Friday, January 13, 2006
Carnage at the Hajj: God's will
Perhaps you've seen the recent reports of a stampede at this year's Hajj, leading to the deaths of 345 pilgrims, and causing injury to hundreds of others. It seems like I read the same account every year. Can this be possible?
No, it seems I was exaggerating. Horrific mass deaths occur during the Hajj only periodically: 7 out of the last 17 years.
But when bad things happen they are really bad, and apparently these accidents keep occuring at the same place.
Not everyone thinks this makes a lot of sense.
Apparently, however, there is a viable explanation for why Saudi authorities cannot seem to prevent the slaughter.
Pat Robertson, call your office.
No, it seems I was exaggerating. Horrific mass deaths occur during the Hajj only periodically: 7 out of the last 17 years.
But when bad things happen they are really bad, and apparently these accidents keep occuring at the same place.
The site in a desert plain of Mina outside Mecca is a notorious bottleneck in the weeklong pilgrimage — the scene of deadly incidents in seven of the past 17 years, including a stampede in 1990 that killed 1,426 people and another in February 2004 that killed 244.
Not everyone thinks this makes a lot of sense.
"This should not happen every year. It should be stopped, it's a scandal. There must be a way to organize this better," said Anwar Sadiqi, a Pakistani pilgrim.
Apparently, however, there is a viable explanation for why Saudi authorities cannot seem to prevent the slaughter.
Crown Prince Sultan Bin Abdel Aziz told reporters the state had "spared no effort" to prevent such disasters but added, "it cannot stop what God has preordained. It is impossible."
Pat Robertson, call your office.
2 Comments:
By 
TigerHawk, at
Fri Jan 13, 09:51:00 AM:
So let me get this straight: According to the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, deaths by human stampede are God's will. When the human stampede is to get into a Who concert, 11 people die. When the stampede is a bunch of pilgrims on the Hajj, hundreds and even thousands die, not once, but repeatedly.
*Fingers drumming*
Allah be praised and all, but I'm confused.
By Myrtus, at
Sun Jan 15, 10:09:00 AM:
Greedy lazy-ass hypocrites those damn Saudis!
