Hajj: Difference between revisions

The '''Hajj''' (حج) is a Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca. It is an obligatory duty (''[[fard]]'' الفرض), and constitutes one of the [[Five Pillars of Islam]]. The pilgrimage takes place on the 12^th month of the Islamic calendar, from the 7^th to the 13^th day of Dhu al-Hijjah.  

The Hajj, along with the [[Ka'aba]], the [[Black Stone|black stone]], and many other aspects of [[Islam]], are [[Pagan Origins of Islam|pagan in origin]].

The Ka'aba is believed to be the "House of Allah" and the [[Qur'an]] tells us it's an "asylum of security for men",<ref>"...''Allah made the Ka'ba, the Sacred House, an asylum of security for men, as also the Sacred Months, the animals for offerings, and the garlands that mark them''..." - {{Quran|5|97}}</ref> so it would seem reasonable for Allah to protect or prevent any catastrophes from occurring in his house during the Hajj. However, this is not the case.

Since 1987, officially there has been at least 3,315 deaths and another 1,500 injuries resulting from various accidents during the pilgrimage. These figures are extremely conservative, considering (for example) the 1994 stampede in Mecca. Officially only 250 people had died as a result of the stampede, and according to ''The Saudi Press Agency'' a total of 829 pilgrims had died during the pilgrimage for a variety of reasons, which included "old age, heart attacks" and "deaths that resulted because of the heavy throngs throwing pebbles on Monday." However witnesses, doctors and a senior Asian diplomat had said the death toll for the stampede alone could have been over 1,000.<ref name="The New York Times, May 25, 1994">[{{Reference archive|1=http://www.nytimes.com/1994/05/25/world/at-least-250-muslims-die-in-mecca-stampede.html|2=2011-11-05}} At Least 250 Muslims Die in Mecca Stampede] - The New York Times, May 25, 1994</ref>

{| class="wikitable sortable" width = "100%"

! Death Toll

! Event

! Year

| 200

| Fire in a Tent Colony<ref name="Time_Hajj">Michael Brunton - [http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1149340,00.html Hazardous Hajj] - TIME, January 15, 2006</ref>

| 1975

| 382

| 1979

| 402

|Mecca Massacre<ref>Keith McLachlan - [http://www.springerlink.com/content/v65256l8v247t718/ Iran and the Continuing Crisis in the Persian Gulf] - GeoJournal, Vol.28, Issue 3, November 1992, Pg.359</ref>  

| 1987

| 1,426

| Stampede inside Al-Ma'asim Tunnel (most deadly stampede in history)<ref>Nobert Bermosa - [http://www.listzblog.com/top_ten_deadly_accident_disaster_history_list.html Top 10 Deadly Accidents & Disasters] - The List Blog, October 7, 2009</ref>

| 1990

| 250

| Stampede at the Stoning of the Devil Ritual<ref name="The New York Times, May 25, 1994"></ref>

| 1994

| 343

| Tent Fire in Mina<ref name="Time_Hajj"/>

| 1997

| 118

| Incident on Jamarat Bridge<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/76348.stm Saudis identifying nationalities of 118 dead pilgrims] - BBC News, April 9, 1998</ref>

| 1998

| 35

| Stampede at the Stoning of the Devil ritual<ref>Amr Nabil - [http://www.thefreelibrary.com/35+die+in+pilgrimage+stampede+Tragedy+once+again+strikes+as+2+million...-a071328895 35 die in pilgrimage stampede Tragedy once again strikes as 2 million attend Muslim hajj] - The Free Library (originally from The Seattle Times), March 6, 2001</ref>

| 2001

| 251

| Stampede during the Stoning ritual in Mina<ref name="bbc_hajj">[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3448779.stm Hundreds killed in Hajj stampede] - BBC News, February 1, 2004</ref>

| 2004

|Stampede during the ritual Al-Jamarat on the last day of the Hajj<ref name="bbc_hajj"/>

| 2006

| 76

| Al Ghaza Hotel Collapse<ref>John Esterbrook - [http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/01/06/world/main1182962.shtml Mecca Death Toll At 76: Deadly Building Collapse Mars Start Of Hajj] - CBS News, January 12, 2006</ref>

| 2006

| 77

| Saudi floods<ref>Jason Ramsey - [http://topnews.us/content/28575-77-muslims-killed-while-performing-hajj-saudi-floods 77 Muslims killed while performing Hajj by Saudi floods] - Top News, November 27, 2009</ref>

| 2009

| 5

| Swine Flu deaths at Hajj<ref>Edward Yeranian - [http://www1.voanews.com/english/news/Saudi-Health-Minister-Five-Swine-Flu-Deaths-During-Hajj-78091802.html Saudi Health Minister: Five Swine Flu Deaths During Hajj] - VOA News, November 29, 2009</ref>

| 2009

;Other Muslim pilgrimage incidents:

* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4199618.stm 2005: Iraq pilgrims stampede deaths near 1,000] (3^rd most deadly stampede in history)

One of the first hajj preperations for Muslim pilgrims include a vaccine against disease. The number of foreign pilgrims regularly number in the millions and the sheer number of people, as well as their close proximity to each other in crowded sites can spread quickly between the pilgrims. In 1987 an international outbreak of meningitis became a primary concern. Due to post-Hajj outbreaks globally of certain types of meningitis in previous years, it is now a visa requirement to be immunised with the ACW135Y vaccine before arrival. Other vaccines are also commonly issued with pilgrims often injected with several serums. If an outbreak were to occur on the road to Mecca, pilgrims could exacerbate the problem when they returned home and passed their infection on to others.<ref>Science correspondent, Ania Lichtarowicz - [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/2196598.stm Vaccine call for Hajj pilgrims] - BBC News, August 16, 2002</ref><ref>[http://www.saudiembassy.net/archive/2006/news/page5.aspx More than 2.3 million pilgrims perform the Hajj this year] - Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia, December 30, 2006</ref>

Performing the Hajj is also a physically exerting exercise, and many of the weaker pilgrims have died from it. In 2011, twenty pregnant women suffered from miscarriages on the first day of the rituals because of exhaustion. Dr Walid Al Omari, director of the obstetrics and paediatrics hospital in Mecca said, "The miscarriages were caused mainly by fatigue as those women had to walk a long distance… another reason is they are surrounded by a large crowd and this makes them vulnerable to pushing and physical injury".<ref>[{{Reference archive|1=http://www.emirates247.com/news/region/20-miscarriage-cases-in-haj-2011-11-05-1.426972|2=2011-11-05}} 20 miscarriage cases in Haj] - Emirates 24/7 News, November 5, 2011</ref>

==See Also==

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Islam and Paganism]]