The Hajj

It seems with the huge crowds, some people got killed. Religious' gatherings can be deadly. c.i.

In this case only men however, women are not allowed to attend.

My muslim informant tells me that elderly people go there to die.
As for women, they are certainly allowed within the peripheral crush!
Interestingly there is a quota on Iranians who are considered uncontrollable in large numbers.

fresco, Interesting info on Iranians. Thanks for that bit. c.i.

Fresco is it true that many Muslims do not think that the Saudies should have any control over the site?

And some elderly people go there to improve their political rating. For example, the President of Azerbaijan Haydar Aliyev (born in 1921). Once a KGB general, a Soviet Politburo member in '70s-'80s, he now pretends being pious. Well, his regime remains secular and non-aggressive, though.

Joanne

My informant tells me that the Saudis are under pressure from the Iranians to relinquish control of the site because of their unholy ties to Western interests and military bases. The parties to the dispute also represent the Sunni/Sheite division (though I can't remember which way round), and the quota on Iranians is partly due to their annual self-mutilation practices involving skin flaying.

Also women CAN attend.

I do not think that self-mutilation will be accepted by majority of Muslims. It is a specific Shi'ite practice in commemoration of assassination of one of their Khalifs, this rite is not recognized by the Sunni majority of the Muslims.

fresco

Your poem was lovely, especially the diction.

May I ask, fresco, what attracted your attention to hajj as an issue of your poem wbeing devoted to? Is this connected in any way to the current political situation and role of Muslims in the contemporary crisis?

That is good news fresco I toured the Saudi Embassy in D.C. several years ago and was told I that women could not go inside to view. Either I was mistaken or the rules changed whatever I am happy to hear women fully participate.

steissd

I tend towards militant atheism in as much that I believe all religions are pernicious devisive forces at the macro-level.
The Hajj epitomises the dangerous forces unleashed within crowds in general, and religious fervour in particular, especially if connected with"other worldliness". The metaphor of "bloodcells to the fray" implies the action of white cells attacking "foreign bodies" which is enacted within the Hajj by throwing stones at the " Devil"(=Bush ? Blair ? Sharon?).

As for the contemporary crisis, it is clear that the rise of Islamic fundamentalism is being met by an equivalent polarization towards simplistic solutions on the part of the West. One herd wears white, another wears khaki, and maybe another marches with placards...

Well, quite a good explanation. Thank you.

Thankyou Letty!

There were both men and women in the crowd.