True. Somehow has never happened during one of these:
Posted on 01/12/2006 7:38:55 AM PST by Grzegorz 246
MENA, Saudi Arabia (Reuters) - The death toll could rise to 300 in Saudi Arabia where Muslim pilgrims were crushed to death on Thursday during a stoning ritual on the last day of the haj, medical sources said.
"It's likely to be around 300 in the end," said a medic in Mena. Medical sources earlier said more than 100 people died.
The Saudi Interior Ministry said earlier in a statement that an unknown number of people had been killed in the crush at the eastern entrance of Mena's Jamarat Bridge after pilgrims jostled to perform the stoning ritual between noon and sunset.
This happen year after year.
Seriously, the authorities in Saudi Arabia need to consult with the people at Disney or Cedar Fair on how to move large crowds through an attraction without trouble.
This happens like - every year. Except for the years with the riots...
Lovely. Any "beheading of the infidels" rituals as well?
Mohammed Mouse?
Well, at least they were not at Wal-Mart going for a $100.00 laptop.
As if anybody needed any more evidence that this so called religion is deeply flawed...
300! Now that sounds like a typical haj death toll.
Maybe the idiots need to do it everyday in every city and then only the purest idiots will survive.
Yeah, is that where they bury a woman up to here head and then murder her?
For heaven's sake, why?????
the stoning ritual consists of "stoning" Satan. One would think they would have a portion cleared off as the designated Rock Range, but I'm not sure where they were aiming if 300 died.
AGAIN???? Doesn't this happen every year?
< uber sarcasm off >
They should do this more often.
I love using stuff like this to quiet down ROP apologists.
Losing "only" 300 is a good year for them.
Lemmings.
Gets 'em every time.
"Seriously, the authorities in Saudi Arabia need to consult with the people at Disney or Cedar Fair on how to move large crowds through an attraction without trouble."
OR the organizers of Woodstock -- after all, this is a kind of love-in, isn't it -- the religion of peace and love and goodwill to all men?? (sarc)
Figures that a people who live in the stone age would have a stoning ritual.
I have been to several Promise Keepers events with tens of thousands of people. Can't recall anyone being trampled or crushed to death.
Maybe...just possibly....there could be some kind of difference between the religions?
I wonder which Saudi prince controls the rock import/sales concession...
You would have thought they would have explained it a little better but there is a big rock representing the devil. The idea is to stone the devil.
You know, queueing skills vary widely in the world. I know from experience, having worked in Saudi Arabia, that the concept of a line of people waiting patiently to be served is not widely accepted.
There is a limit of how many people are allowed to participate in the Haj based on the physical limitations of the sites. Muslims get heavenly 'bonus points' for performing certain actions at certain times. You can't reschedule and there are no make-ups. So, if there are preferred hours to perform these actions then most pious Muslims are going to try and get their foot in the door. If you are really lucky you'll die on the Haj. Most knowledgeable insiders say that its almost a sure thing to get in to heaven in that happy event.
Devout Muslims believe that the black stone represents all of Allah's power and glory. It is critical to note (and this is also one of the 5 pillars of Islam) that “There is no God but Allah, and Muhammed is his LAST prophet.” You see, the religion is perfect, complete, finished. Allah gave the 5 pillars to Muhammed. These 5 pillars of Islam CANNOT BE CHANGED, EVER, and there still be Islam. No Mecca, no Kaaba, no black stone = no Hajj, no 5X daily prayer = no Islam.
Islam: Meteorite Worship of the black stone
Mecca or Makkah (in full: Makkah al-Mukarramah; Arabic: مكة المكرمة) is the capital city of Saudi Arabia's Makkah province, in the historic Hijaz region. It is located at 21°25′ N 39°49′ E, 73 kilometers inland from Jaddah, in the narrow sandy Valley of Abraham, 277 meters (909 feet) above sea level.
The city is revered as the holiest site of Islam, and a pilgrimage to it is required of all Muslims who can afford to go. The term 'Mecca' has come into common usage metaphorically to mean any all-important site for any particular group of people.
The importance of Mecca
For Muslims, a pilgrimage to Mecca is required as one of the Five Pillars of the faith. In recent years, about two to three million have gathered for the major pilgrimage or 'Hajj', during the Muslim month of Dhu'l-Hijjah, and many more perform the minor pilgrimage or 'Umrah', which may be performed at any time of year. Few non-Muslims have ever seen the rites and rituals of the Hajj as non-Muslims are strictly prohibited from entering Mecca and Madinah.
