February 01, 2004

Hundreds hurt during sacrifices

A TOTAL of 988 people have reportedly been treated across Turkey for cuts and fractures they suffered while trying to slaughter sheep and cows to mark the major Islamic holiday of Eid al-Adha.

At least they were only injured, because look what happened to their Muslim brothers and sisters in Mecca who were trying to stone the "Devil," a pillar with USA written on it:

Stampede Kills 244 at Hajj Pilgrimage

At least 244 people were trampled to death and hundreds more hurt Sunday under the crush of worshippers in one of the deadliest disasters during the annual Muslim pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia.

The stampede occurred during the stoning of the devil, an emotional and notoriously perilous hajj ritual. Pilgrims frantically throw rocks, shout insults or hurl their shoes at three stone pillars - acts that are supposed to demonstrate their deep disdain for Satan.
[...]
The same area was the scene of similar deadly incidents in 1998, 2001 and last year.
[...]
Most of the dead Sunday were pilgrims from inside the Saudi kingdom who may not have been authorized to participate, Madani said. It was unclear how many foreign pilgrims died, but Egypt's Middle East News Agency reported that 13 Egyptians were among the dead.

Madani also said 272 pilgrims had died of natural causes during the hajj. Many participants are elderly, and Muslims believe that if a person dies while performing the pilgrimage they will go directly to heaven.

About 2 million Muslims are participating in this year's pilgrimage. To control the crowd, Saudi authorities set quotas for pilgrims from each country, and also require its citizens and residents to register upon arrival.
[...]
Calling America "the greatest Satan," Egyptian pilgrim Youssef Omar threw pebbles at one pillar on which someone had scrawled "USA."

The fact that that they have these crowd-related deaths year after year at the hajj indicates that the Saudis do very little to prevent it from happening.
They, with their inadequate facilities, plus the Islamic clerics themselves are to blame for encouring the Mecca pilgrims to keep indulging in this primitive ritual when the crowds are so huge and the people are worked up into a religious and emotional frenzy.
Charles Johnson makes a good case that this amounts to a literal sanction of human sacrifice, making Muslims the contemparary equivalent of the Aztecs.
Then, there were these "celebrations" of Eid in Iraq:
At Least 56 Dead in Iraq Suicide Bombings

Two suicide bombers with explosives wired to their bodies struck the offices of the country's two main Kurdish parties in nearly simultaneous attacks Sunday, killing at least 56 people and wounding more than 235 in the deadliest assault in Iraq in six months.

The attacks struck in the Kurdish heartland and took a heavy toll among senior leaders of Iraq's most pro-American ethnic group.
[...]
The Irbil attackers slipped into the offices of the Kurdistan Democratic Party and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan along with hundreds of well-wishers gathering for the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, or the Feast of Sacrifice.

Kurdish television said both bombers were dressed as Muslim clerics.
[...]
Guards said they did not search people because of the tradition of receiving guests during the holiday. Neither party's top leader - Jalal Talabani of the PUK and Massoud Barzani of the KDP - was in Irbil when the attacks occurred.

Although Iraq has suffered numerous suicide bombings in recent months, the attack Sunday marked the first time perpetrators have worn explosives rather than using vehicles.

U.S. officials said foreign militants or Ansar al-Islam, an al-Qaida-linked Islamic militant group based in the north that has frequently clashed with the Kurds, may have carried out the attacks. There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

"We have no proof at this point (about who is responsible). It could be Ansar al-Islam. It could be al-Qaida. It could be any of a number of foreign terrorist groups operating in Iraq," said U.S. Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt, coalition deputy chief of staff for operations.

Interesting that the jihadis would use the "Palestinian" method of the homicide bomber with explosives attached to the body, although this is definitely not the first time the PA's name has come up in Iraq by a long shot.
Who knows who was behind it... Saddam's Baathists? Assad of Syria's Baathists?
Ansar al-Islam would be the Iranian Shi'ites.
Then there's homegrown Sunnis.
And bringing up the rear, the Turks, who hate the Kurds.
Don't forget the ubiquitous Al Queda.
Any or all of these terror groups could be the responsible murderers.

The bottom line on all 3 stories about Eid today? If you were a Muslim, it was your day to die, at least it was for 550 people.
What a tragedy.
The Muslims keep trying to convince us that they're the religion of peace, but the impression they make is that they're still a religion of death and destruction.