Tragedy on the Hajj
September 24, 2015
Today, more than 700 people were crushed to death and more than 800 injured in a panicked stampede in Mina, near the Islamic holy city of Mecca. The victims were Muslims attempting to complete the hajj (also spelled hadj), a holy pilgrimage to Mecca that is one of the five pillars (duties) of Islam. The Islamic religion requires every Muslim to make this journey at least once, if possible. For four days each year, about 2 million Muslims converge on Mecca for the hajj, creating staggering congestion problems and, on occasion, horrific accidents. Today’s tragedy was apparently the result of a collision between waves of pilgrims going in opposite directions.
Muslim pilgrims pray at the Kaaba, the holiest shrine of Islam. The Kaaba is an empty cube-shaped building that stands in the center of the Great Mosque in the city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia. According to Islamic law, all adult Muslims must, if possible, make at least one pilgrimage to Mecca during their lifetime. © Aidar Ayazbayev, Dreamstime
The Kaaba, the most sacred shrine of Islam, is in Mecca and is the chief goal of the pilgrimage. Aside from that, pilgrims must stop in Mina for the “stoning of the devil” ritual. Over a three-day period, Muslims cast stones at three large walls, symbolically driving away the devil. The overwhelming crowds are channeled through to each of the walls, creating dangerously cramped conditions. Saudi authorities blamed today’s incident on “undisciplined” pilgrims who did not follow the specified timetables meant to regulate human traffic. Others blamed the deaths on pilgrims’ fatigue and overall “mismanagement.”
Mina has often been the scene of deadly stampedes. The worst hajj-related incident occurred there in 1990, when a stampede killed more than 1,400 people. In another accident in Mecca just two weeks ago—on September 11, 2015—a massive construction crane collapsed onto the Grand Mosque, killing more than 100 pilgrims and injuring some 400 others. The collapse was blamed on exceedingly strong winds.
