MEMRI: Mecca Stampede
MEMRI: Latest News: "February 23, 2006No.1099
Saudi Clerics Criticized Following Death of Hundreds in Mecca Stampede: 'We Must Stop the Disregard for Human Life Based on Rulings That Adhere [Strictly] to the Written Word'
The ritual of 'the stoning of the Devil,' which is part of the Muslim Hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca), ended this year with the deaths of 363 pilgrims in a stampede that occurred when 600,000 Muslims gathered prior to the ritual, which by tradition must begin at midday. The disaster sparked harsh criticism of the clerics who had refused to allocate more time for the ritual - which would have reduced the crowding - even though circumstances had changed since the days of the Prophet and the number of pilgrims is now in the millions.
The following are the main responses to the incident:
For Years, Clerics Have Turned a Deaf Ear to Warnings [About Dangerous Crowding]
Hussein Shubakshi, Saudi columnist for the London daily Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, criticized the clerics' rigidity: 'One cannot investigate this tragic event without considering the fatwas that strictly forbade the holding of the stone-throwing ritual before noon. For years, the clerics have displayed rigidity [in religious ruling] and lack of independent thinking, turning a deaf ear to the voices which repeatedly warned [about the dangerous crowding] and which demanded a greater number of lenient fatwas...
'How sad it is that, even on the day of the ritual itself, [clerics] issued an opinion stating that adherence to the 'prescribed hour' is the ruling that must be followed. This position [surely] played some part in causing the crowding and confusion that led to the disaster. We must stop this disregard for human life based on religious rulings that adhere [blindly] to the written word without considering"
Saudi Clerics Criticized Following Death of Hundreds in Mecca Stampede: 'We Must Stop the Disregard for Human Life Based on Rulings That Adhere [Strictly] to the Written Word'
The ritual of 'the stoning of the Devil,' which is part of the Muslim Hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca), ended this year with the deaths of 363 pilgrims in a stampede that occurred when 600,000 Muslims gathered prior to the ritual, which by tradition must begin at midday. The disaster sparked harsh criticism of the clerics who had refused to allocate more time for the ritual - which would have reduced the crowding - even though circumstances had changed since the days of the Prophet and the number of pilgrims is now in the millions.
The following are the main responses to the incident:
For Years, Clerics Have Turned a Deaf Ear to Warnings [About Dangerous Crowding]
Hussein Shubakshi, Saudi columnist for the London daily Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, criticized the clerics' rigidity: 'One cannot investigate this tragic event without considering the fatwas that strictly forbade the holding of the stone-throwing ritual before noon. For years, the clerics have displayed rigidity [in religious ruling] and lack of independent thinking, turning a deaf ear to the voices which repeatedly warned [about the dangerous crowding] and which demanded a greater number of lenient fatwas...
'How sad it is that, even on the day of the ritual itself, [clerics] issued an opinion stating that adherence to the 'prescribed hour' is the ruling that must be followed. This position [surely] played some part in causing the crowding and confusion that led to the disaster. We must stop this disregard for human life based on religious rulings that adhere [blindly] to the written word without considering"
posted by Thaqalain | Thursday, February 23, 2006
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