HELLO MISTERS AND LADYS
Despite the chilly weather, citizens and residents flocked to Eid grounds and mosques across the Kingdom Friday morning to offer Eid Al-Adha prayers.
At the Grand Mosque in Makkah, the prayers were led by Sheikh Osama Khayyat while Hussein Al-Asheikh led the prayers at the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah. Madinah Gov. Prince Abdul Aziz bin Majed attended the prayers at the Prophet’s Mosque.
Eid congregations were held at about 200 designated mosques and 30 Eid grounds in various parts of the capital city. Prince Sattam, acting governor of Riyadh province, offered the prayers at the city’s main congregation in Deira along with several members of the royal family, high-ranking officials and foreign diplomats.
Later at a breakfast reception, Prince Sattam received Saudi military officials, several groups of citizens and a number of residents who came to congratulate him on the occasion.
The theme of the sermons at Deira Eid Ground underlined the significance of Eid Al-Adha and the spirit of sacrifice for the cause of Allah. Addressing the congregation, the imam called on the faithful to renew their contacts with their near and dear ones in the spirit of Islamic brotherhood. The imam invoked the blessings of Allah on all Muslims, and prayed for the safety and welfare of mankind.
“This harmony, evident on the occasion of Eid, is the means of strength for the Muslim Ummah; in fact, it’s a divine gift that Muslims must make use of,” said Junaid A. Al-Otaibi, a Saudi national offering his prayers at Deira.
In Riyadh, an overnight rush for Eid purchases preceded the Eid festivities.
Some of the capital’s major shopping centers reported brisk sales boosted in part by bargain offers and lucky draws. Some supermarkets are offering cars, rings and electronic items to shoppers, who will be selected as winners during the raffle draws to be organized during the Eid holidays. Supermarkets were also stacked with all kinds of foodstuffs for Eid. The prices of goats, lamb and camels were moderate because of the adequate supply of the livestock this year.
In fact, the number of livestock imported from abroad increased by 20 percent as per the plan of the Ministry of Agriculture that sought to import a large quantity so as to push prices down to affordable level, said Jaber Al-Shehri, assistant undersecretary at the Ministry of Agriculture. Mujib bin Raza Siddiqui, a Riyadh resident, said he purchased four goats at SR470 per head
.
Pilgrims happy with free pebble pouches
Hundreds of pilgrims thronged at small cabins set up this year to distribute pouches of pebbles free among pilgrims on Thursday at Muzdalifah.
The government distributed millions of bags of sterilized pebbles to all pilgrims to felicitate them in performing the symbolic ritual of stoning the Satan at the Jamrat.
The Makkah municipality set up 37 centers for distributing the pebbles in Muzdalifah and the surrounding areas.
The idea was an instant hit with pilgrims from all over the globe as it saved time and energy they would have put to collect the 70 pebbles on their own.
“When I arrived at Muzdalifah from Arafat my first worry was to collect stones for Friday’s stoning ritual that will continue another three days. But then I heard from some fellow pilgrims that this year some small cabins set up by a Haj welfare group were distributing pebble pouches for free. I located one such cabin and collected two packs: one for myself and another for my wife. I really liked the idea,” said Egyptian Amr Al-Sulaimi.
Until last year pilgrims use to collect small stones from all over the Muzdalifah valley and some time they were exposed to unhygienic conditions while digging for stones.
With this facility we are now not worried about any such thing, said a pilgrim from United States, Ahmad Muhammad Shakir.
Earlier, speaking about the project, Muhammad Al-Amoudi, a member of a general planning committee for this year’s Haj, said: “This project targets three million pilgrims. We prepared one million bags. Each bag contained enough stones for three pilgrims, for the required three days of the stoning.”
“The idea of distributing the stones among the pilgrims has been recommended by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah. It aims to make pilgrims more comfortable and to facilitate the Haj steps,” he said.
However, some pilgrims especially from South Asia were skeptical about the idea and preferred to collect pebbles from Muzdalifah themselves.
According to Al-Amoudi, Makkah’s officials discussed this new step with scholars, the grand mufti and other experts, who all confirmed that it falls in line with Islamic teachings.
