Tragedy Strikes Jamrat
Saeed Haider & Siraj Wahab

MINA, 2 February 2004 — Disaster struck Mina yesterday when
244 pilgrims were trampled to death on the way to stoning
the Great Satan on the Jamrat Bridge. The tragedy occurred
as two million pilgrims flocked to the bridge early in the
morning to throw stones at the pillar representing the
devil.

“There were 244 pilgrims who died in the incident in
Jamrat,” Iyad Madani, minister of Haj, told reporters
without giving a breakdown of nationalities. A similar
number were injured. Up to eight of them were in critical
condition.

“Some pilgrims were not organized and there was a crush by
people carrying personal belongings which created obstacles
to the movement of pilgrims.

“I assure you that precautions are always taken, but we
don’t always know God’s intentions. What happened will be
evaluated,” the minister added.

He said most of the dead were pilgrims who overstayed after
performing Umrah and did not have Haj permits.

The dead comprised 134 men and 110 women.

Eyewitnesses said rescue efforts were hampered by the huge
number of people in the area. The bridge was transformed
into a disaster zone in minutes. Once it became clear what
had happened, helicopters flew in and hovered overhead.
Ambulances, sirens blaring, streamed in from all
directions. The authorities tried to form a protective ring
around the Jamrat Bridge to stop other pilgrims from
surging ahead to their deaths.

Officials in the helicopters were giving directions to
forces on the ground in an attempt to control the
situation, but it was initially chaotic until some
semblance of order could be brought to bear. Thousands of
pilgrims were stranded on the bridge not knowing where to
go or what to do.

Reports of exactly what caused the disaster vary but it
appears to have been a combination of events that
snowballed into calamity. According to one eyewitness,
after stoning the Jamrat one particular group of pilgrims
tried to turn back and retrace their path in order to
return to their camp. This group clashed with the oncoming
tide of pilgrims and were overwhelmed and trampled upon.
Another eyewitness said that a group of pilgrims hurrying
to be the first to stone the devil, elbowed their way
forward, resulting in weaker pilgrims falling to the ground
and being crushed. As the first pilgrims went down, their
screams caused panic among those nearby. Word quickly
spread that there was no way forward and people then tried
to turn back, with horrific consequences. Women were the
worst affected. Seeing their loved ones fall to the ground
they began screaming and shouting hysterically.

According to one Pakistani couple, in contravention of all
instructions pilgrims brought bags and suitcases with them
onto the bridge. In the crush these pilgrims were unable to
hold onto their baggage and it was left by the wayside.

The bags and bundles became death traps as other pilgrims
fell over the objects and were engulfed by the oncoming
masses.

All the while the terrible events were in progress
loudspeakers were blasting messages begging the pilgrims to
control themselves. Electronic signboards were flashing
messages reading, “Wait! The Jamrat is crowded.” Pilgrims
said they were unaware of either the audio or visual
instructions due to the chaos and extremely high noise
levels in the area.

The whole incident lasted for about 40 minutes, until the
authorities could surround the area and start clearing the
bodies. Then the stoning ritual was allowed to resume.

After sunset the extent of the tragedy sunk in. It was at
this time that some pilgrims realized that husbands,
relatives and friends had not turned up in the camp. The
mood in Mina turned very somber. Pilgrims were seen rushing
to their consular offices inquiring about missing group
members. There were crowds around Mina General Hospital
where the bodies of unidentified pilgrims were still being
held in the mortuary. Those who had missing relatives were
asked to come forward to try to identify the bodies. The
tragedy was compounded by the fact that even in the evening
the breakdown of victims by nationality was unavailable.
Even consular officers of various nations were at a loss to
say anything about the missing pilgrims from their
countries.

According to the Sri Lankan ambassador, he had received
inquiries about many missing pilgrims. He felt that this
was a reaction to the panic and he was hopeful that many of
those reported missing would turn up at their camps later
in the night.

“This is a terrible embarrassment for us,” said pilgrim
Sultan Al-Aseeri. “It should not have happened. It has
become an annual problem.”

— Additional reporting by Hassan Adawi

Shun Extremism, Muslims Urged
P.K. Abdul Ghafour & Javid Hassan, Arab News Staff

Eid prayers were held in hundreds of open grounds and
mosques across the Kingdom on Sunday morning.

JEDDAH, 2 February 2004 — Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques
King Fahd and Crown Prince Abdullah, deputy premier and
commander of the National Guard, yesterday called on
Muslims all over the world to strengthen their unity and
shun extremism and terror.

