Monday, 10 March 2025

HAJJ TRAGEDY 2015 - MARK GLENN INTERFAITH CRESCENT & CROSS - THE UGLY TRUTH - Daniel Patrick Welch

STAGED HAJJ TRAGEDY 2015

Mark Glenn: Mina Tragedy “Deliberate” Act

Mark Glenn: Mina Tragedy “Deliberate” Act

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

US Analyst: No Excuse for Hajj Tragedy

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.

Tuesday, 25 February 2025

WALTHAMFOREST PALESTINE SOLIDARITY CAMPAIGN TO FREE PALESTINE

 

 

Thursday, 13 December 2018

Stop adoption of IHRA antisemitism definition by our Council


Please publicise widely: share, like, Tweet

Tonight Waltham Forest Council will vote on whether to incorporate the controversial International Holocaust Memorial Alliance definition of antisemitism into the Code of Conduct for the Councillors and staff.

• Rather than to combat racism, the definition is tailored specifically to silence criticism of Israel.
• It potentially criminalises non-violent and anti-racist activity in support of human rights and international law.
• It severely restricts the right of Palestinians to speak up and to describe and define their own oppression.
• It could potentially leave the Council in breach of the 1998 Human Rights Act and of the European Convention on Human Rights.
• This has apparently been discussed with no consultation with the unions involved, whose members face potential dismissal for falling foul of a problematic document that they have not even signed up to.

Hopefully, Councillors will find the courage to do the right thing and reject the proposed amendment to the Council’s Code of Conduct, and we encourage everyone to urge their councillor to do so.
Tonight at 6.30 WFPSC, together with a number of Jewish organisations and trade unions, will lobby WFC outside Walthamstow Town Hall, against adopting IHRA definition and at 7.30 we will attend the Council meeting where several activists will speak against it.

Some of the reasons for rejecting IHRA definition are given below:

• The text of ‘definition’ is so vague that it fails to define antisemitism and antisemitic acts and behaviours.
• Majority of the ‘working examples’ accompanying the ‘definition’ equate between criticism of policies of the state of Israel and antisemitic hatred.
• The definition conflicts with the freedom of speech, which is a basic right in democratic societies.
• By focusing on obstructing discussion and activism regarding Israel-Palestine conflict, IHRA definition diverts attention from the real threat of violent antisemitic racism coming from the far right.
• The IHRA document has been criticised by many leading lawyers and by authorities on antisemitism who described it as ‘so flawed it should be abandoned’, ‘bewilderingly imprecise’ and even dangerous.
• More than 40 Jewish organisations find IHRA definition unacceptable.
• By adopting it, WFC would fail to make the connection between the struggle against antisemitism and other sorts of prejudice.
• Adopting and implementing the IHRA definition would have significant negative implications for Waltham Forest councillors, employees, and for all residents of, or visitors, to the borough which the Council fails to recognise.
 

Friday, 11 May 2018

Join us at the stall tomorrow 11.30-2pm outside Matalan



We will be in Leytonstone, outside Matalan tomorrow with our stall.

Please, pop over between 11.30 - 14.00 to see our latest publicity materials about 70 Years of Palestinian Nakba (Catastrophe), Gaza siege, inhuman conditions and violence suffered by its population, about Great Return March and the weekly carnage inflicted on the unarmed Gazan demonstrators by the Israeli snipers, about BDS, child prisoners and more.

See you there.

Thursday, 10 May 2018

Important dates for your diary


On this coming Saturday, 12 May, between 12.00-14.00, we will be outside Matalan in Leytonstone with our stall.

Please, pop over to see our latest publicity materials about 70 Years of Palestinian Nakba (Catastrophe), Gaza siege and inhuman conditions and violence suffered by its population, about Great Return March and the weekly carnage inflicted on the unarmed Gazan demonstrators by the Israeli snipers, about BDS, child prisoners and more.


 


 
On 15 May, with a number of Waltham Forest human rights and faith organisations, trade unions and political parties, we will come together to remember and show our solidarity with the Palestinian people on the 70th anniversary of their dispossession. There will be speachess and leaflets to pick up and we hope to have Palestinian music too. Join us and show that you care about this longest injustice in the modern time.




