Hajj stampede deaths occur among a different mindset

Yes, that's the sad news out of Saudi Arabia today. The pilgrimage to Mecca, one of the five pillars of Islam, includes a ritual stoning of the devil. Almost every year, the frenzy of the pilgrims goes too far, and a human stampede results. Today 345 Muslims were crushed to death, 244 were killed in a similar fashion two years ago. In 1990, 1,426 were killed in that year's stoning stampede. And I'm citing only the worst hajj tragedies.

There's a deadly pattern here. What are the Saudis doing about it?

Not much. Sure, they've redesigned a bridge or two, but that's about it.

Of course, retiring the ritual and replacing it with something more symbolic would be the solution if sensible minds were in charge. But they're not.

Saudi Interior Minister Prince Nayef bin Abdul Aziz oversaw the 2004 hajj--the year 244 pilgrims were trampled to death. A few days after that year's hajj, he called the event "a great success."

And that's not all the prince said. From the Middle East Times in 2004:

He said the mostly Asian pilgrims who perished Sunday as they pressed to throw stones at three pillars representing Satan in the valley of Mina near Mecca "met their fate because their place and time of death has been decided the moment they were born."

"We hope that their place in paradise with the faithful is assured because they have fulfilled their pilgrimage duties."

Sorry to say, with this mindset, the sad part of this story is that we will be reporting on more hajj stampedes as the years go by.

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