Posted on 09/26/2015 10:12:29 AM PDT by TigerLikesRooster
Iran's president uses UN speech to call for investigation into hajj stampede
Hassan Rouhani demands review of what caused the crush that killed more than 700 after Saudi Arabia’s top cleric reportedly absolves officials of blame
Staff and agencies at the United Nations
Saturday 26 September 2015 17.40 BST
Iranian president Hassan Rouhani used a major United Nations speech on Saturday to demand an investigation into a crush that killed more than 700 people at the hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia.
His remarks came after Saudi Arabia’s most senior cleric, the grand mufti, appeared to absolve the authorities of blame for the stampede at Mecca.
“You are not responsible for what happened,” grand mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz bin-Abdullah al-Sheikh was quoted by the official Saudi press agency, SPA, as telling the interior minister, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef.
“As for the things that humans cannot control, you are not blamed for them. Fate and destiny are inevitable,” he added during the meeting, reported to have happened on Friday night.
On Saturday, the Saudi health ministry said on Twitter that the death toll of the hajj disaster stood at 769 pilgrims killed and 934 injured, updating previous figures. It did not offer nationalities for the dead and injured, but Tehran says more than 130 of the dead were Iranians.
(Excerpt) Read more at theguardian.com ...
What Iran wants more than Mecca is the oil (which is, conveniently, largely located on the way to Mecca)
That comes naturally. Mid-Eastern oil fields stretches along Eastern coast of Saudi Arabia, up to Iran-Iraq border area, all the way to Azerbaijan, and Caspian Basin.
http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13940703000951
Fri Sep 25, 2015 11:43
Thursday Mass Deaths: Mecca Needs a New Guardian
TEHRAN (FNA)- Iran is observing three days of mourning following the deaths of some 2,000 Hajj pilgrims in Mecca, including 131 Iranian nationals.
Offering condolences to the bereaved families on Thursday, September 24, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei said, “The Saudi government is obligated to shoulder its heavy responsibility in this bitter incident and meet its obligations in compliance with the rule of righteousness and fairness. Mismanagement and improper measures that were behind this tragedy should not be overlooked.”
Strange enough, Riyadh refuses to take any responsibility for the tragedy, which has created a “great grief” in the Islamic world. The Saudi civil defense directorate claims pilgrims caused the crush; that there is no indication authorities are to blame; and that it happened due to extreme heat and exhaustion on the part of some “noncompliant” and “inexperienced” pilgrims.
It’s all a big lie. A casual stroll through the chain of events and facts offers ample evidence why Saudi authorities are behaving like fools:
* Safety and security are indispensible condition for travel and tourism worldwide - for recreation, leisure, religious, family or business purposes. Already overshadowed by the crane accident that killed at least 108 people and injured more than 238 on September 11, this year’s Hajj season has been a complete failure for the House of Saud. Tellingly, they failed to provide a safe and secure environment for pilgrims at the national and local levels.
* The disaster at Mina started after security forces deliberately blocked two of the main routes to accommodate a convoy of Saudi government dignitaries as pilgrims were walking towards the final ritual of ‘Stoning the Devil’. Eyewitnesses and survivors say this deadly mistake plus the speeding convoy of Deputy Crown Prince and Defense Minister Mohammad bin Salman Al Saud created a bottleneck that led to the crowd crush on Route 204. Predictably, the ruler of Mecca has distanced himself from the criminal case, stressing the King should decide the issue.
* Official conducts and incidents as such are the result of rivalries between the police, security service, and King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. Power struggle and political rivalries are tough and deep among different royal families who are all descendant of the Al Saud. They always try to undermine each other’s authority as they see themselves entitled to the crown.
* The Saudi government refuses to identify and acknowledge the factors - safety errors, poor management, and security personnel shortage - that caused the crowd crush. Under international travel and tourism law, the consequences of this criminal negligence fall upon Riyadh. Lest they forget, most of the Saudi security forces are in Yemen, fighting an open-ended war against Ansarullah…
Some two million people take part in the annual Hajj pilgrimage, which all able-bodied Muslims are required to undertake at least once in their lives. A vast majority of these people are not from Saudi Arabia, and they are not able to exert any pressure on Riyadh to improve crowd control and public safety.
The Thursday mass deaths plus the slow and inadequate response to the emergency situation have led to growing criticisms from the public and Muslim states officials. They believe the House of Saud is unable to channel and protect one of the world’s largest regular human migrations. To quote them: Muslim leaders, elites, and politicians should demand the change of authority in charge of running the annual Hajj pilgrimage from the House of Saud to a collection of Muslim states. It’s the only way to stop similar horrors from ever happening again.
Iran vs Saudi Arabia, can they both lose?
Every mohammedan that is killed, stomped on, hit with the rock in the head, or dies in this ridiculous ‘religious’ annual ritual, is one less that would be alive to kill Americans.
I’ve yet to see a christian, jewish, or buddhist ritual where folks actually neglect the safety of all involved, to the point of death.
The cause? Easy-unthinking rabid stuck-in-the-seventh- century fanatics. Keep it up. Maybe make is a daily rather than an annual event.
I think they have a stampede every year and folks get killed. Kinda like the “bull” fights.
“investigation into hajj stampede”
What’s to investigate?
2 million wild eyed militant muslims all running in a circle around a meteorite. Then throwing rocks at each other trying to kill the white devil.
What could possibly go wrong!?
Hassan Rouhani demands review of what caused the crush that killed more than 700....Stupid is as stupid does?
Saudi Arabia and Iran - It is like tying the tails of two kittens together, then hanging them over a clothes line. At first the kittens meow most piteously, then they begin to push their back feet against the other’s back feet and body. They then swing apart, only to fall back together, tangled.
Then the adrenalin kicks in. By now thoroughly panicked, the kittens begin to tear at each other, and you could not possibly imagine the ferocity contained in two such small creatures. They will eventually kill each other.
God willing.
As John Kerry always says, InshAllah.
I hope they appoint Jimmuh Carter to get to the bottom of this disaster. LOL
yup! you got it!!
Bring back the Neutron bomb
I hope you are speaking from personal experience.
NOT! I left out the not!
You re right, it is a regular occurrence. BTW, I wonder if Obama ever went...
“I sense a great disturbance in The Farce!”
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