“This will ensure the pilgrims comfort and safety because clean and sterilized stones will help to contain the spread of infectious diseases,” added Al-Amoudi.
The project includes several steps, said Al-Amoudi.
“First we will bring a large quantity of stones to Muzdalifah. Then we will wash them, sterilize them seven times and then place them out in the sun to dry. After finishing this process, we will check the stones again and remove any unacceptable ones. We will then place them in bags and distribute them to pilgrims,” he added.
Peaceful stoning at Jamrat Bridge
Over 2.5 million pilgrims stoned the Jamrat on the first day of the three-day ritual here on Friday.The pilgrims performed the stoning — considered a potentially dangerous Haj ritual — at the Jamrat Bridge with ease thanks to massive SR4.6-billion multistory structure built to reduce overcrowding.
“Everything went according to plan and there was no untoward incident at the Jamrat,” said a security official.
Chanting “Allah-o-Akbar” the faithful enthusiastically stoned the Jamrat Al-Aqaba in Mina. The flow of pilgrims started early Friday morning and continued till late in the evening.
“We are thankful to Almighty Allah that the first day passed off smoothly and our security forces ensured that there is no crowding at any point at Jamrat Bridge,” said Khalid Al-Zahrani, a National Guard official keeping vigil at the bridge.
“The arrangements were excellent and great care was taken to avoid the massing of pilgrims on the Jamrat Bridge, which has been a scene of tragedy on numerous occasions in the past,” said Mehbooba Mufti, a leading politician from Indian Kashmir.
A large security force monitored worshippers heading for the stoning after slaughtering sheep in a ritual for Eid Al-Adha (Feast of the Sacrifice) that recalls Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son on God’s order.
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah appreciated the services offered by various security wings for the pilgrims. He was addressing the princes, scholars, guests from the Gulf Cooperation Council Countries, Cabinet ministers and commanders of various security forces at a reception in the royal court in Mina.
Commending the sacrifices of the security forces, the king said: “The deep sense of pride I and your people feel about you does not come from void because you are the shield of the country after Almighty Allah and you have been striving to raise the country’s banner against the enemies who were deceived by their own evil motivations.”
“Self-defenders do not have many options — an honorable victory or martyrdom,” the king stressed.
In his speech, the king issued a warning to those who harbor evil designs against the country, “Those who think that the sovereignty and security of the country could be a facile target for enemies with sickly notions will realize that they are under an illusion. Those who committed injustice will know that they will be paid in kind. Just as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia does not approve injustice to others, it also will not allow any one to defile even an inch of its land.”
Interior Ministry Gen. Mansour Al-Turki told a press conference in Mina Friday night that there had been no incident involving extremists or miscreants.
“No one was arrested,” he said when asked about concerns regarding the possibility of protests by Iranian pilgrims.
He said that nothing happened to mar the smooth pilgrimage and added that except for some violations concerning residence regulations, there were no security lapses. The spokesman admitted that pilgrims had to face some difficulties while going to Arafat.
“The pilgrims were able to go to Arafat and come down to Muzdalifah according to plans,” he said.
Una estampida deja 345 muertos y 289 heridos cerca de La Meca
Imprevista detención hizo tropezar a todos los que estaban detrás
Una estampida humana en un puente abarrotado de peregrinos musulmanes en las cercanías de La
Meca se cobró ayer la vida de 345 personas de diversas nacionalidades y dejó además 289 heridos.
Según el ministro saudí de Sanidad, Hamid ben Abdallah al Manei, la razón de la estampida fue el intento de recuperar sus equipajes, caídos al suelo, por parte de numerosos peregrinos que, desoyendo la prohibición, se acercaban cargados para cumplir con el ritual conocido como "la lapidación de las tres columnas de Satán".
Tres columnas
Eran las 12.45 en La Meca, justo tras la plegaria del mediodía, y la mayoría de los dos millones y medio de peregrinos que abarrotaban el lugar pretendían cumplir entre el mediodía y el ocaso del sol -como manda la tradición- con el apedreamiento de los tres "Yamarat", las tres columnas que representan a Satán.
