At least 719 Muslim pilgrims crushed to death at hajj in Saudi Arabia

MINA, Saudi Arabia -- Two huge waves of Muslim hajj-goers collided at an intersection on Thursday near the Islamic holy site. More than 700 were crushed and trampled to death in the holy frenzy to get close to a stone that was said to be a gift from Allah, but had been used for pagan rituals long before Islam began.

This was the worst disaster at the hajj in twenty-five years. In 2006 in the same area, 360 Muslims were crushed and killed in a stampede, while in 2004, 244 were killed. The worst hajj-related disaster recorded was in 1990, when 1,426 Muslims killed each other in a stampede in an overcrowded pedestrian tunnel leading to a holy site in Mecca.

"People were climbing over one another just to breathe," Abdullah Lotfy of Egypt said. "It was like a wave. You go forward and suddenly you go back."

The hajj drew over 2 million Muslims from over 180 countries this year. It's a holy pain in the neck for the Saudi kingdom, who have spent billions of oil dollars to accommodate the growing number of pilgrims to maintain safety and security at the yearly event where non-Muslims are not allowed.

An investigation was begun by the Saudis, according to Interior Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Mansour al-Turki [a man who is the very model of a modern Major General]. Al-Turki added that initial reports showed two crowds coming from opposite directions and converged at an intersection in the town of Mina, on the outskirts or out-burqas of Mecca.

This is when the not getting along with their fellow Muslims. It started with pushing and shoving and escalated into a "I gotta get there first because Allah is waiting for me."

"Unfortunately, these incidents happen in a moment," al-Turki said at a fake news conference.

However, four survivors wondered how officials managing the flow of human traffic could allow two enormous crowd on a collision course to intersect on two streets packed with pilgrims.

"What happened was more than they were ready for," Lotfy told the AP.

The Saudi civil defense directorate said late Thursday the death toll reached 719, but that would rise as bodies continued to be counted and sent to the morgue. At least 863 people were injured.

According to an AP journalist, there were bodies still lying on the ground over 10 hours after the crush and stampede in Mina, a valley containing 160,000 tents, none of which were purchased at Cabelas. The town is about 3 miles from Mecca.

One crowd had finished throwing pebbles at three stone columns representing shaytan [the devil] when it collided with the second wave of people about to perform the same task. That's when all hell broke loose.

Mohammed Awad, 36, was separated from his 56-year-old father when the pushing began. Awad said he tried to get out of the crush of bodies for 30 minutes and was eventually able to climb over a gate with others. It took him an hour before he could look for his father who was beneath 10 bodies, but he was still alive.

"You can't count how many bodies there were. They were stacked high," Awad said.

The place was a mess. Scores of bodies still dressed in terry cloth garb worn during hajj were lying amid crushed wheelchairs and water bottles. The streets where the trampling deaths occurred were blocked off by military police.

The Saudis take pride in their role as keepers of Islam's holiest, albeit most dangerous site to visit. Every Muslim is required to perform at least one pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in their lives and purchase a bottle of water.

One would think that with over 100,000 security forces and 5,000 CCTV cameras throughout Mecca and Medina, this collision of wills and determination could have been avoided.

But perhaps Allah works in strange ways.

And for many Muslims, if you're going to die, dying in Mecca is a golden guarantee to paradise. Even if it happens in a stampede.

This was the second major screwup of the hajj season. On September 11th, a construction crane mysteriously crashed down onto the Grand Mosque, killing 111 people and injuring over 390 others. Authorities blamed it on high winds from a powerful storm.

This tragedy came as Muslims worldwide marked the start of Eid al-Adha holiday, a festive time in which livestock is slaughtered and distributed to the poor [Muslims].

In Lahore, Pakistan, Sajida Arif said her father, Haji, was among the dead. "Before leaving for the hajj, he told me he had a wish to be buried in Mecca," she said.

Be careful what you wish for.


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There's a new Sharif in town: sentences man to death

Something apparently smells bad

Lahore, Pakistan -- Taimoor Raza, a 30-year-old man went too far on Facebook: he told the truth about Mohammed and for that, he has been given a death sentence by a Pakistani counter-terrorism court. 

