Over 1000 dead and rising as 50'c+ Heatwave hits Hajj in Saudi Arabia

[ianh]

Hi all,

Whilst I'm not religious, I have spent a few years living in Saudi near to Mecca/Medina and so I like to keep track of events like Hajj and this years has been shocking for organisation by the looks of it, with over 1000 deaths from pilgrims across 10 nations so far being reported. Saudi tries to control/limit the number of visitors allowed to enter for Hajj to around 1.8 million by making it a Government operated (and expensive) scheme, however lots of local agents will, for about 50% of the cost of an "official" visa, get you onto the pilgrimage but without any of the support offered to those with the "official" pass, which covers things like air-con tents, buses etc and Saudi generally does a really great job of supporting those "official" pilgrims.

However, this years has seen around 50'c at ground level and so far it looks like the vast majority of the dead have been unofficial pilgrims, left without much water or shelter by their agents and unable to use the Government provided support. Due to the negative publicity (something Saudi's hate) I'm not sure we'll get a final, definitive number of the dead by the end (they still don't give one for the 2015 stampede at a campsite which killed almost 2500 for example), and I know they love autocratic bureaucracy with a passion but it's still a shock to see how they've allowed their fellow brothers and sisters to suffer so badly due to the two tier system, and some of the videos coming out is genuinely shocking.

A UK Imam had said of the scenes -

As you were walking, you could not walk 20 yards except you would see someone struggling in the heat. People were doing whatever they could to shade themselves, they were taking water from kind individuals who were giving them towels, they were taking shade in hotel receptions. It was harrowing at times, I've never seen so many people struggle collectively.

Hajj pilgrim deaths surge past 1,000 as Saudi Arabia faces extreme temperatures

Around 1.8 million Muslims have taken part in the days-long pilgrimage this year

www.independent.co.uk

More than 1,000 dead during Hajj as heatwaves spread across the world

Ten countries have reported deaths of their citizens during the annual pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia.

news.sky.com

More than 1,000 hajj pilgrims die amid temperatures approaching 52C in Mecca

Saudi authorities said they sent away unregistered pilgrims but many appear to have taken part without access to cooler spaces

www.theguardian.com

Hajj pilgrim death toll passes 1,000 after brutal 50C heatwave

A British Imam described the scenes as 'harrowing' and said that it was impossible for pilgrims to walk through the streets and not to see people suffering from the heat.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[ianh]

The average person plan and book this months or years in advance due to costs and is seen as the ultimate act of the Muslim religion. Tbh I wouldn’t mind going to see this and I’m not religious.

I thought the same and asked the locals about a visit to Mecca myself but you weren't allowed to visit as someone who is a non-Muslim, even outside of Hajj. When you get to the outskirts of Mecca the traffic lanes actually divide with a clear (Muslim/Non-Muslim) road sign with only the Muslim lanes being allowed into the area and the Non-Muslim road going around the outside.

However you could go to Medina and visit the Mosques there, they look stunning.

would a bit of compassion for the deceased be too much to hope for around here?

Apparently compassion is in short supply, and I'm genuinely quite surprised by that.

 

[ianh]

During Ramadan muslims are not allowed to eat or drink during daylight hours. You can imagine how dangerous that is if you have a physically demanding job or are elderly in a hot country. Religious traditions can be very damaging.

As always there are exceptions to everything, and Ramadan is no different in that you actually can eat and/or drink for many various reasons (the two you mention above are included), rather than it being a blanket ban. However, its still upto the individual to decide what to do, and quite a few I worked with in the aviation world (which is exempt if req'd) still preferred to adhere to their Fast and, as such, accommodations around work hours etc had to be made for them for everyone's safety.