STAGED HAJJ TRAGEDY 2015
Mark Glenn: Mina Tragedy “Deliberate” Act
- October, 04, 2015 - 10:45
- Society/Culture news
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – An American political analyst believes that the recent crush outside the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, happened by design, stressing that the Saudi regime let thousands of pilgrims die to portray Islam as a violent religion.
“I think there is circumstantial evidence that can support the theory that this was deliberate. We are told that the stampede was the result of a decision that was made to close off certain routes for the pilgrims, thus creating a situation where large numbers of people are squeezed together in a small space. At that point, all that would be needed would be something to precipitate a panic of some sort, and voila’, a stampede with large numbers of deaths and a made-for-television tragedy that can be used to further paint Muslims and their religion as a wild, uncontrollable, dangerous force on the world, thus justifying whatever violent methods entities such as the West and Israel are using in dealing with it,” Mark Gelnn, from Idaho, told the Tasnim News Agency in an exclusive interview.
Mark Glenn is a writer and co-founder of the Crescent and Cross Solidarity Movement, an interfaith forum dedicated to uniting Muslims and Christians against Zionists. He has his own blog The Ugly Truth.
The following is the full text of the interview:
Q: During the past few days, many countries and Islamic figures and organizations criticized Saudi Arabia for its incompetency and imprudence in organizing the big event as this is not the first time such a tragedy has happened. How do you think such a great annual event should be managed then? Do not you think that there should be a council of several Muslim countries instead of only Saudi Arabia because Mecca is not only the heritage of Saudi Arabia but also of the entire Muslim world? What is your general view about this tragic event?
A: Of course, on its face the most rational and fair thing to do would be the sharing of the responsibilities associated with providing security. As important as the Hajj is to believers, and given the high numbers that turn out every year for it, the most sensible thing would be for all Islamic nations to contribute something towards the safety of the pilgrims attending it.
However, what we must remember of course is that this is not a ‘normal’ situation. We are talking about Saudi Arabia, home to the most corrupt Islamic regime in existence. This is the place where the money, training and logistics for groups such as ISIS (ISIL) and others originates. This is the same entity that is very comfortably in bed with nations such as the United States and Israel and assists these two entities in slaughtering and oppressing fellow Muslims in Syria, Libya, Gaza and elsewhere. This is the entity that has ruthlessly murdered thousands of innocent men, women and children in Yemen and keeps those who have not been killed in a state of desperation and want. Why, therefore, should anyone be surprised when several thousand people lose their lives following a stampede during the Hajj, that was the result of (what appears to be) Saudi incompetence, mismanagement, contempt and arrogance?
There is another darker possibility however that must be considered, and one that unfortunately these days, given what are political realities, cannot be summarily dismissed, which is that the tragedy was planned to take place.
Keep in mind that Islamophobia is the intellectual gasoline powering the engine of war, imperialism, and conquest on the part of Israel, the United States and the West throughout the Islamic world. It is images and ideas about Islam--some real and some contrived--forming a picture in the minds of westerners (from which the bulk of military power emanates) that act as the lubricants greasing the wheels of the war machine against countries such as Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Iraq, Palestine, and, if Netanyahu gets his way, Iran.
I find it very interesting that this stampede took place at exactly the same time as waves of Muslim immigrants fleeing conflicts around the world are arriving on the shores of Europe, a situation that in itself could be characterized as a stampede. And so, even though in the mind of the average Westerner the two appear to be different, in the sense that one is political and the other is religious, at the same time the two also reinforce each other in creating a picture of an uncontrollable horde of people who create havoc wherever they go.
Now, do I have any concrete evidence that this is what took place? I think there is circumstantial evidence that can support the theory that this was deliberate. We are told that the stampede was the result of a decision that was made to close off certain routes for the pilgrims, thus creating a situation where large numbers of people are squeezed together in a small space. At that point, all that would be needed would be something to precipitate a panic of some sort, and voila’, a stampede with large numbers of deaths and a made-for-television tragedy that can be used to further paint Muslims and their religion as a wild, uncontrollable, dangerous force on the world, thus justifying whatever violent methods entities such as the West and Israel are using in dealing with it.
The next question that must be asked is whether or not Saudi Arabia--again, the same entity that has contributed to so much Muslim suffering and oppression at the behest of the United States and Israel--would be willing to do such a thing, and I think it is a question that has already answered itself.
