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Millions take part in the Hajj pilgrimage
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MECCA, Saudi Arabia -- A stampede on the third day of the Hajj in Saudi
Arabia has killed 35 Muslim pilgrims, a civil defence chief has said. The deaths occurred during the ritual of the symbolic stoning of Satan
that was performed by more than two million Muslims on a desert plain at
Mina outside Mecca early on Monday. The official Saudi Press Agency quoted Brigadier General Saad bin Abdullah
al-Tuwaijer as saying that 23 women and 12 men of various nationalities were
crushed to death as a huge crowd rushed toward one of three giant pillars
representing the devil. The stampede followed severe pushing and shoving at a bridge, where pilgrims
perform the ritual stoning aimed at three pillars. The stoning has to be
achieved before dusk.  | AUDIO | 
Journalist Ribea Williams: It makes you try a bit harder as a person
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Ahmad Saifuddin, Islamic Scholar: stoning ritual turns to tragedy
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An unspecified number of other pilgrims were slightly injured in the crush on the first day of the three-day ritual.
Siraj Wahab, a journalist at the scene, told CNN said he had seen at least five bodies being carried away.
Tuwaijer was quoted as saying: "At 8.12 a.m. (1100 GMT) this morning...most
pilgrims who had arrived in Mina early flocked to Jamarat in huge numbers.
"As a result of pushing at the stoning point, several pilgrims, most
of whom were elderly, fell to the ground, resulting in the death of 35 persons...as
a result of suffocation and stampede."
He said security officials intervened and took control of the situation.
Ahmad Saifuddin, an Islamic scholar told CNN that the injuries were not thought to be serious.
He said groups are supposed to be guided to the site, but that it appeared that some had made their own way to the site.
"There needs to be an awareness by individuals" of the rules, he said.
Saifuddin said that if people had "acted more smoothly" in his view, there "would not have been so many deaths or injuries."
It was the first fatal incident at the Hajj since 1998, when at least
118 pilgrims died and more than 180 were injured in a stampede on the third
day of the stoning ritual at Mina. During the ritual, wave after wave of pilgrims in white robes cast seven
pea-size pebbles at the three pillars that symbolise the devil.
The pillars are at the centre of giant ramps built to accommodate the huge crowds of pilgrims.
'Sea of white robes'
Streets along the three-mile route were a sea of white robes. Many pilgrims walked,
others crowded inside and on top of cars, buses and trucks as helicopters hovered overhead and police directed traffic.
CNN's Riz Khan said the Saudi Arabian authorities have introduced numerous
safety measure to combat the larger numbers of pilgrims attending the annual
Hajj, such as fire-proof tents and water sprinklers in the desert. But the existence of two-and-a-half million pilgrims concentrated in
such a small area creates a "physically stressful" environment, he said. Muslims across the world on Monday celebrate Eid al-Adha, one of Islam's
most important holy days, which marks the prophet Abraham's willingness to
sacrifice his son for God. Muslim tradition says it was the site of the pillars where the devil
tried to tempt Abraham to disobey God by refusing to sacrifice his son. This
account is common to Islam, Christianity and Judaism. According to tradition, at the last minute God instructed Abraham to
sacrifice a ram instead, and Muslims around the world now follow suit, sacrificing
camels and cattle to mark Eid al-Adha, or the feast of sacrifice. Once they complete the stoning ritual, pilgrims shave or cut their hair
and then slaughter more than a half-million camels, cows and sheep near this
tent city that only comes to life during the Hajj. For pilgrims in Saudi Arabia this year, most of the animals will be sacrificed
at a large slaughterhouse in Mecca that was built at a cost of about $125
million. Pilgrims can go to slaughterhouses to buy and slaughter animals themselves
or they can pay a bank or company to do it on their behalf. Meat is sent
to the needy in 27 countries. The Hajj peaked on Sunday with prayers on Mount Arafat, a hill outside
the holy city of Mecca where the Prophet Mohammed delivered his last sermon
in 632. Due to the sheer size of the crowds, the Hajj has frequently been marred
by tragedies. But the two past years have been trouble-free, mainly due to
improvements in facilities and roads. | 
