Dreadful Tragedy On The Hajj

[sandyRoe]

Can't the Saudi authorities do more to ensure the safety of pilgrims?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-34346449

[mushroom25]

the probably could. but they won't.

it's all about pre-destiny. so far as islam is concerned, these people would have died at that moment whether or not they were on the hajj.

it is the will of Allah.

[naomi24]

Perhaps they should set up those barriers they have at security in airports to ensure people form an orderly queue - only going round and round in a spiral. That might stop the faithful getting too excited in the crush.

[birdie1971]

From the BBC article, "... People were chanting Allah's name...".

I hope they were berating him. How could an omnipotent, omnipresent and omniscient deity allow such a tragedy to occur? Particularly when the event in question is a mass demonstration of religious fervour. God truly moves in mysterious ways.

[Stargazer]

What is the Hajj and why do they go there. Not just to throw stones at at wall surely.

[Jackdaw33]

The Hadj (various spellings) is a pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca which every muslim is supposed to make once in his lifetime.

[birdie1971]

Stargazer - "What is the Hajj and why do they go there. Not just to throw stones at at wall surely."

The Hajj is one of the "five pillars of Islam". They are:

1. Believing that Allah is the one true god;
2. Praying five times a day;
3. Doing charitable works;
4. Fasting in Ramadan;
5. Pilgrimage to Mecca (Hajj).

[tamborine]

Not a tragedy to muslims, as the dead are considered martyrs fulfilling their edicts.

[Jackdaw33]

There were another two threads on this theme today, both of which were pulled in toto. I don't know why, just curious.

[Mamyalynne]

We know this happens every year but it is such a sad waste of so many lives, they must act to try to reduce the risks,only they have that power to do so.

[Mamyalynne]

Jackdaw,I saw one other and was disgusted at the sneering and sick comments on a thread about a tragedy.

[SirOracle]

I did not see the two threads referred to by you mamya,but if as you say some of the postings were sneering and disgusting,then surely the poster(s) responsible should be banned sine die from the site.

[ummmm]

It was in the original thread they (just a few) were sneering. The other threads got removed because they were threads about removed thread, I presume.

[Hypognosis]

BBC report was saying that the crowd "disobeyed" the instructions of marshals, went down a walkway they were not meant to go down and, once they'd merged with the existing crowd, the crush occurred. A witness said it was so tight that you couldn't see to place your feet and, if people fell over, the crowd just walked over them. Ghastly.

[Hypognosis]

Any PC backlash over the use of the word 'stampede' by BBC, amongst others?

[birdie1971]

Hypognosis

Give it a few hours.

[Hypognosis]

I only ask because, if it is a European/USA rock concert, or a certain football tragedy, it is always a "crowd crush".

[Hypognosis]

@Methyl

//My condolences to the dead. //

"Afterlife; aftershave. Bleurghh. Don't hold with any of it."
-Viv Stanshall, as Sir Henry Rawlinson, of Rawlinson End.

Or has AB's phantom word-stealer nibbled a couple of words out of your post?

[Svejk]

There was a chap on R4 this morning talking a lot of sense about this, imo.
He pointed out that 'the tube' moves 4 million people daily.
He had heard that some Saudi prince closed 2 gates so his party could throw stones presumably without having to queue up with the great unwashed. If that's true, it's a disgrace.
And also, whenever things go wrong and they interview the people in charge/responsible, it's Prince this and Prince that, as opposed to people who've actually trained to do those jobs.

[EDDIE51]

My post on this seems to be the one removed.
There was a lot of information on the numbers involved and the difficulty in controlling a crowd of over 2 million emotional people in a small a area.