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  • #1

    Hajj stampede: At least 717 killed in Saudi Arabia

    At least 717 people taking part in the Hajj pilgrimage have been killed in a stampede near the Islamic holy city of Mecca, officials in Saudi Arabia say.
    Another 863 people were injured in the incident at Mina, which occurred as two million pilgrims were taking part in the Hajj's last major rite.
    They converge on Mina to throw stones at pillars representing the devil.
    Preparations for the Hajj were marred when a crane collapsed at Mecca's Grand Mosque this month, killing 109 people.
    It is the deadliest incident to occur during the Hajj in 25 years.
    'Sudden surge'

    Pilgrims travel to Mina, a large valley about 5km (3 miles) from Mecca, during the Hajj to throw seven stones at pillars called Jamarat, which represent the devil. The pillars stand at three spots where Satan is believed to have tempted the Prophet Abraham.
    Image copyright AP Image caption At least 43 Iranians were reportedly among the dead Image copyright AFP/Getty Images Image caption More than 220 ambulances were called to the site Image copyright AFP Image caption The incident occurred as pilgrims walked towards the Jamarat Bridge, where the pillars are located The Saudi civil defence directorate said in a statement that the stampede occurred at around 06:00 (09:00 GMT) at the junction of Street 204 and Street 223, as pilgrims walked towards the five-storey structure which surrounds the pillars, known as the Jamarat Bridge.
    The incident happened when there was a "sudden increase" in the number of pilgrims heading towards the pillars, the statement said.
    This "resulted in a stampede among the pilgrims and the collapse of a large number of them", it added.
    Security personnel and the Saudi Red Crescent were "immediately" deployed to prevent more people heading towards the area, the directorate said.
    The Saudi health minister, Khaled al-Falih, said the crush occurred because pilgrims failed to follow directions.
    Hajj: Previous tragedies

    2006: 364 pilgrims die in a crush at foot of Jamarat Bridge in Mina
    1997: 340 pilgrims are killed when fire fuelled by high winds sweeps through Mina's tent city
    1994: 270 pilgrims die in a stampede during the stoning ritual
    1990: 1,426 pilgrims, mainly Asian, die in a stampede in an overcrowded tunnel leading to holy sites
    1987: 402 people die when security forces break up an anti-US demonstration by Iranian pilgrims
    Timeline: Deadliest stampedes
    The hundreds of wounded have been taken to four hospitals in the area by the more than 220 rescue vehicles sent to the scene.
    Amateur video and photographs posted on social media showed the bodies of dozens of pilgrims on the ground. They were all dressed in the simple white garments worn during the Hajj.
    The civil defence directorate said the victims were of "different nationalities", without providing details.
    Iran's state news agency, Irna, said at least 43 Iranians were among the dead.
    Image copyright AP Image caption Pilgrims converge on Mina to cast stones at three pillars representing the devil BBC Hausa Service correspondent Tchima Illa Issoufou, who was with some of those affected in Mina, said many pilgrims from Niger were also killed.
    The UK Foreign Office said it was in contact with the local authorities and was urgently seeking more information about whether British nationals were involved.
    Saudi-owned al-Arabiya TV reported that the head of the central Hajj committee, Prince Khaled al-Faisal, had blamed the stampede on "some pilgrims with African nationalities".
    But the head of Iran's Hajj organisation, Said Ohadi, told Irna that two paths close to the scene of the incident had been inexplicably closed off by the Saudi authorities, resulting in the build-up in pilgrims.
    What happens at the Hajj?

    Image copyright AP
    • What rituals do pilgrims perform? The pilgrimage takes place in several stages over five days, including circling the Kaaba (a cube-like building in the centre of the mosque) en masse and throwing seven stones at pillars called Jamarat which represent the devil.
    • How many people go? Well over a million pilgrims from outside Saudi Arabia, and several hundred thousand from inside the kingdom, converge on the site each year.
    • How do the authorities cope? Authorities deployed 100,000 security personnel and 25,000 extra health workers this year, as well as 100,000 air-conditioned tents for temporary accommodation.

    Why do millions gather in Mecca every year?
    The Saudi authorities have spent billions of dollars on improving transport and other infrastructure in the area in an attempt to try to prevent such incidents.
    The Hajj is the fifth and final pillar of Islam. It is the journey that every able-bodied adult Muslim must undertake at least once in their lives if they can afford it.
    Are you at Mecca, or do you know someone who is? If it is safe to do so, let us know about your experiences. Email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk with your stories.
    Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also contact us in the following ways:



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    Hundreds killed in Saudi Hajj stampede At least 717 people taking part in the Hajj pilgrimage have been killed in a stampede near the Islamic holy city of Mecca, Saudi officials say.
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    Bismillah, alhamdulillah, all praises due to Allah and may Allah increase the honor of Prophet Muhammad and protect our nation from any harm.
    Tags: 717, arabia, hajj, killed, saudi, stampede
  • #2
    The Saudi regime are indeed a disgrace. These bedouins have no sense of dignity, no ability to organize. They are indeed trash from the desert. This is how they treated those who died in Hajj.

