overcrowded pedestrian tunnel leading to holy sites. It was worst hajj tragedy of modern times.

July 31, 1987: 402 people, mostly Iranian pilgrims, killed and 649 wounded in Mecca when security forces clash with Iranian staging illegal anti-U.S. demonstration.

November 20, 1979 a group of approximately 200 militant Muslims occupied Mecca's Grand Mosque. They were driven out by French commandos (allowed into the city under these special circumstances despite their being non-Muslims) after bloody fighting that left 250 people dead and 600 wounded.

Originally posted by syrinx high priest
don't be so sensitive because it s your news item. would you feel warm and fuzzy if I posted this;

wow ! great find ! I just saw this on the elevator in my building, but I needed to see it here too ! You complete me

i think the lyrics are pretty self explanatory. if you need help comprehending them, do a goggle search

Not sensitive, just inquisitive. Don't need help comprehending lyrics. Need help comprehending YOUR purpose in posting them. I'm sorry if your cryptic bit of Lennon doesn't have the staggering, enlightening potential that you think it has. I asked you exactly what I wanted to know, nothing more. What are you trying to suggest by quoting these lyrics? And, if my interpretation is not correct, I suppose I can only blame myself, given the VOLUMINOUS post you made. I'm sure it was CRYSTAL clear to everyone else.

Maybe next time you could just say what you intend to say, and not just quote a song. And, maybe next time you won't follow it up with such an angry outburst (nap time, maybe?).

And no, your unwarranted crassness would not make me feel all warm and fuzzy. It would make me feel like you are a dick.

[edit on 12-1-2006 by Hamburglar]

What I find ironic is that the people who were tampling over others were doing so as they went purge themselves of their sins and Satan.

Just because you perform a ritual to purge yourself of sin does not mean you can just walk over people while they are on the ground. Why don't they start purging themselves of sin by first not trampling all over people on the ground?

[edit on 12-1-2006 by Jamuhn]

Originally posted by Souljah
Sorry to say what I am about to say,

But this Year was pretty Calm Compared to Other Accidents and Incidents that happen on Hajj in Mecca

Tent fire?!? That's a big tent. It sounds like Woodstock II, only without the free love and drugs and frat guys. So actually nothing at all like Woodstock II, but a powderkeg, nevertheless.

I agree, something should be done to ensure the safety of pilgrims. Sad to see such an important event marred so frequently. It'd be like a factory explosion every Christmas.

UPDATE:

I heard from a dear friend of mine that there was apparently a visiting official to that site and it was closed off while people gathered 'round. When the official left, there was a large crowd of people pushing and a lot of people fell while people were increasingly pushed from behind. It seems very unfortunate and may not have been something that could have been prevented by the crowd. As many may have experienced, the current in a crowd is not something that can easily be placed to a certain group of people, but rather an amalgamation of various people all trying to move in a certain direction. So while some tried to help, they could as the current kept pushing them along. Hopefully, the official and those approving his "special" visit will be punished and the Saudi government will learn a lesson from this incident.