“The meanings of the Eid in Islam are many. ... They
include uniting the Muslim nation on goodness, away from
extremism and terror,” said the Saudi rulers in a message
marking the start of Eid Al-Adha celebrations.

The message, which was read on state television by Minister
of Culture and Information Dr. Fouad Al-Farsy, said, “The
graces of Islam are many and they include the sight of
pilgrims moving around in great numbers and in peace and
security.”

According to official figures released yesterday, 1,892,710
pilgrims — including 1.4 million who came from abroad —
performed Haj this year. A statement issued by the
Statistics Department of the Ministry of Economy and
Planning said the majority of the domestic pilgrims were
expatriate workers.

The Haj climaxed on Saturday as the pilgrims stood on the
plain of Arafat beseeching God’s forgiveness and blessings.
They slaughtered animals yesterday to commemorate the
readiness showed by the Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him)
to sacrifice his son Ismail to God.

Muslims all over the Kingdom celebrated Eid Al-Adha,
holding Eid prayers in the morning and organizing
recreational and cultural programs.

At the Grand Mosque in Makkah, Sheikh Abdul Rahman
Al-Sudais led the prayers. Later, addressing the faithful,
the imam lashed out at Israel and urged Muslims to unite
against those who oppress them.

“In Palestine, the Muslim suffers under oppression and
Al-Aqsa Mosque buckles under occupation ... how can we live
peacefully while our holy lands ... are being tarnished by
a band of infidel Zionists?” said Sudais.

“They (Israelis) are multiplying their aggression everyday
by building new settlements and separating walls.”

Sudais warned Muslims in his sermon, which was broadcast
live on Saudi television, that the enemies of Islam are
everywhere.

The imam called upon Muslim women to continue to wear the
hijab and reject the wanton calls for their liberation.
“Wearing of the hijab will not prevent them from making
scientific or social progress.” He objected to any reforms
that would contradict with the teachings of Islam and urged
Muslim leaders to work out strategies to face political,
economic, cultural and intellectual challenges.

“We should incept an awareness program in many languages to
deal with ignorance about Islam’s moderate teachings and
get rid of unilateral and individual views and edicts,” the
imam said, backing a similar call made by the Muslim World
League.

In Madinah, Sheikh Hassan Al-Sheikh, the imam of the
Prophet’s Mosque, led the main Eid congregation. He
recalled the salient points in the Arafat sermon of the
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), especially the
prohibition of the killing of innocent people.

“If Muslims had followed the teachings of their religion
and practiced them in their life, there would have been no
need for police, courts and prisons,” the imam told the
faithful.

Sheikh Hassan also cautioned about the dubious intent
behind the calls to “liberate” Muslim women. “The condition
of women in Islam is far better than in other cultures,” he
said, adding that Islam holds them in high honor and
protects their rights.

Riyadh Governor Prince Salman joined citizens and
expatriates in offering Eid Al-Adha prayers on the Eid
prayer site near Dira Mosque yesterday morning. The prayers
were also attended by members of the royal family,
religious scholars, ministers and a large gathering of
citizens and expatriates. Thousands of Muslims congregated
at 20 other Eid prayer sites and 352 mosques. Prince Salman
later exchanged Eid greetings with members of the royal
family and citizens in the Riyadh governorate.

In Abha, Asir Governor Prince Khaled Al-Faisal joined Eid
prayers held at King Faisal Mosque in Khalediya with a
large number of worshipers.

The main Eid prayer in the Eastern Province was held in
Dammam with the participation of a large number of faithful
including Governor Prince Muhammad ibn Fahd, other princes
and senior officials. In his sermon, Sheikh Muhammad
Al-Suleiman stressed the need to root out terrorists who
attempt undermine the Kingdom.

In Alkhobar, Bayouni, Ahsa, Jubail and Khafji, thousands of
Muslims offered Eid prayers in open grounds and a number of
mosques.

Jeddah Governor Prince Mishaal ibn Majed joined prayers at
the Old Airport ground in the city. In his address, Sheikh
Raafat Al-Jedaiby called upon Muslims to strengthen their
relations by promoting the qualities of tolerance and
forgiveness.

Telephone lines were jammed throughout the day as the
citizens and expatriates were trying to call their
relatives and friends. Saudi Telecom Company is offering a
discounted rate of 50 halalas on SMS compared to the normal
charge of 70 halalas.








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