A la entrada del puente que las autoridades saudíes habilitaron hace años para doblar la superficie desde la que se puede apedrear las tres columnas, creando así dos pisos, se produjo una gran aglomeración.
Algunos equipajes cayeron al suelo -según los testigos y las autoridades saudíes- y los peregrinos, al detener su marcha para recogerlos, hicieron tropezarse a los que venían detrás, y estos a los siguientes, convirtiendo el puente en una trampa mortal.
El ritual del apedreamiento de las columnas consiste en que los peregrinos, en momentos muy señalados -y ayer era uno de ellos- tienen que acercarse y lanzar siete guijarros del tamaño de un garbanzo a cada una de las columnas, en imitación a lo que Abraham hizo cuando el Diablo quiso tentarle tres veces para que no obedeciera a Dios, que le ordenaba matar a su hijo.
Las autoridades saudíes repiten sin cesar por la megafonía en los idiomas más frecuentes entre los peregrinos -árabe, turco, persa o urdu- que no deben acercarse con los equipajes para no molestar al prójimo y que deben abandonar el lugar en cuanto hayan terminado de apedrear al Diablo.
Sin embargo, los numerosos peregrinos ilegales, que acampan de forma irregular en la vía pública y ayer han molestado a las ambulancias que debían llegar al lugar, se trasladan de un lado para otro con su equipaje a la espalda por miedo a extraviarlo.
Seguían subiendo
Mientras los equipos de rescate contaban cadáveres, cientos de miles de peregrinos, ajenos a lo sucedido, seguían subiendo el puente con sus bultos al hombro y las piedrecillas en la mano, resueltos a cumplir con el rito.
Incluso algunos heridos en el hospital, que habían perdido todo contacto con sus compañeros en el accidente, no habían perdido sin embargo la bolsita de guijarros con la esperanza de apedrear a Satán cuando salgan.
Desde París, el ministro francés de Exteriores, Philippe Douste-Blazy, expresó sus condolencias a las familias de las víctimas de la tragedia de La Meca y su "simpatía" a las autoridades saudíes, y señaló que por el momento no tiene conocimiento de víctimas galas.
UN ABSOLUTO CAOS
El ritual del apedreamiento es un absoluto caos.
Miles de peregrinos entran hacia las columnas por el mismo sitio por donde otros salen.
Todos se chocan entre sí.
Se agarran con fuerza unos a otros para no perderse entre la muchedumbre, formando grupos compactos que arrollan a quien se ponga por delante.
En el hospital de La Meca han sido agrupadas las víctimas.
Rescate entre los cadáveres
"Yo sólo sé que me caían los muertos encima y tenía las piernas agarrotadas; no paraba de gritar y nadie me oía, hasta que vino un soldado y me sacó de aquel montón de cadáveres", relató el peregrino paquistaní Esham Chan Ali, que mostraba su cuerpo lleno de magulladuras. A su lado, camiones frigoríficos cargaban sin cesar cadáveres cubiertos con sábanas blancas.
Otros camiones se encargaban de recoger los cientos de equipajes perdidos, entre los que había una silla de ruedas con los ejes torcidos, seguramente destrozada en la estampida. A juzgar por las nacionalidades de los heridos que los periodistas pudieron visitar en el hospital más cercano, entre los muertos puede haber pakistaníes, indios, argelinos, egipcios, turcos, sudaneses y palestinos, pero no hay todavía ninguna confirmación oficial al respecto.
En el año 2004, otro accidente en el mismo lugar causó la muerte de otros 244 peregrinos, en este caso porque el puente no resistió el peso de la multitud.
DESDE ARABIA SAUDI,PARA EL MUNDO.
GENTLEMEN, TRULY THIS IS FAITH, BELIEF AND YOU PRACTICE OF THE RELIGION
MI ENORABUENA TO ALL THE MUSLIMS OF THE WORLD.
CRISTIANS SHOULD LEARN UN LITTLE OF THEM, TO PRACTICE OUR OUR FAITH SENTENCES
NO NOS MAMEN MAS GALLO
GUERRILLERO VALENCIANO
Entradas
No hay comentarios:
Publicar un comentario