Saturday, 5 May 2018

Its AGM time again



Our 2018 AGM will take place on Wednesday 9 May starting at 19.30 in Hornbeam Centre Café, 458 Hoe St, Walthamstow, E17 9AH.

If you are interested in our Palestine solidarity work and wish to get involved, you are most welcome to join us at the AGM.

Please confirm your attendance by email on wfpsc@yahoo.com and we will send you the Agenda and relevant reports.

Hope to see you there,

Free Palestine and don't forget to boycott Israel
 


Friday, 27 April 2018

HSBC Walthamstow protest, 26 April '18

HSBC Stop Arming Israel!

The pictures are from our protest yesterday, 26 April ’18, outside Walthamstow branch of the HSBC Bank.
 

WFPSC is working on raising awareness in our local area and mobilising support to put pressure on HSBC to abandon its involvement in financing military industry and to stop arming Israel, which uses its military might to maintain five decades long illegal and violent occupation of Palestine.

Protests against the HSBC are UK-wide with this bank is targeted for holding shares and providing loans to military and technology companies arming Israel. For example, the HSBC Bank holds £3.64m worth of shares of Israeli arms producer Elbit Systems, which markets it’s his deadly wares as ‘field-tested’ on Palestinians.
We leafleted and sang outside the HSBC asking HSBC customers to demand from the HSBC to stop its complicity and support for the Israeli war machine.

Saturday, 14 April 2018

Our Palestine stall outside Matalan in E11, 14 April '18


See the photos from our successful stall today outside Matalan in the Leytonstone High Street.

The weather was great, with lots of people in the street and quite a few of them chose to examine our stall and talk about Palestine and our activities.

The traffic on the High street was heavy and we had drivers honking in support and even stopping to give us a donation.

We have numerous offers of support and solidarity and expressions of interest in volunteering with us.




We need to join forces as people within the Palestine Solidarity movement. Please consider joining as a member https://www.palestinecampaign.org/

Decades long illegal occupation of Palestine by Israel, is becoming more brutal by the day.

Unarmed people of Gaza have been mowed down in their hundreds by Israel, one of the most heavily armed countries in the world and residents of the West Bank are executed daily in their towns and villages.

Land grab for the illegal Israeli settlements is gaining pace and Trump continues with the colonialist behaviour of the only world empire, by presenting Israel with the gift of Jerusalem, illegally occupied since 1967.

While all this is happening, there is little reporting and reactions by the, otherwise trigger happy, UK Government are muted if not non-existent.

In fact, to a a great extent, the Israeli occupation is only made possible by the Western support, including in the most devastating modern weapons available.

Our next stall is on Saturday 28 April 11.30 -14.00. Please pencil the date in if you want to visit us and we will confirm the location nearer to the date.

Show that Palestinian lives matter to you.

Justice for Palestine!
 
  
 
  

 

 

Monday, 19 March 2018

WFPSC protests outside Walthamstow HSBC Bank, 17 March’18


Please see the video of our singing protest outside Walthamstow HSBC against Bank's involvement in financing Israel's military.


Friday, 16 March 2018

Singing for Palestine: HSBC protest, 17March'18

Waltham Forest Palestine Solidarity Campaign (WFPSC)

Singing for Palestine


Join us and demand that HSBC stops financing Israel’s arms industry

Tomorrow, Saturday 17 March ‘18
11.00-13.00

Meet outside HSBC Bank’s Walthamstow branch, 192 Hoe Street, E17 4QN

See you there!




I HEAR MUSIC
(adapted from “Crater Boys” 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjvjsqN9x6U)

1st CHORUS
I hear music, I hear music
Whoaoa-oah FREE PALESTINE
I hear music, I hear music
Whoaoa-oah FREE PALESTINE
Israel’s arms-and-tanks
Are paid from BRI-TISH banks
Of the HSBC, the HSBC, of the H—S-B-C kind. (SHAME on---H-S-B-C!)

