"Heavy rains soak Muslims during pilgrimage; Downpour adds risk as millions flock to Mecca" by Hadeel Al-Shalchi, Associated Press | November 26, 2009
JIDDAH, Saudi Arabia - This year has brought the added worry that the massing of more than 3 million people from around the world could bring a swine flu outbreak. In the past months, the Saudi government has been working with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to set up clinics and precautionary measures to stem any outbreak.
At least Muslims do not eat pork!
But please, do not work with the infectors!
Shahul Ebrahim, a consultant from the Atlanta-based CDC at the hajj, said it was too early to tell if the rains could exacerbate the spread of H1N1, which is transmitted in the air, not by water. “Rain can lead to other waterborne diseases . . . But we still don’t know how it will affect H1N1,’’ he said.
Hassan El Bushra, an epidemiologist in the Cairo office of the World Health Organization, said “there is no evidence that this will cause any kind of spread, including the spread of swine flu.’’ It could even be beneficial if it means crowds are smaller, he said.
So far, four pilgrims have died from the H1N1 virus since arriving in Saudi Arabia in recent days, and 67 others have been diagnosed with the virus, Saudi Health Minister Abdullah al-Rabeeah told the Arab news network Al-Jazeera English....The heaviest rain to hit Islam’s annual hajj pilgrimage in years soaked the faithful and flooded the road to Mecca, snarling traffic as millions of Muslims headed for the holy sites. The downpours add an extra hazard on top of intense concerns about the spread of swine flu.
Pilgrims in white robes holding umbrellas, some wearing face masks for fear of the flu, circled the black cube-shaped Kaaba in Mecca, the opening rite for the hajj. But the shrine, Islam’s holiest site, and the nearby, rain-soaked streets did not see the usual massive, pushing crowds, because many tried to stay inside nearby hotels or were caught in the traffic jams heading into the city.
Yesterday’s heavy rainfall added an extra complication to Islam’s annual hajj pilgrimage. With millions of faithful Muslims converging on Mecca, health officials fear an outbreak of swine flu. The rain, however, kept the usual massive crowds down. (Photos By The Associated Press)
Mecca and the nearby Red Sea coastal city of Jiddah often see heavy rains during the winter months, and yesterday’s were unusually strong, swamping Jiddah with 2.76 inches of rain, more than it gets in a year on average, according to weather officials.
So the Saudis have been getting flooded out and it's the first I've seen in the BG!
They were the heaviest in years to coincide with the four-day hajj. Already jammed traffic was worsened - with a backup of cars as long as 20 miles on the partially closed road from Jiddah to Mecca, and some pilgrims and journalists were trapped in Jiddah. The rains could also exacerbate the hajj’s perennial dangers. The rites - a lifetime aspiration for Muslims, who come to cleanse their sins - are always a logistical nightmare, as a population the size of a small city moves between Mecca and holy sites in the nearby desert over the course of four days.
In the past, the rites have been plagued by deadly crushes caused by congestion as the unimaginable crowds perform the rituals. In 2006, all it took was a piece of luggage dropped by one person to trip up others and cause a pile-up that killed more than 360 people. A slippery, rain-slicked street could be equally deadly - and with the main rites due to begin outside Mecca today, Saudi authorities urged those arriving at the holy sites to move cautiously and not to rush.
Yeah, those out-of-control Muslims!
I mean, LOOK AT 'EM!!!
Muslim pilgrims climbed the Mountain of Mercy, on the Plain of Arafat near Mecca, Saudi Arabia. (Hassan Ammar/Associated Press)
You know why the guy is wearing a mask, right?
Congratulations, pilgrims!
Looks like you made the summit after all that effort!
"Saudi floods kill at least 77 during hajj" by Associated Press | November 27, 2009
MOUNT ARAFAT, Saudi Arabia - Muslim pilgrims holding white umbrellas against the blazing sun clambered up a rocky desert hill for prayers yesterday during the annual hajj, a day after torrential rains that killed at least 77 people.
Flooding from the unusually heavy downpours hit hardest in the Red Sea coastal city of Jiddah, about 40 miles away from the holy city of Mecca and its surrounding sacred sites where the 3 million Muslims from around the world were performing the rites of the pilgrimage. Most of the deaths occurred in the shantytowns around Jiddah and along the main highway to Mecca, populated by poorer immigrants who work in the city as drivers, construction workers, and domestic help. Streets were swamped with water, some houses collapsed, and mudslides took place, civil defense officials said.
How quickly will the MSM drop this? They moved off of South Asia PDQ, and the war with Yemen has gone unreported for days.
It did not immediately appear that any pilgrims were among the dead. Jiddah’s civil defense chief, Captain Abdullah al-Amri, said 21 of the victims were identified as Saudis and the rest were believed to be residents of Saudi Arabia. Wednesday’s downpours snarled the opening day of the hajj, drenching pilgrims and knocking out roads that caused epic traffic jams as the faithful tried to make their way to the holy sites.
--more--"
And I'll bet coverage of Saudi goes away quickly after these pieces.
Think of it the agenda-pushers way: You get the war-weary, nothing-against-Muslims American people thinking "Wow, whole lot of 'terrorists' out there." Better keep fighting.
Then it's back to the same old propaganda -- or worse, as I found out today!
