The Hajj Muslims have very strong and specific values on the proper way to spend their life. They believe in an afterlife in heaven that is determined by the quality of your life on earth. A Muslim’s main goal in life is to achieve enlightenment. In order to do so one must complete the five pillars of Islam, the most infamous being the fifth pillar, the hajj. This past time originated hundreds of years ago and is still practiced today. This tradition has rarely been questioned, but all this time the Muslims might have been missing something. This raises the question, Is the Hajj the premier way to guarantee an afterlife in heaven, or are there faults in the system? The Hajj has many points of issue. These points need to be changed if we want
…show more content…
For such a highly sought after pilgrimage, there is a significant death toll. The mad rush of devoted Muslims into one confined area can be extremely dangerous, and even deadly. Sadly, tragedy struck when "...a stampede in 2006 left 363 people dead... [in addition to when] on September 11th a crane at the Grand Mosque collapsed, killing 107..." innocent people whose reason for being there was purely to worship Allah and be guaranteed paradise in heaven (World History in Context 40). The growing epidemic doesn't help a huge crowd of people traveling in caravans. So many people are crowded together in a hot, dirty environment so the common infections spread like wildfire. This has been a growing problem since the creation of the Hajj. There have been countries who have been trying to take action, specifically Saudi Arabia. They are trying to control an awful contagious virus that is known as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome. Unfortunately, controlling this disease isn’t easy. The government has set up “...25 hospitals nearby; the Red Crescent will run 69 medical centres..." that are supposed to contain the disease (World History in Context 40). To Saudi Arabia’s dismay, the actions taken have had virtually no effect on the disease spreading. Another problem that pilgrims are faced with on the hajj is the Stoning of the Devil. This tradition includes throwing 70 rocks at three pillars. This is a very dangerous situation because you have thousands of people crammed in a crowded room who angrily throw
For such a highly sought after pilgrimage, there is a significant death toll. The mad rush of devoted Muslims into one confined area can be extremely dangerous, and even deadly. Sadly, tragedy struck when "...a stampede in 2006 left 363 people dead... [in addition to when] on September 11th a crane at the Grand Mosque collapsed, killing 107..." innocent people whose reason for being there was purely to worship Allah and be guaranteed paradise in heaven (World History in Context 40). The growing epidemic doesn't help a huge crowd of people traveling in caravans. So many people are crowded together in a hot, dirty environment so the common infections spread like wildfire. This has been a growing problem since the creation of the Hajj. There have been countries who have been trying to take action, specifically Saudi Arabia. They are trying to control an awful contagious virus that is known as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome. Unfortunately, controlling this disease isn’t easy. The government has set up “...25 hospitals nearby; the Red Crescent will run 69 medical centres..." that are supposed to contain the disease (World History in Context 40). To Saudi Arabia’s dismay, the actions taken have had virtually no effect on the disease spreading. Another problem that pilgrims are faced with on the hajj is the Stoning of the Devil. This tradition includes throwing 70 rocks at three pillars. This is a very dangerous situation because you have thousands of people crammed in a crowded room who angrily throw