An overview of House of Saud’s 11 Hajj mismanagement disasters
After the crane crash in Mecca this year which led to the death and injury of hundreds of pilgrims of the House of God, there were numerous speculations about the incident and its causes.
Navideshahed:
According to the Islamic Revolution Documents Center
website: After the crane crash in Mecca this year which led to the death
and injury of hundreds of pilgrims of the House of God, there were
numerous speculations about the incident and its causes. At last, the
issue was closed by putting the blame on sand storm and the
demonstrations were ended. Creating excuses for this managerial scandal
had not subsided yet when another bitter incident, on the day of the Eid
al-Adha once again put Muslims in mourning suit. But this time again,
Saudi officials cited natural factors such as the heat, the large number
of the pilgrims, and lack of order among the pilgrims as the main
causes counting for the incident in their helpless effort to find
excuses. Despite these, historical records indicate that there have been
numerous instances of Saudi mismanagement in holding the Hajj ritual.
In many such cases, such as the slaughter of Iranian pilgrims in 1988,
it is evident that the event has been quite willful.
Historical evidences of House of Saud mismanagement
- In 1987, when Iranian pilgrims were marching and denouncing pagans in Mecca, they met attack by Saudi armed forces. This incident left 402 dead, including 275 Iranians, as well as 649 people injured, including 303 Iranians. Although Saudi Arabia had claimed that the aggression had started on the side of Iranian pilgrims, the large number of Iranian women among the victims show that the Saudi security forces had made no bones in opening fire to the defenseless pilgrims.
The fatal clash between Saudi forces and some Iranian pilgrims who attended the pagans denouncement in Mecca
- In 1989 as bomb was laid in Mecca, one died and 16 others were injured. One year later a court in Saudi Arabia hanged 16 foreign nationals on charges of having run the terrorist act.
- In 1990 as commotion erupted in the long Min Tunnel in Mecca, at least 1426 pilgrims were killed trying to pass the tunnel. Hundreds of others were injured. Many of the pilgrims were crushed or run over.
- In 1994 as commission was raised by the Jamarat bridge to the East of Mecca which was heavily crowded, 270 lives were lost.
- In 1997 about 343 pilgrims were killed in a scary arson in a tent camp in Mina. 1500 other people were injured.
- In 1998 as the crowd stormed toward the Jamarat bridge, 119 people were killed and tens were injured.
- In 2001 35 pilgrims were killed during their Hajj ritual due to heavy crowd of people. Tens of other people were injured in that incident.
- In 2004 in Mecca some 289 pilgrims were killed on the sidelines of the Hajj ritual and hundreds were also injured.
- In 2006 in Mecca and on the sidelines of the Jamy of Jamarat ritual at least 362 people pilgrims to the House of God were killed and hundreds were injured due to heavy push of the crowd.
- In 2015 as heavy sand storm swept the area, a heavy crane fell in the court of the Masjid al-Haram mosque which was under construction. In that incident at least 107 were killed and hundreds injured.
- Also, in the most recent disaster in Mina, as one of the gates leading to the Ramy of Jamarat area was closed, crowd grew heavy in one of the intersections and about two thousand pilgrims were killed or injured. The Iranian Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization has put the number of Iranian casualties at 133. It also said 99 were injured and 356 were lost following the incident.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a letter offered condolences over the bitter incident and announced three days of public mourning. He said: The Saudi government is obliged to admit responsibility for this bitter incident and to act to it according to the rule of rightness and fairness. Mismanagement and unbefitting actions which caused the catastrophe must not be overlooked.
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