The focal point of Mecca is the Ka'bah, the "House of God" believed by Muslims to have been built by Abraham and his son Ishmael, and is covered in a gold-embroidered black fabric. The Pilgrims circle the Ka'bah seven times and may also try to touch or kiss its cornerstone, the Black Stone. Pilgrims then drink from the well of Zamzam. The water of Zamzam is believed to have special properties. Few pilgrims return from the Hajj without a large plastic bottle of the Zamzam water.
During the Hajj the pilgrims travel to Mina, a small village, where the Devil, symbolised by stone columns, is ritually stoned. In some years the crowds have crushed people to death during this ritual. They then proceed to the Hill of Arafat (sometimes called the Mountain, but it is only 70 meters high), a site for prayers, where the Prophet Muhammad is believed to have delivered his final Sermon.
The importance of Mecca for Muslims is inestimable. All Muslims, wherever they are on the earth, are required to pray five times a day in the direction of the Ka'bah in Mecca (located at 21° 25′ 24″ N 39° 49′ 24″ E). The direction of prayer is known as the qiblah.
Muslims regard the al-Masjid al-Haram (or 'The Sacred Mosque') as the holiest place on Earth. Both the mosque and the city itself are strictly off-limits to non-Muslims.
While a revered holy site to Muslims, Mecca is sometimes viewed as a target by others. For example, in July 2005, during a radio interview, US Congressman Tom Tancredo said that the U.S. could "take out" Islamic holy sites such as Mecca if Muslim fundamentalist terrorists attacked the United States with nuclear weapons [[1]] [[2]].
The Black Stone (called Al-Hajarul Aswad in Arabic) is one of the most sacred holy relics in Islam. It is roughly 50 cm in diameter. It is found in the Kaaba, a sacred site in Islam. It is the cornerstone of one of the four corners of the religious construction. It can be recognized instantly because it is surrounded by a silver band.
The Stone is actually broken into several pieces, damage which occurred when the stone was stolen in 930 C.E. Ismaili (Qarmatian) warriors sacked Mecca and carried the Black Stone away. It was returned twenty-two years later. In the process, the Black Stone was cracked. It is now held together by a silver band, which is fastened by silver nails to the Stone.
Some Muslims would regard the Stone as "just a stone". When Umar ibn al-Khattab, the second Caliph, came to kiss the stone, he said, in front of all assembled: "No doubt, I know that you are a stone and can neither harm anyone nor benefit anyone. Had I not seen Allah’s Messenger kissing you, I would not have kissed you."
Other Muslims believe that this stone fell from the sky during the time of Adam, and that it has the power to cleanse worshippers of their sins by absorbing them into itself. They say that the Black Stone was once a pure and dazzling white; it has turned black because of the sins it has absorbed over the years.
Still others will say only that the stone can erase the believer's minor sins. On the Day of Judgement, the Stone will testify before God (Allah) in favor of those who kissed it.
The stone is said to have been found by Abraham (Ibrahim) and his son Ishmael (Ismail), who were searching for stones with which to build the Kabaa. They recognized its worth and made it one of the building's cornerstones.
Physical attributes of the Kaaba
The Kaaba is a large masonry building in the shape of a cube (in fact, the name Kaaba comes from the Arabic word meaning cube). It is made of granite from the hills near Mecca. The structure is 50 ft. high (15.24 m), 35 ft. (10.67 m) wide, and 40 ft. long (12.19 m) long. It is covered by a black silk cloth decorated with gold-embroidered calligraphy. This cloth is known as the kiswa; it is replaced yearly. e of the cornerstones of the Kaaba is the Hajar el Aswad (the sacred "Black Stone"), which is presumed by most sources to be a meteorite remnant.
Inside the Kaaba, there is a marble floor. The interior walls are clad with marble half-way to the roof; tablets with Quranic inscriptions are inset in the marble. The top part of the walls is covered with a green cloth decorated with gold embroidered Quranic verses. Lamps hang from a cross beam; there is also a small table for incense burners. The building is otherwise empty. The caretakers perfume the marble cladding with scented oil, the same oil used to anoint the Black Stone outside.
History of the Kaaba
At the time of Muhammad, his tribe, the Quraysh was in charge of the Kaaba, which was at that time a shrine to numerous Arabian tribal gods. Desert tribesmen, the Bedouin, and inhabitants of other cities would join the annual pilgimage, to worship and to trade. Caravan-raiding, common during the rest of the year, was suspended during the pilgrimage; this was a good time, then, for travel and trade.
