| Submit your comments on this article |
| Arabia |
| Hajj stoning ritual to be shortened after 2015’s deadly stampede |
| 2016-08-25 |
| [ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] A stoning ritual which led to the deaths of about 2,300 people during last year’s hajj will be more tightly controlled during next month’s pilgrimage, Saudi newspapers reported on Wednesday. The period during which pilgrims can perform the Jamarat ritual will be reduced by 12 hours, the Saudi Gazette reported. The symbolic stoning of the devil will be performed as usual over three days beginning September 11 at Mina, about five kilometres (three miles) east of Mecca’s Grand Mosque, Islam’s holiest site. But this year there will be no stoning allowed from 6:00 to 10:30 am on the first day, from 2:00 to 6:00 pm on the second day and from 10:30 am to 2:00 pm on the final day, the hajj ministry said. "This procedure will enable the pilgrims to throw stones easily and will prevent any stampede that may result from overcrowding," the Saudi Gazette quoted ministry undersecretary Hussain al-Sharif as saying. He did not elaborate on how the new time restrictions would reduce the potential for overcrowding. The stampede was the worst disaster in hajj history. It occurred outside the five-storey Jamarat Bridge, a structure resembling a huge parking garage which hosts the stoning ritual and cost more than $1 billion to build. It is almost one kilometre (more than half a mile) long and allows 300,000 pilgrims an hour to carry out the ritual. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #7 :-) |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2016-08-25 11:48 |
| #6 I lit it out from Riyad I was trailed by twenty Town Didn't get to sleep last night 'Til the morning came around Set out runnin' but I take my time A friend of the devil is a friend of mine If I get home before daylight I just might throw rocks back tonight Well, I ran into the devil And he loaned me twenty bills I spent the night in Hebron In a in split-level in the hills I set out runnin' but I take my time A friend of the devil is a friend of mine If I get home before daylight Just might throw some rocks tonight When the Turbans play this the crowd rocks, I mean ROCKS! |
| Posted by: Shipman 2016-08-25 10:47 |
| #5 it seems so unfair every year a million or so throw stones at the the devil and the devil never retaliates |
| Posted by: lord garth 2016-08-25 10:29 |
| #4 stoning of the devil Perhaps they should use bongs |
| Posted by: Skidmark 2016-08-25 10:12 |
| #3 Maybe they can use slingshots instead? |
| Posted by: Raj 2016-08-25 10:04 |
| #2 Same number or more people, less time. And they think it's going to reduce the rush-and-crush? Only upside is all the dead are devoted Muslims... |
| Posted by: Rob Crawford 2016-08-25 09:36 |
| #1 "Get your Jamarat FastPassâ„¢ here!. Get alerts for your scheduled stone-throwing time!" |
| Posted by: Frank G 2016-08-25 09:22 |