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Deaths Near Mecca Reflect Dangers of Rising Crowds During Hajj
National Geographic ^ | 09/26/2015 | By Brian Clark Howard

Posted on 09/26/2015 6:58:35 PM PDT by SeekAndFind

More than 700 people were crushed to death Thursday in a stampede just outside Mecca during the Hajj, the annual Muslim pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia that has been attended by millions of faithful over the centuries.

The incident in Mina, Saudi Arabia, was the latest in a series of tragedies that have marred the ritual journey to Islam’s holiest city, a journey that occasionally has turned deadly—typically because of the vast numbers of people who crowd into Mecca and nearby cities.

This year, believers were trampled to death during the last major ritual that pilgrims perform before entering Mecca, a city of more than 1.3 million people that is the birthplace of the prophet Muhammad. The tragedy occurred during the ceremonial Ramy al-Jamarat, or “stoning of the devil,” in which pilgrims toss rocks at three walls. Reports from Mina said it was unclear why the crowd there Thursday surged, causing the stampede.

Besides those killed, more than 800 were reported injured. It was the deadliest day for the Hajj since more than 1,400 pilgrims suffocated in a crowded tunnel near Mecca in 1990, also on the day of the stoning of the devil ritual.

In 2006, 340 people were killed and hundreds were injured after a stampede during the Ramy al-Jamarat ritual. Hundreds more have been killed during that rite over the years, with incidents occurring in 2004, 2003, 2001, 1994, and other years.

The core of this year’s Hajj began Tuesday and runs through Saturday, although many pilgrims extend the length of their pilgrimage and their visit to Mecca. The dates for the pilgrimage are set by the Islamic calendar, which follows lunar cycles.

The recent stampedes in Mina reflect how the Hajj has put increasing stress on Saudi Arabia’s infrastructure.

(Excerpt) Read more at news.nationalgeographic.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: hajj; islam; mecca; stampede
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To: SeekAndFind

...How about building more of these elsewhere in that vast country to accommodate Muslim refugees?...

Simple. Arab countries want no part of them and the terrorists accompanying them. Who would know more about muslims than the muslim countries refusing them? They are smarter than Zer0.


21 posted on 09/26/2015 7:17:56 PM PDT by Sasparilla (If youce, prepare for war.)
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To: SeekAndFind

Wahabis don’t believe non-Wahabis are really Muslims.


22 posted on 09/26/2015 7:18:31 PM PDT by SeeSharp
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To: TaMoDee

i was referring to the whole tent city being one big diaper.


23 posted on 09/26/2015 7:18:39 PM PDT by Secret Agent Man (Gone Galt; Not averse to Going Bronson.)
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To: SeekAndFind

I’ll bet that tent city looks pretty cool through a bomb sight.


24 posted on 09/26/2015 7:19:32 PM PDT by Nervous Tick (There is no "allah" but satan, and mohammed was his demon-possessed tool.)
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To: SeekAndFind

While the death of 700 people is a tragedy, this event pales in comparison to the estimated 30,000 people killed by the Saudi government during the seizure of the Grand Mosque in 1979. That event, BTW is where Bin Laden, Zawahiri, and most of the senior ranks of Al Qaeda first met.


25 posted on 09/26/2015 7:25:30 PM PDT by SeeSharp
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To: SeekAndFind

Talk about a target rich environment.


26 posted on 09/26/2015 7:25:49 PM PDT by lightman (O Lord, save Thy people and bless Thine inheritance, giving to Thy Church vict'ry o'er Her enemies.)
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To: SeekAndFind

Talk about a target rich environment......JUST KIDDING....no really. Wonder how they would feel about Allah the great and merciful if suddenly these people were taken away in a Rupture?


27 posted on 09/26/2015 7:27:06 PM PDT by Glad2bnuts (If God himself said every 50 years debt should be erased, and land returned, who am I to disagree?)
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To: SeekAndFind

Those bodies are already starting to swell in the heat...


28 posted on 09/26/2015 7:28:50 PM PDT by WestwardHo
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To: SeekAndFind

29 posted on 09/26/2015 7:31:22 PM PDT by garjog (Obama: bringing joy to the hearts of Terrorists everywhere.)
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To: SeekAndFind
Mindless Humanoid Lemmings Perish In Stampede
30 posted on 09/26/2015 7:31:59 PM PDT by Iron Munro (Proverbs 21:20 - The wise have stores of food and oil but a foolish man devours all he has))
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To: Secret Agent Man; Larry Lucido

Sorry Mr. Agent Man my comment was meant for Larry.


31 posted on 09/26/2015 7:34:52 PM PDT by TaMoDee (Go Pack Go! The Pack will be back in 2015!)
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To: SeekAndFind; flaglady47; Maine Mariner; mickie; pax_et_bonum
In an uncertain world there are three certain yearly things you can bet on in the future....and win everytime....

1) Many hundreds will be killed in Mecca stampedes

2) Many hundreds will die in train derailments in India

3) Many hundreds will die in ferry boats capsizing in Philippine or Korean waters.

Leni

32 posted on 09/26/2015 7:36:01 PM PDT by MinuteGal (Florida FReepers have more fun !!!)
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To: SeekAndFind
Sturgis -- bikers, truckloads of booze and a comparatively small toll of 13 deaths this year.


33 posted on 09/26/2015 7:36:04 PM PDT by Sooth2222 ("In a democracy people get the leaders they deserve." - Joseph de Maistre, 1753-1821)
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To: SeekAndFind
I don't know Islam's rules very well, but why do everyone have to go to Mecca on pilgrimage on one particular day?

Because their whole religion is based on mindless devotion to illogical and meaningless tasks.

34 posted on 09/26/2015 7:37:33 PM PDT by UCANSEE2 (Lost my tagline on Flight MH370. Sorry for the inconvenience.)
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To: TaMoDee

ok, got it.:-)


35 posted on 09/26/2015 7:38:18 PM PDT by Secret Agent Man (Gone Galt; Not averse to Going Bronson.)
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To: SeekAndFind
I've been in a crowd of 800,000 and not a single person got stomped. Everybody entered peacefully and when it was time to leave, everybody got up and patiently walked out without incident.

The problem is not the size of the crowds at Mecca, it's the caliber of the participants.

36 posted on 09/26/2015 7:40:02 PM PDT by dead ("I'm up to my eyeball in virgin goats!" - Mullah Omar)
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To: SeekAndFind

With the thousands fleeing Syria and more in Iraq, you would think these tents in Saudi Arabia would fit the bill for a place for them to go. Saudi Arabia is wealthy, they can afford it.


37 posted on 09/26/2015 7:41:01 PM PDT by jonrick46 (The Left has a mental disorder: A totalitarian mindset..)
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To: SeekAndFind

Not a bad start. Now multiply that by 10,000 and I’ll cheer.

L


38 posted on 09/26/2015 7:41:19 PM PDT by Lurker (Violence is rarely the answer. But when it is it is the only answer.)
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To: SeekAndFind

Can we try this at least once?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lO2-YxWkRxk


39 posted on 09/26/2015 8:02:21 PM PDT by doug from upland ( never trust DemocRATS with national security)
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To: SeekAndFind

Something about every mudslime having to circle around the Satan stone at least once in their dark/worthless life...


40 posted on 09/26/2015 8:36:51 PM PDT by Bikkuri
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