I hear music, I hear music
Whoa-oah FREE PALESTINE
VERSE (solo)
Mr Settler Man, why do you steal our land?
Why don’t you get back, get back, get back from Pale-stine!
You steal our nation, with your occupation
Though it’s ours, it’s ours, it’s ours, ours, it’s ours
Not your promised land
2st CHORUS
I hear music, I hear music
Whoaoa-oah FREE PALESTINE
Israel’s arms-and-tanks
Are paid from BRI-TISH banks
Of the HSBC, the HSBC, of the H—S-B-C kind. (SHAME on---H-S-B-C!)
I hear music, I hear music
Whoa-oah FREE PALESTINE

VERSE (solo)
You steal our water
Arrest our daughter (FREE AHED NOW!!)
We’ll make you get back, get back, get back from Pale-stine
With your Wall and fencing, for your ethnic cleansing
You want to drive us out, just to drive us out
From our promised land.
3st CHORUS
I hear music, I hear music
Whoaoa-oah FREE PALESTINE
Israel’s arms-and-tanks
Are paid from BRI-TISH banks
Of the HSBC, the HSBC, of the H—S-B-C kind. (SHAME on---H-S-B-C!)
I hear music, I hear music
Whoa-oah FREE PALESTINE
SOLO
VERSE (everybody)
Just like birds of a feather, we got to stick together
And spread our love, our love and justice for Palestine
Repeat: And spread our love, our love and justice for Pale-stine
Whooa, FREE PALESTINE
Whoa, shame on H-SBC
Whoa, FREE PALESTINE


Whoaaaaaa, SHAME on H-SBC

END

You can find more about HSBC Bank's involvement in financing Israel's military here
https://www.palestinecampaign.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/HSBC-ActionCards-Online.pdf



Friday, 19 May 2017

Pictures from our vigil last night in Walthamstow

Balfour Declaration centenary - 69 years of Israel's illegal and brutal occupation of Palestine - 1500 Palestinian prisoners on hunger strike for over a month.


Time to acknowledge, apologise and act!



Join us and work with us on achieving justice and human rights for the Palestinians.

 
 
 

Thursday, 18 May 2017

Join WFPSC vigil tonight 6.30 in Walthamstow Town Square


Tonight we will remember:
- 100 years of the fateful Balfour Declaration which promised Palestinian land to the Zionist movement.


- 69 years of the Nakba (Catastrophe) when up to 750,000 Palestinians were forcibly expelled from their homes during the creation of the state of Israel.

- 1500 palestinian political prisoners in Israeli jails on hunger strike for more that 30 days demanding their rights and protesting against mistreatment, occupation and dispossession of Palestinian people.
Show your solidarity!



Find out more on
https://www.palestinecampaign.org/campaigns/balfour2nakba/
https://www.palestinecampaign.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/Nakba-Factsheet-2017.pdf
https://www.palestinecampaign.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/Palestinian-Prisoners-PSC-Factsheet-0517.pdf
https://www.palestinecampaign.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/hunger-strikers-leaflet-A4.pdf

Friday, 12 May 2017

Visit our Palestine Solidarity stall in Walthamstow



Tomorrow, Saturday 13 May ’17, we will devote our stall to Balfour Declaration and 69 anniversary of dispossession of the Palestinians.


We now have new Palestine Solidarity Campaign info materials on the Balfour Declaration and British involvement in Palestine, which we will be handing out.


History cannot be unlived but injustices have to be acknowledged and apologies made.

This year marks a centenary of British Foreign Minster Arthur Balfour’s promise of a homeland for the Jewish people in Palestine, which materialised on 15 May 1948 depriving Palestinians of their homeland.

Palestinians called this a Nakba, (Catastrophe) which resulted in the mass ethnic cleansing, violence and decades of occupation of Palestinian people.




Come and have a chat about these important issues which impact on the world we live in to this day.

Demand justice and equal rights for Palestinians

See you there.


Friday, 21 April 2017

Palestine stall on Saturday 22nd April in E10


You will find us with our Palestine stall near the Leyton tube in the shopping area between the TK Max and the Poundland, tomorrow, Saturday the 22nd April.

Come between 11.30 -14.00 for a chat, to pick up your leaflets and stock up on Palestinian produce.


Looking forward to see you there!