Value of Human Life 

The tragedy that struck Mina, near the Islamic holy city of Mecca on 24th instant, adjoining the Pillars of Jamarat where the believers cast seven stones at the Devil left over 700 dead and over 1000 injured, some critically, was a disastrous calamity in a series of such man-made disasters over the last few years. 

A look at some of the images seriously disturbs you and you start wondering if this is indeed the will of God. Can we just take it in our stride and move on as if nothing has happened ? I seriously believe that this was an accident waiting to happen.

That two million faithful would assemble like in the past was no secret yet the authorities in Saudi Arabia, the Guardians of the faith, were caught napping. Can the rest of mankind ignore the severe lack of preparedness exhibited by the Saudis ? Just look at the way the dead bodies are piled up and the families of the deceased left to fend for themselves ? These images (courtest : Getty images) are rather gruesome and disturbing.

      

It makes me resigned to accept that there is no value of Human Life in our part of the world and that a white man's life is more precious than another. Had even a fraction of so many people died in a man-made disaster in US or in any OECD country, heads would have rolled but not so in a dictatorial regime like Saudi Arabia. They are the benefactors of the bounty they collect from the millions of believers every year who throng to perform once-in-a-lifetime mandated Hajj pilgrimage. And for what ? For such shoddy treatment of the very people who shower their hard-earned money on them ? 

Look at the picture above and you see dead bodies piled as if they were some garbage awaiting the municipal truck.

When we forget that those who died were somebody's children, parents, husbands, wives, brothers and sisters we are just ensuring that we meet with a similar fate.  God may be benevolent but He is not suffering from Amnesia. The Royalty in Saudi Arabia need to wake up fast and act as the real guardians of the Holy Mecca.