Posted on 09/25/2015 7:45:29 AM PDT by SJackson
Saudi Arabia suggested pilgrims failing to follow crowd control rules bore some blame for the worst disaster at the event for 25 years.
Saudi Arabia, under growing pressure to account for a crush that killed more than 700 people at the haj pilgrimage, on Friday suggested pilgrims failing to follow crowd control rules bore some blame for the worst disaster at the event for 25 years.
The kingdom's regional rival Iran expressed outrage at the deaths of 131 of its nationals at the world's largest annual gathering of people, and politicians in Tehran suggested Riyadh was incapable of managing the event.
"Death to the Saudi dynasty!" hundreds of demonstrators chanted at a protest in the Iranian capital Tehran.
Saudi Health Minister Khalid al-Falih said an investigation would be conducted rapidly and a final toll of dead and wounded calculated. At least 863 pilgrims were injured.
"The investigations into the incident of the stampede that took place today in Mina, which was perhaps because some pilgrims moved without following instructions by the relevant authorities, will be fast and will be announced as has happened in other incidents," Falih said in a statement.
Falih's comments were likely to be seen by the kingdom's critics as an attempt to deflect responsibility for the incident: Safety during haj is politically sensitive for the kingdom's Al Saud dynasty, since the ruling family presents itself internationally as the guardian of orthodox Islam and custodian of its holiest places in Mecca and Medina.
With photographs of piles of the dead circulating on social media and pilgrims frantically searching for missing compatriots, the effort to uncover the facts and assign blame was likely to grow more acute and possibly more political.
The disaster appeared to put pilgrims on edge.
Hakim, from Morocco, said: "It is simply scary to hear how people crushed one another. More frightening is that we do not know how it happened."
A pilgrim who asked to be identified only as Abu Abdallah said security forces appeared on high alert after the deaths. "What happened is a tragedy and many people ... are terrified, but in the end we can only pursue our Hajj duties."
Saudi King Salman ordered a review of hajj plans after the disaster, in which two big groups of pilgrims collided at a crossroads in Mina, a few km (miles) east of Mecca, on their way to performing the "stoning of the devil" ritual at Jamarat.
Iran's President Hassan Rouhani, in New York to attend the UN General Assembly, echoed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in blaming Saudi Arabia for the incident.
"I ask the Saudi Arabian government to take responsibility for this catastrophe and fullfil its legal and Islamic duties in this regard," Rouhani said in a statement published on the state news agency IRNA.
Iranian state television said the demonstrators in Tehran were showing their anger at "Saudi incapability and incompetence to run the hajj."
"The world will not accept excuses like the weather was hot or the pilgrims were disorganized," Tehran Friday prayer leader Mohammed Emami-Kashani was quoted as saying by Fars news agency.
Iran's deputy Foreign Minister, Hossein Amir Abdollahian also called "Riyadh's negligence inexcusable" and announced a committee has been established to look into the incident.
Iranians pilgrims who survived the deadly incident described Saudi's response "too little, too late," according to Iran's state run Press TV. They said the rescuers arrived at the scene two hours after the incident and started collecting dead bodies first instead of helping the injured.
Saudi Arabia's Interior Ministry spokesman Major General Mansour Turki was quoted in Saudi media on Friday as saying the security forces had immediately responded and begun to rescue those who fell in the crush.
"This year's hajj ceremony was disorganized as the Saudi government had hired young and inexperienced people," Saeed Ohadi, head of Iran's hajj and pilgrimmage organization told Iran's state broadcaster in a live interview from Mecca.
Speaking in New York, Pope Francis expressed "my sentiments of closeness" with the world's Muslims after the tragedy. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and the United States offered condolence.
In Islamabad, the Pakistani ministry of religious affairs said seven Pakistanis were dead and six were injured.
Former Iraqi Prime minister Nuri al-Maliki, an ally of Iran and foe of Riyadh, said the incident was "proof of the incompetence of the organizers of the pilgrimage season."
He said the hajj should be placed under the authority of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the world's largest Muslim organization.
Perhaps because it hasn't been sorted out yet. Or perhaps it's because the Haj is segregated. Western Muslims are moved around and housed in separate tent areas from the folks from say Bangladesh or Africa.
Also how does the "no-infidels-allowed" policy for Meccca and Medina affect medical help, victim assistance and body recovery?
It is more huge numbers of people and poor crowd control. The Saudis are simply incompetent.
Any senior cop who is familiar with large events could have told the Saudis that the thousands who had just finished stoning the Devil should be allowed to exit before the next group was allowed to enter. Really, how hard is that? “OK, you guys, you have to hold up for a few minutes while until we’re ready for you!”
Well, Hakim, every account I've read about the event sounds like the cause was pretty simple. Two crowds of "pilgrims" were traveling in opposite directions down a narrow street. One crowd had just finished the "stoning the devil" ritual and the other was going there. Neither group wanted to yield.
It is the type of thing which happens with a religion which preaches superiority and vengeance.
I think the event should be made into an annual betting pool.
Someone at the front must have yelled “Free boys!” and that started the thundering herd.
Sounds simple enough when you are dealing with civilized people, but that's not the case here. Various groups of Muslims consider themselves superior to other such groups.
If you look up the history of these Hajj stampedes, you will find remarkable similarity on various factions refusing to yield. One of the bigger death tolls had to do with one group walking too slowly through an air-conditioned tunnel built specifically to handle these large crowds. One or more of the groups behind them took umbrage at the pace and created a stampede walking over them.
Put too many MS-13 gangster types in the same area and this type of mayhem is unavoidable.
And the problem is?
Let’em....we can always level that country later.
Or let the Russians have at it...they owe ‘em for the Saudis support of the Chechen scum.
Nice to see they are not just chanting death to Jews or Americans—Join the Party Saudi Arabia! Iran is coming for YOU next. Suggestion to king of Saudi Arabia: A secret deal with Israel.
They would probably be inclined to obey direct orders from armed Saudi policemen. You just have to adjust the crowd-control enforcement to the type of crowds you expect.
Malaysians, Indonesians, Bangladeshis, probably. Al Qaida and ISIS types, probably not.
The day is young.
China is the big hog at the mideast oil trough these days.
Those friendly people with Mafia business practices and 1.4 b expendable people to enforce them.
I say let them straighten it out.
The LORD said to Hagar about Ishmael’s descendants:
Gen 16:12
And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man’s hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.
Hard to be an atheist with God’s accuracy from 1000s of years ago. You could just as well be reading todays headlines.
Well, sporting events would be interesting with a lot of Muslims here. “Death to Dallas Cowboys”!!!! “Death to the referee!!”
:)
What - like that doesn't happen at your church?
No never seen a stampede at my church. I guess its too calm and tranquil in my place of worship..........
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