    Inna lillahi wa inna ilaihi raaji'oon.





    Shame on them!

    [MENTION=3580]asad71[/MENTION] [MENTION=2329]Karachi[/MENTION]
    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    Comment

    • #3
      You will be raised in the same condition as you past away, these guys while performing hajj. Dont always need someone to blame. Allah works in mysterious ways.
      ----------

      *You cannot climb the ladder of success with your hands in your pockets*

      Originally posted by Karachi
      like I said, there was only one reason I pretended to be pathan, for a girl, who was from Afghan forums and also registered here

      Comment

      • #4
        I don't understand this talk about a "sudden increase." Aren't movements closely controlled by the Saudi authorities?



        I read something earlier today where a Saudi official had said the stampede was caused by African pilgrims which is a stupid thing to say.

        May the dead go to Jannah
        There are people today who think that admitting God’s absolute greatness decreases the value and importance of humans in the creation, as if God and mankind are rivals competing in greatness and power. Meanwhile I feel that whenever our perception of God’s greatness increases, with it we become greater, because we are the creation of a great God.

        Sayyid Qutb

        Comment

        • #5
          Originally posted by Bengal_Tiger View Post
          The Saudi regime are indeed a disgrace. These bedouins have no sense of dignity, no ability to organize. They are indeed trash from the desert. This is how they treated those who died in Hajj.

          Inna lillahi wa inna ilaihi raaji'oon.





          Shame on them!

          @asad71 @Karachi
          Well to them Africans, South asians are piece of garbage, imagine if it was a Saudi person or a white person, would they throw their bodies like that? They are already blaming the people who died

          Hajj has become more dangerous because of Saudi stupidity because they have built up so much of those important areas, there is hardly place to walk

          Comment

          • #6
            97th verse of chapter 9 (sūrat l-tawbah).

            which says:



            The Arabs of the desert are the worst in Unbelief and hypocrisy, and most fitted to be in ignorance of the command which Allah hath sent down to His Messenger:

            Comment

            • #7
              There are millions of foreigners who go to places like Disney world. There was a conference I attended there and you could see baby carriages zipping along in a crowd controlled line.

              The Kingdom needs to send people to these sorts of places to understand and study crowd control maneuvers.

              If it happens once, you can call it a fluke - but its a systems error if it keeps occurring.
              "2 crackheads don't become any better or stronger by sharing the same crack pipe." - Greatest PF quote

              Comment

              • #8


                The OIC need to establish a Hajj directorate whereby the Saudi government co-ordinates Hajj preparations with all the religious ministries and Muftiates of the Muslim world.

                Saudi needs to establish a Hajj commission which includes officials from:

                - Turkey
                - Iran
                - Indonesia
                - Malaysia
                - Bangladesh
                - India (home of the world's largest Muslim population alongside Indonesia)
                - Arab League
                - Nigeria
                - Organization for African Unity
                - United Nations official
                - EU


                I will detail my proposals in a future separate thread but the Saudis and the rest of the Muslim world need to work with them and do the following.


                1. Establish "Hajj licenses", so all propsective Hujjaj under a certain age (wrong to penalize elderly people from the largely underdeveloped and heavily illiterate Muslim world who have been waiting for decades to go to Hajj) have to complete a Hajj course with a certificate if they wish to be able to go to Hajj.


                2. The Hajj course should include the following:

                - Purpose of Hajj
                - Spiritual purification & repentance
                - Patience with other Muslims and not abusing them as it can invalidate your Hajj. The Turks are the most aggressive in Hajj, and are very nationalistic and bully other Hujjaj. The Turks especially need to sort out their violent and aggressive people.
                - Rites of Hajj
                - Cleanliness
                - How to stone the Jamrat in a civilized manner.

                The OIC should fund simulated mini-models of the Haram, Mina, Muzdalifah, the Jamraat and all those who wish to attend Hajj should have to practice in one of these places.





                The fund for these projects should come from money provided by OIC states and private donors who will have no influence on how this money is spent besides contributing at a policy-making level, whereas the daily operational activities of this Hajj fund will be carried out by professionals, perhaps even in conjunction with professional western (be it non-Muslim) experts.

                3. Hajj preparation should become a mandatory part of the curricula in all Muslim secondary schools in OIC member states.


                4. A Youtube channel with videos in different languages (Pashto, Bengali, Hindi, Malay, Turkish, Farsi, Bosnian, Albanian, Amazighi, Kurdish, Hausa etc) should be created.

                Free videos/CDs of how to perform Hajj properly should be distributed to these OIC member states and elsewhere.