Muhammad, preaching the doctrines of one God (in Arabic, Allah) and the threat of the Day of Judgment, did not at first have much success in the city of Mecca. The Quraysh persecuted and harassed him continuously, and he and his followers eventually fled to Medina, in 622 C.E. After this pivotal flight, or Hijra, the Muslim community became a political and military force. In 630 C.E., Muhammad and his followers returned to Mecca as conquerors, and the Kaaba was re-dedicated as an Islamic house of worship. Henceforth the annual pilgrimage was to be a Muslim rite, the Hajj.
According to the Qur'an, the Kaaba was built by the prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) and his son Ishmael [3]. Academic scholars will only say that it is a pre-Islamic house of native Arab worship. According to some counts, the Kaabah has been reconstructed or undergone major repairs twelve times. The last reconstruction was done in 1996.
At the lower southeast corner of the Kaaba at a height of about five feet is "The Black Stone." As Muslim worshippers circumambulate the Kaaba, they will touch and/or kiss the Black Stone. Likely a portion of an ancient meteorite, it is revered as a symbol of that line of Abraham's progeny (Ishmael) that was rejected by Israel. To support this belief, Muslims will offer a compelling interpretation of Psalm 118.22-23 in the Hebrew scriptures: "The stone which the builders rejected has become the head of the corner; this is the LORD'S doing. . ." (the traditional Judeo-Christian interpretation of this is that the "stone" is Israel herself).
When Muhammad returned victorious to Mecca in 630 CE, he destroyed the idols in the Kaaba, proclaiming Allah as the one God. He sanctioned the kissing of the Black Stone, declared Mecca the Holy City of Islam, and decreed that no unbeliever should ever be allowed to set foot on its soil. Hence, only Muslims are allowed at the Great Mosque of Mecca during the pilgrimage of the month of Dhu al-Hijah.
Must've been the Brown Acid...
Wow! This sounds so, so Klingon.
And this happened during one of Islam's MOST HOLIEST EVENTS!
Someone please tell me again why we must respect the religion of Islam? They don't even respect eachother.
Many years ago my daughter-in-law was a stewardess (yes a stewardess, not a flight attendant) who worked for an airline who flew Muslims to Mecca. She said some of the antics they pulled were almost unbelievable - like urinating in the aisle. The name of the charter line that hauled the worthies was World Airways.
The problem is the incredible masses of people in open spaces. If someone falls down, the next person may try to avoid crushing him, but the pressure of 1000's behind causes the trampling to occur. In the US, we have proper barriers to break up the pressure and corral the masses....
A woman I knew
had a shirt with a WHO pic
and the caption read:
I'd walk all over you to see the Who!
NUKE MECCA
....looks like a prime target for a tactical nuke.
I was immediately put at ease when I noticed how organized, polite, considerate, and courteous the crowd was (I wasn't too surprised). A person could easily move around the area. Sidewalks and paths were maintained for walking traffic even though it was packed on either side. All this and no one had to post signs or make announcements to get people to comply. It was all spontaneous.
When the crowd dispersed at the end of the event. The place was spotless, as everyone scoured the mall on their way out, helping to pick up any litter.
laughing OUT LOUD right now!
That was tooooo funny!
Oh my!
Talk about symbolism! The shape of where the stone is held.... EEK!
I wonder if they have to go through again to repent for trampling hundreds of their fellow muslims!?
Religion of pieces?
Where are the hippies when you need them?
getting stoned !!!
oops Woodstock it ain't
This is classified as a "tragedy"?
Why are all those people sticking their heads in that polished, Nambe ware toilet bowl?
Hmmm... I think most of the Christians will tell you that the cornerstone in Psalm 118 is Jesus, not Israel... But this is a very informative read about Mecca. Thanks for posting it.
As for the original post, why am I not surprised that a mob of Muslims would behave that way? I'll ask one of my favorite questions again - If somebody keeps proving the stereotype in a big way, is it really a stereotype?
No, the stone would be Jesus, the Messiah ... who was rejected by Israel but has become the cornerstone of God's work
Write down the date - it's the first time I ever beat somebody posting the same idea. ;-)
This is a disappointing death count. Last year they wrote "United States" and "Zionist Entity" on the "devil" glyphs and close to 2,000 died in the murderous frenzy. We should try and get a FReeper to sneak in there and write in "Tancredo" or something, perhaps we'd get a new record of 4-5,000 dead.
Other way round. Mohammed raided their caravans continually, and so they tried to deal with him. If I remember correctly they knocked out his four front teeth with a rock in one battle. I bet that hurt.
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