Hajj Trajjedy: Come on, Brian! Lets go to stoning.
Almost 350 people have been killed at the Hajj, during the ritual stoning of the three pilars at the bridge of Jamarat where the Devil is said to have appeared to Abraham. This is supposedly the most dangerous part of the Hajj, where worshippers jostle for prime stone-throwing position so they can stone Satan and be sure to hit him.
It appears that a slew of Samsonite fallen from the thousands of buses caused many pilgrims to fall, who were then trampled by some of the estimated two million people performing their seven circuits of the Kabaa. The linked article does not state if you get more karmic points for hitting the middle pillar. It's like a big religious fun fair. Step right up, pilgrims! Who can hit the middle pillar? Everyone who can gets eternal salvation! How much? One eternal soul, please.
Levity aside, there are deaths at the Hajj every year. Steps have been taken since the previous years' deaths, but with several million people trying to occupy the same space, unfortunate accidents will happen. And since Muslims are required to make the pilgrimage at least once in their lives, they can't simply restrict numbers, as they did with the New Year celebrations in Edinburgh a few years ago. To that point, the population of the city would at least double for Hogmanay, and Princes Street would accomodate over 400 thousand people at midnight. These days, a more pedestrian 180 thousand is the limit.
You can actually move, which somehow takes the fun away. Part of the fun was being forced from one throng of drunken, fit, foreign chicks to the next, lips balmed and waiting. If Hogmanay had experienced even a handful of deaths, the whole thing would be cancelled. Which isn't an option for the Hajj. The element of risk is what makes things worth doing.
I do have rather more respect for Islam than most other organised religions. At least their religion does require some active participation. Christianity barely qualifies when you measure it against Islam, or Hinduism, or Judaism. Most other 'big hitters' do make followers put some effort in, whether its getting up early to pray, or getting bits of yourself chopped off, or taking a risk to make a pilgrimage.
If Christianity wants to take itself more seriously, it needs to be filling the Piazza San Marco every fortnight for all night vigils. Some element of discomfort needs to be introduced, some effort on the part of the faithful so they can show their Faith.
As an atheist, it seems to me that I would be more faithful if I thought there was some possibility that there would be some penalty for my unfaithfullness. Oh, yes, you might not get to Heaven, but considering the sort of people who must be filling the place by now, would you really want to go? Even St. Peter's patience must be wearing a bit thin by now. Even if there was some sort of cultural exchange with Hell, I can't imagine it as a "happening" place to spend eternity.
I'm a fan of tradition, which is the last thing at which I am confident Britain is best. It may be viewed as nostalgic mourning of the good old Empire days, when a man could go to India, make a fortune, shoot some tigers, and be home in time for Christmas. I'm glad, then, that Islam at least is not going soft and relaxing its ways for the Twenty First century.
We shouldn't really mourn those who lost their lives today. They made the effort for their beliefs and, as a believer, is there any better place for someone to meet their Maker than in their Maker's house?
It appears that a slew of Samsonite fallen from the thousands of buses caused many pilgrims to fall, who were then trampled by some of the estimated two million people performing their seven circuits of the Kabaa. The linked article does not state if you get more karmic points for hitting the middle pillar. It's like a big religious fun fair. Step right up, pilgrims! Who can hit the middle pillar? Everyone who can gets eternal salvation! How much? One eternal soul, please.
Levity aside, there are deaths at the Hajj every year. Steps have been taken since the previous years' deaths, but with several million people trying to occupy the same space, unfortunate accidents will happen. And since Muslims are required to make the pilgrimage at least once in their lives, they can't simply restrict numbers, as they did with the New Year celebrations in Edinburgh a few years ago. To that point, the population of the city would at least double for Hogmanay, and Princes Street would accomodate over 400 thousand people at midnight. These days, a more pedestrian 180 thousand is the limit.
You can actually move, which somehow takes the fun away. Part of the fun was being forced from one throng of drunken, fit, foreign chicks to the next, lips balmed and waiting. If Hogmanay had experienced even a handful of deaths, the whole thing would be cancelled. Which isn't an option for the Hajj. The element of risk is what makes things worth doing.
I do have rather more respect for Islam than most other organised religions. At least their religion does require some active participation. Christianity barely qualifies when you measure it against Islam, or Hinduism, or Judaism. Most other 'big hitters' do make followers put some effort in, whether its getting up early to pray, or getting bits of yourself chopped off, or taking a risk to make a pilgrimage.
If Christianity wants to take itself more seriously, it needs to be filling the Piazza San Marco every fortnight for all night vigils. Some element of discomfort needs to be introduced, some effort on the part of the faithful so they can show their Faith.
As an atheist, it seems to me that I would be more faithful if I thought there was some possibility that there would be some penalty for my unfaithfullness. Oh, yes, you might not get to Heaven, but considering the sort of people who must be filling the place by now, would you really want to go? Even St. Peter's patience must be wearing a bit thin by now. Even if there was some sort of cultural exchange with Hell, I can't imagine it as a "happening" place to spend eternity.
I'm a fan of tradition, which is the last thing at which I am confident Britain is best. It may be viewed as nostalgic mourning of the good old Empire days, when a man could go to India, make a fortune, shoot some tigers, and be home in time for Christmas. I'm glad, then, that Islam at least is not going soft and relaxing its ways for the Twenty First century.
We shouldn't really mourn those who lost their lives today. They made the effort for their beliefs and, as a believer, is there any better place for someone to meet their Maker than in their Maker's house?
posted by RocketBootKid at 6:48 pm
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