I distinctly remember in the aftermath of the terrible tsunami that hit off the coast of Malaysia in December of 2004 hearing commentary from Christian leaders and those under their sway that this was a ‘sign from God’ and a ‘punishment’ because the people who perished were Muslims, and that this was a warning that if Christian countries allow Muslims to live in their midst that they risk the wrath of God in the same way. Do I anticipate that similar ‘theories’ will be heard in the Christian churches of America concerning what took place this week a the Hajj? Definitely. The Christian churches in America are owned almost entirely by Israel and work to further Israel’s interests and will not waste an opportunity to propagandize their followers in the wake of this terrible tragedy, using all the black magic they are capable of conjuring up that will further intoxicate the minds of Americans who represent the hired guns of Zionist aggression around the world.
US Analyst: No Excuse for Hajj Tragedy
- September, 30, 2015 - 10:25
- Society/Culture news
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – An American political analyst has denounced Saudi Arabia’s lack of commitment to handling of this year’s Hajj pilgrimage as the main cause of catastrophic incident in Mina, near Mecca, stressing that “there is no excuse” for such a tragedy.
“Accidents happen, of course, but this is recurring event going back centuries, and managing it to avoid such mishaps should be the highest priority for the country hosting it. KSA is an extremely wealthy country, and Hajj is big business for them. To the extent that the crane failure or other incidents stem from any lack of commitment in resources, training or attention to detail, there is no excuse,” Daniel Patrick Welch, from Boston, said in an interview with the Tasnim News Agency.
Daniel Patrick Welch (Donal Pádraig Breatnach) is a writer of political commentary and analysis. An outspoken critic of US foreign policy, he lives in the city of Salem with his wife Julia. Together they run The Greenhouse School (http://www.greenhouseschool.org). He has traveled widely, speaks five languages and studied Russian History and Literature at Harvard University.
Welch has also appeared as a guest on several TV and radio channels to speak on various topics.
The following is the full text of the interview.
Q: During the past days, many countries and Islamic figures and organizations have criticized Saudi Arabia for its incompetency and imprudence in organizing the big event as this is not the first time such a tragedy has happened. How do you think such a great annual event should be managed then? Do not you think that there should be a council of several Muslim countries instead of only Saudi Arabia because Mecca is not only the heritage of Saudi Arabia but also of the entire Muslim world?
A: The disaster has understandably raised concerns from Muslims around the world, and reignited the debate over whether there should be some sort of joint control over such an important event and sites as the Hajj and Medina and Mecca. While the sites are under sovereign control of KSA (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia), the Hajj is a sacred duty for the entire global Muslim community. This might be especially helpful in the interest of minimizing any alienation and conflict between Sunni and Shiite communities, which of course both have an equal duty to perform Hajj. A secular diplomatic analogy might be the case of the UN being situated in New York City, under the control of the United States, which can manipulate and use visa restrictions to harass governments which it regards as hostile. Borders and national sovereignty should not serve to give one group disproportionate control over sites or systems in which an entire global community has an interest.
Q: Do you believe that Saudi Arabia is no
longer able to manage and provide safety and security for a crowd of two
million Muslim pilgrims in an event that the circumstances are
well-known beforehand?
A: While it is easy to take pot shots at those in control over what could be simply a horrible accident, the presumption in your question is correct: Accidents happen, of course, but this is recurring event going back centuries, and managing it to avoid such mishaps should be the highest priority for the country hosting it. KSA is an extremely wealthy country, and Hajj is big business for them. To the extent that the crane failure or other incidents stem from any lack of commitment in resources, training or attention to detail, there is no excuse.
Q: According to reports, the caretaking staff appointed by the Saudi government to be in charge of this year’s Hajj are not properly trained and lack essential skills to run the big event. Do not you think that this failure is mainly because the Saudi government is using its experienced and well-trained forces in wars with its neighboring countries?
A: This is obviously speculative, so it is impossible to know for sure. But it does beg the larger question raised above over commitment of resources. Again, KSA is a wealthy kingdom, and has all the resources necessary if properly applied, so if this is not happening it is fair to look at where those resources are being used. Once again using the analogy to the US, attention is often drawn to the vast sums being spent on the war budget and foreign military campaigns as domestic infrastructure is untended and crumbling into dust. These questions will also receive more attention as KSA moves into the spotlight by assuming leadership of the UN Human Rights Council, which many have criticized given its own egregious human rights record.
It (Saudi Arabia) is also involved not only in the illegal war on Yemen, but implicated in the death squad proxy wars in Libya, Syria and a host of other countries on behalf of and in conjunction with the US, along with other [P]GCC states, Turkey, Jordan and so on. Specifically relating to Hajj, these activities have actually led many Muslims to call for a boycott of Hajj. I doubt this is something that will happen any time soon--but adherents point out that while Hajj is a duty for all Muslims at some point in life, there is no pressing need for it to be done, for example, this year. So the rising questions surrounding the pilgrimage are something the Saudis would be wise to take seriously.