                5. Abuse of others in Hajj could be made a criminal offence in OIC member states e.g. if a "Hajji" is caught on camera abusing another Hajji, he/she should be banned for life from doing Hajj or umrah.

                As I said in my experience the Turks are amongst the most abusive people in Hajj.


                6. All those wishing to obtain a Hajj license should have basic competence in the relevant functional Arabic including:

                - How to state their names, nationality in Arabic.

                - How to ask for directions.

                - How to ask for help.

                - How to communicate with Saudi policemen, officials etc.

                - Numbers, colours, days, buildings in Arabic.



                7. Officials/security personnel from different Muslim countries should be sent to Hajj to help the Saudi security forces and liaise with their Hajj groups from their respective countries.

                Such personnel need to undergo comprehensive training including an intermediate ability in Arabic, even if this is done in a 2 year course.


                8. Saudi security officials need to carry out military-style exercises and drills whereby they simulate emergencies, catastrophies and other things.


                If Saudi Arabia can spend $80 billion on weapons to kill poverty-stricken Yemenis, the poorest country in the Arab world, they should spend a few million on proposals such as the above.








                I will detail my proposals later and may email it to the Saudi foreign ministry, once email anyone can use is: info@mofa.gov.sa

                I encourage everyone to email the Saudis with constructive proposals.
                * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

                Comment

                • #9
                  Originally posted by Karachi View Post
                  Well to them Africans, South asians are piece of garbage, imagine if it was a Saudi person or a white person, would they throw their bodies like that? They are already blaming the people who died

                  Hajj has become more dangerous because of Saudi stupidity because they have built up so much of those important areas, there is hardly place to walk
                  Those bodies are not thrown, that is how they died.
                  ----------

                  *You cannot climb the ladder of success with your hands in your pockets*

                  Originally posted by Karachi
                  like I said, there was only one reason I pretended to be pathan, for a girl, who was from Afghan forums and also registered here

                  Comment

                  • #10
                    Some reports suggest that Most victims are Iranian. This must be some sort of Wahhabi Ikhwani salafist conspiracy to commit genocide against Shiites. Bengali, please provide some input and analysis.
                    Originally posted by Firdousi
                    Never talk with Afghans about politics. All their political knowledge is limited to conspiracy theories, political demonization and contradictions. No logic, no reason.

                    Comment

                    • #11
                      they need to regulate the amount of people they allow inside that place at a time. even last time, there was no need for them to have turned that place in to a construction site while there were that many people roaming around beside that crane. all of that would mean less money and we all know how these people love money.
                      maybe people who have performed hajj once before should sit back and let the others have a turn.

                      "To burn always with this hard gemlike flame, to maintain this ecstasy, is success in life."





                      Comment

                      • #12
                        Originally posted by Shamlawar Khurasani View Post
                        Some reports suggest that Most victims are Iranian. This must be some sort of Wahhabi Ikhwani salafist conspiracy to commit genocide against Shiites. Bengali, please provide some input and analysis.
                        don't be silly. how did they manage to pick hundreds of shias one by one from that crowd and then have them stomp over each other to make it seem like an accident. if you have so much imagination, apply it somewhere else.

                        "To burn always with this hard gemlike flame, to maintain this ecstasy, is success in life."





                        Comment

                        • #13
                          This is the fault first and foremost of the emperor Salman who was also in Mina for a meeting which closed two streets for his royal highness.

                          Second it is the fault of the pilgrims themselves. They need to respect the lives of others and understand they are all there collectively as part of an ummah and not for individual goals. How can you start stomping and run over your brothers and sisters? They ran to stone the devil, but the devil was whispering on their ears.

                          Comment

                          • #14
                            Originally posted by کیش View Post
                            This is the fault first and foremost of the emperor Salman who was also in Mina for a meeting which closed two streets for his royal highness.

                            Second it is the fault of the pilgrims themselves. They need to respect the lives of others and understand they are all there collectively as part of an ummah and not for individual goals. How can you start stomping and run over your brothers and sisters? They ran to stone the devil, but the devil was whispering on their ears.
                            Some people fall infront of you, you either walk over them or be taken to the ground yourself. Which do you pick?
                            ----------

                            *You cannot climb the ladder of success with your hands in your pockets*

                            Originally posted by Karachi
                            like I said, there was only one reason I pretended to be pathan, for a girl, who was from Afghan forums and also registered here

                            Comment

                            • #15
                              Originally posted by DaZahroJaam. View Post
                              don't be silly. how did they manage to pick hundreds of shias one by one from that crowd and then have them stomp over each other to make it seem like an accident. if you have so much imagination, apply it somewhere else.
                              You are an appologist for terrorism. You are now officially on my ignore list.
                              Originally posted by Firdousi
                              Never talk with Afghans about politics. All their political knowledge is limited to conspiracy theories, political demonization and contradictions. No logic, no reason.

                              Comment

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