Mina human crush culprits must face justice: Iran cleric
“The management of Hajj should undoubtedly change,” said Ayatollah Mohammad Ali Movahedi Kermani in an address to worshippers at weekly Friday Prayers in the Iranian capital, Tehran.
He added that the Mina tragedy has left a stain of shame on the Saudi regime which cannot be removed easily.
The Iranian cleric said the Saudi police are certainly responsible for the incident.
“Muslim countries must investigate [the incident] and a fact-finding mission must be set up and the reason behind the closure of the routes [leading to Mina] should be determined,” the Iranian cleric said.
He added that many pilgrims died due to lack of water in the scorching heat.
Ayatollah Movahedi Kermani said the tragedy showed Saudi authorities’ lack of competence and their inability to manage the rituals.
The Iranian cleric also called on the Saudi officials to consult with Muslim countries regarding the management of the pilgrimage.
The crush took place after two large masses of pilgrims converged in Mina, near the holy city of Mecca.
Saudi Arabia claims nearly 770 people were killed in the crush, but officials with Iran’s Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization say about 4,700 people, including at least 465 Iranians, lost their lives in the tragedy.
This year’s pilgrimage saw a host of incidents, with 109 people killed in the collapse of a giant crane in the Grand Mosque in Mecca on September 11, days before the Hajj ritual started. Other incidents were also reported including a fire in the tents of Egyptian pilgrims in Mina, with no official reports of casualties. Two hotel fires also were reported earlier. PressTV