In other words, a counter-terrorism court is going to inflict terror on a young man for saying such things as, "Mohammed was a pedophile," or "Mohammed was a terrorist." He didn't exactly say those words, but they are quite an accurate of the so-called prophet of Islam.

This is the first time someone has been sentenced to death for blaspheming on social media and it follows a high-profile crackdown against freedom of speech when it comes to the religion of peace. We can expect more of this barbarism by the Pakistani government of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

Blasphemy is a very sensitive topic in Pakistan and in other Islamic countries because Islam is intolerant of criticism due to its anemic theological scripture, which even that cannot be debated properly.

Insulting Mohammed is a capital crime, even though he was just an ordinary killer and thief. Even the accusations of blasphemy are enough to get you stoned to death or thrown off a high building.

According to Shafiq Qureshi, public prosecutor in Bahawalpur, Raza was convicted for allegedly making derogatory remarks against Mo, his many wives and companions. One of Mo's wives was 6 when he married her (he was 52) and 9 when he raped her. 

But we better not go there, after all, Pakistan is our ally.

Qureshi said Raza was arrested after playing blasphemous and hate speech material on his phone at a Bahawalpur bus stop. A counter-terrorism officer arrested him and took his phone. The material on the phone led to his conviction because even Allah, itself, couldn't delete the content.

Raza belonged to the minority Shia community and they are considered apostates by Sunnis. Naturally, they don't get along with each other, but they both don't get along with any other group, particularly Jews, Christians, atheists, gays, lesbians, Hindus and Jains, just for starters.

But at least they agree on something.

Authorities are investigating over 20 students and some faculty members in connection with the murder of Mashal Khan, a student who was beaten to death in April following a spirited dorm debate about religion.

Be careful Pakistan--there's a new Sharif in town.

In the U.S. yesterday, demonstrators against Sharia gathered in dozens of major cities. The protest was not against Muslims; it was against Sharia, or Islamic law. What you read above is why Sharia needs to stay the hell out of North America.




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Christian Woman Insults Muslim Pedophile, Scheduled for Hanging

Pakistani "courts" upheld the death sentence on Asia Bibi, age 50, for taking a drink of water from a "religion of peace" water bucket. Bibi, is a Christian; the women who attacked her are Muslim.

Initially the Muslim women said they would not drink from the same bucket as the non-Muslim, then they said that Bibi insulted their pedophiling, murderous, camel urine drinking, illiterate, slave-screwing prophet of the religion of peace. A guy named Mohammed. A guy who married a little 6 year old girl and consummated the marriage when she was old enough to have sex with the 52 year old prophet, 9 years old.

Although liberals claim Islam is a peaceful, forgiving religion, they are still searching for something, anything that Islam actually forgives.

Ms. Bibi denies having insulted their ultra-insultable prophet and claims her co-workers falsely accused her (a tactic described in the koran as 'taqiyya'). She was convicted of blasphemy in 2010 and a court in Lahore (pronounced "La Whore") upheld the verdict. She has 30 days to appeal.

Like any good crime organization, the punishment for insulting the boss of Islam is death, so Ms. Bibi is to be hanged by her neck until dead. This, however, will deprive the blood-thirsty villagers in the Punjabi province where this occurred of the joy and tension-release and burying her up to the shoulders and stoning her to death. This seems to have become a Muslim sporting event. Perhaps they could have stoned her while her 5 children looked on in order to "teach them a lesson."

Christians comprise less than 2% of Pakistan's 180 million mostly hateful people. The fact that Ms. Bibi even made it to the courtroom alive is a miracle in itself. Some of the credit should go to Pope Benedict XVI, Ted Cruz (R-Tx) and other U.S. lawmakers who called for Ms. Bibi's charges to be dismissed.

None of the credit should go to "President" Barack Hussein Obama. He did nothing, said nothing, and cares nothing about doing anything for this woman.

But then again, if Obama didn't lift a finger or his mighty pen and phone for USMC Sergeant Andrew Tahmooressi who simply made a wrong turn into Mexico, why should we expect anything more from him?

Have no doubt--Obama knows what he's doing.

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