by B. R. GOWANI
The bodies of the pilgrims who died during a tragedy at last year’s annual Hajj are scattered amidst the crowd of pilgrims, medical staff, and rescue workers PHOTO/Daily Mail
Mythical Satan
Over 2,400 people died in Mina, Saudi Arabia, on September 24, 2015, during an Islamic ritual called the “stoning of the devil.” The ritual is part of the annual Hajj or pilgrimage (one of the five pillars of Islam), which is a must for all Muslims who can afford it, financially and physically. The ceremony involves a symbolic act in which pilgrims throw pebbles at the three walls which represents Satan. Saudi mismanagement was responsible for this avoidable tragedy. This calamity was wrongly labeled a stampede by the Saudi authorities to avoid acceptance of its own negligence. (Leo Benedictus, in a column in the Guardian newspaper, explains accurately the reason behind such disasters.)
Also, this is not the first time such an incident has happened during Hajj; there have been several deadly occurrences in the past too. The Saudi government is not answerable to anyone because most governments of Muslim countries where pilgrims come from, get some favor (oil or petrodollars) and are thus too scared to question the Saudi government on the mishandling, killing, and injuring of their citizens. The Saudi government doesn’t even release accurate statistics of fatalities, injured, and the missing.
Bangladesh was an exception when they expressed anger at the Saudis for not releasing names of Bangladeshi victims even after 17 days!
Bangladesh’s Religious Affairs Secretary Chowdhury Mohammad Babul Hassan lashed out at Saudi Arabia:
“The Saudi government hasn’t yet said anything on whether they will send back the bodies of our hajis or not.”
“The Bangladesh Hajj mission there is not allowed to collect any information without their permission.”
“The way the Saudi security officials removed the bodies from the site seemed as if they were dumping garbage.”
On the other hand, the Pakistani government, perpetually on Saudi dole, tried to suppress its news media but failed.
Real satans
For many years, I have wondered why Muslims performing Hajj in Mecca go to Mina city to perform a ritual called Stoning of the Devil to reenact the ritual performed by Abraham, according to the Muslim tradition. Why don’t they instead go to the Saudi capital Riyadh (in Riyadh Province) and throw stones, as large as they could find, at the palaces of the Saudi king and princes? If possible, behead them. And those Muslims who couldn’t afford the expenditure of Hajj could find the ruling devils in their own countries to throw stones at.
(Here is a suggestion for people of all religions interested in taking care of their ruling satans. Hindus in India can burn their Ravana(s) (or devil/s) during Diwali (Festival of Lights), as is custom to reenact the burning of Ravana by Lord Ram in the epic Ramayana. In case of the United States, where there are, perhaps, more bullets than stones, people can utilize bullets. The Jews in Israel should stick to stoning their leaders because that is the method stated most often in the Old Testament.)
Why waste time and energy on mythical Satan instead of utilizing it to get rid of the real satans ruling over us? But the power of belief leads people to do unbelievable things.
B. R. Gowani can be reached at brgowani@hotmail.com