Quoted: The stampede occurred as tens of thousands of pilgrims filed past al-Jamarat,

Is that Arabic for Wal-Mart? Were they having a white sale?

As little as 50 years ago... people were tied to the pillars that these dudes were lining up to throw stones at during the hajj. They stopped the public stoning sometime in the early 60s because they did not have a way to stake out fresh "evil" people with the numbers involved.

Maybe they could just cut out the middle man and throw rocks at the guys in front of them in line... That would make a great pay-per-view special.

Quoted: As little as 50 years ago... people were tied to the pillars that these dudes were lining up to throw stones at during the hajj. They stopped the public stoning sometime in the early 60s because they did not have a way to stake out fresh "evil" people with the numbers involved. Maybe they could just cut out the middle man and throw rocks at the guys in front of them in line... That would make a great pay-per-view special.

I have witnessed both a stoning and public executions when I was in Riyadh. Beheadings every other Friday at "chop-chop" square. At least that's what the expat community called, don't remember the real name, big roped off plaza.

It's about the only entertainment the locals get down there, very surreal. Stonings are done with a dump truck full of rocks now, executions with a sword. Limb removal for theft is now done in the ER surgically rather than the chopping block after some thieves bled to death after receiveing their penance.

The joys of Sharia.

I'm starting to think this could be a annual festival for me too! Every Hajj i'll have a party celebrating their death by religious stupidity. I love that speech about the Islamic Reawakening. have they invented anything in the last 800 years???? Besides Reality beheading TV??? Even suicide bombing was invented by others!

Allah be praised!

Allah acbar!

Wonderful news.

Praise Allah!

hamptonroads.cox.net/cci/newsnational/national?_mode=view&_state=maximized&view=article&id=D8F3UMPGI


Death Toll in Hajj Stampede Rises to 363, Saudis Say Security Officials Not to Blame for Deaths

MECCA, Saudi Arabia --  Officials on Friday raised the death toll in a stampede by Muslim pilgrims to 363, and the Saudi Interior Ministry defended its response, saying security forces were alerted to the problem immediately.

The crush of 600,000 pilgrims during the annual hajj took place Thursday at the main eastern ramp leading up to al-Jamarat, a giant platform where three pillars representing the devil are located. Pilgrims pelt the pillars with stones in a symbolic purging of their sins.

The pilgrims were squeezed in at the entrance to a holy site _ four people per square yard _ when about a dozen stumbled on baggage, tripping others behind them, the Interior Ministry said.

"Security forces were alerted to the incident immediately once it was seen through observation cameras, and moved in within two minutes," Interior Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Mansour al-Turki told a news conference.

He said that 363 died, and of that total, 203 have been identified _ 118 men and 85 women. Some 289 people were injured, but al-Turki said all but 45 have been released from the hospital. Medical officials at al-Moaysem Medical Center said at least 60 people were in critical condition.

Al-Turki said the baggage carried by the pilgrims as contributing to the tragedy.

"We try to get rid of the baggage ... but not every group of pilgrims complies. So we see a lot of umbrellas and belongings. This leads to a great deal of stumbling among the pilgrims. There are people carrying plastic bags, water bottles. That can lead to people stumbling," al-Turki said.

Interior Minister Prince Nayef bin Abdel-Aziz said police prevented more deaths. "Those who know the facts know the security forces prevented many things that could have taken more lives," he said.

"The number of pilgrims is only going to increase in the coming years, so there must be solutions so that this sort of incident is not repeated," he said, adding that a commission would study the accident and make recommendations for changes.

Since Thursday's deaths, some people have complained that the 60,000 security forces at the site were not working enough to direct crowds and ensure that regulations are being obeyed.

Hundreds of worried pilgrims crowded around a photo display at a medical center on Friday, scanning anxiously for pictures of loved ones who may have been among the dead.

One of those looking for a relative was Egyptian Osama el-Gindy.

"I was slightly wounded but managed to pull myself out of the crowd. I haven't seen him since then," el-Gindy said. "I hope he is still alive. But if he is dead, he is a martyr and will go to heaven like all others."
Muslims believe that anyone who dies during a pilgrimage is assured a place in heaven.

The tragedy underlined the difficulty in managing one of the biggest religious events in the world, which this year drew more than 2.5 million. The weeklong pilgrimage, required once in a lifetime of every able-bodied Muslim, ended Friday.

The al-Jamarat site, located in a desert plain of Mina outside Mecca, has seen 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.

The deaths follow another accident that marred this year's hajj _ the Jan. 5 collapse of a building being used as a pilgrims' hotel that killed 76 people in Mecca.

Ensuring a smooth pilgrimage is a key concern for Saudi Arabia's royal family, which bolsters its legitimacy by touting its role as the "custodian of the holy cities" _ Mecca and Medina, where Islam's 7th century prophet Muhammad was born and lived.

Crown Prince Sultan Bin Abdel Aziz said Thursday that the state had "spared no effort" to avoid such disasters but, he added, "it cannot stop what God has preordained. It is impossible."
"We feel pain and sorrow for them and for their families and we send our condolences," the prince said on Al-Ekhbariya television.

Saudi Arabia has made efforts to ease the massive flow since the 2004 stampede, widening ramps leading to the platform where the three pillars are located and creating more emergency exits.

The small, round pillars were replaced with 85-foot-long walls to allow more people to stone them at once without jostling each other. The walls extend down through the bridge and protrude underneath, so pilgrims below can also carry out the stoning without going above.

Thursday's stampede occurred below the platform, near one of the entrance ramps.

Many pilgrims expressed frustration over the repeated disasters at al-Jamarat.

"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.

Saudi Arabia has announced plans for more changes to the site in coming years that it says would allow some 500,000 pilgrims an hour to carry out the stoning.

Among the changes, the platform is to be expanded to four levels, with 12 entrances and 12 exits. Also, there are plans to bus pilgrims to al-Jamarat from a nearby tent city in the desert rather than allowing them to make their own way to the site.

shit Allah happens

Quoted: The Saudis aka beverly hillbillies of the middle east need to get this event a little more organized, so 200 folks don't get trampled to death every year. As for some of the comments in this thread....

It's simple. You give a shit, I don't.