>> RIGHT NOW THE HAJJ PILGRIMAGE IS HAPPENING IN MECCA.
EVERY
MUSLIM HAS TO GO TO MECCA AT SOME POINT AND DO THE HAJJ
PILGRIMAGE THERE, AND THERE IS A RITUAL OF FIVE DIFFERENT THINGS
YOU HAVE TO DO.
YOU HAVE TO GO AROUND THE KAABA AND THROW
STONES AT THREE PILLARS, THEY REPRESENT THE DEVIL, YOU ARE
SUPPOSED TO BE FIGHTING THE DEVIL AND THROWING STONES AT
HIM.
THE ISSUE IS, A LOT OF PEOPLE GO THERE AT THE SAME
TIME.
THREE YEARS BACK, 2012, THERE WERE 3 MILLION PEOPLE THAT
HAD GONE TO THE HAJJ AT THE SAME TIME.
IN THIS CASE AS THEY ARE
THROWING STONES AT THE PILLARS, PANIC SETS IN.
SOME ARE MOVING
TOO FAST OR TOO SLOW, IT IS UNCLEAR BECAUSE OF THE MAYHEM,
AND A STAMPEDE HAPPENS.
THIS HAS HAPPENED BEFORE.
IN THIS CASE IT
IS THE WORST IN 25 YEARS. 717 PEOPLE KILLED, 863 INJURED.
THIS
YEAR THERE WERE 2 MILLION ATTENDEES OF THE HAJJ.
WHEN
THERE ARE 2 MILLION PEOPLE IN ONE CITY ALL DOING THE SAME
THING, THAT IS A VERY, VERY HARD CROWD TO CONTROL.
SO THEY
BROUGHT IN THOUSANDS UPON THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE, 10,000
OVERALL, PARTLY BECAUSE THEY ARE WORRIED ABOUT TERRORISM AND
SECURITY, BUT ALSO BECAUSE OF SITUATIONS LIKE THIS.
IT IS NOT
LIKE IT HASN'T HAPPENED BEFORE, IT HAS HAPPENED MANY TIMES
BEFORE.
IN 2006, AT LEAST 346 PEOPLE DIED IN A STAMPEDE.
IN
THE 1990S, 1426 PILGRIMS DIED IN A TUNNEL NEAR THE CITY.
THE
SAUDI GOVERNMENT HAS BEEN TRYING TO FIX THE INFRASTRUCTURE TO
BETTER DEAL WITH THE SWARM OF PEOPLE, THEY HAVE BEEN LIMITING
THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE, THAT IS WHY IT HAS REDUCED THIS YEAR TO
2 MILLION PEOPLE ATTENDING.
AND THEY HAVE BEEN REBUILDING THE
BRIDGE AROUND THE PILLARS TO MAKE IT MORE SAFE, THEY HAVE
MORE PERSONNEL, BUT NONETHELESS IT DID NOT WORK.
LOOK, I WANT TO
SAY SOMETHING THAT IS NOT NICE, OKAY?
THESE PEOPLE DIED TODAY
AND IT IS TRAGIC, BUT, I DON'T GET IT.
RELIGIOUS FOLKS ALWAYS
TELL ME, LIKE, GOD WORKS IN MYSTERIOUS WAYS, AND EVEN IF HE
GIVES YOU A BAD BREAK, IT IS TO TEACH YOU A LIFE LESSON AND YOU
WILL LEARN FROM IT, ETC.
MAYBE YOU WILL LEARN FROM THIS LESSON,
BUT THOSE 717 PEOPLE DIED THAT DAY.
THERE IS NOTHING TO LEARN,
NO FURTHER MYSTERIES, IT WASN'T A TEST BY GOD.
THEY DIED.
THEY
DIED IN A HORRIBLE WAY, A STAMPEDE.
PEOPLE DIE FROM
SUFFOCATION AND OTHER PEOPLE STEP ON THEM AND THEY CAN'T
BREATHE.
SOMETIMES THEIR BONES ARE BROKEN, ETC., AS OTHERS RUSH
OVER THEM IN A TIDAL WAVE OF HUMANITY.
I DON'T GET IT.
IF
THEY WENT TO GO CELEBRATE GOD, WHERE IS GOD?
I DON'T WANT TO DO
THIS, BECAUSE THESE ARE OBVIOUSLY RELIGIOUS PEOPLE WHO
WENT FOR GOOD REASONS, AND THEY WANTED TO CELEBRATE THEIR BELIEF
IN THEIR FAITH -- IT IS NOT THE TIME TO -- I WOULD FEEL TERRIBLE
IF THEIR FAMILIES ARE WATCHING THIS.
I UNDERSTAND ALL THAT.
PEOPLE WILL GET MAD AT ME BECAUSE IT IS A TRAGEDY AND
PEOPLE DIED, IT IS NOT TIME TO TALK ABOUT IT AND CRITICIZE --
BUT WHEN IS THE TIME?
WHEN DO WE TALK ABOUT WHEN SO-CALLED GOD
DOES THESE THINGS?
DID HE NOT CARE ABOUT THOSE PEOPLE WHO WERE
GOING TO DO, IN THEIR RELIGION, THE MOST HOLY THING IN REVERENCE
TO, IN THEIR CASE, ALLAH?
ALLAH JUST MEANS GOD IN ARABIC.
WHERE
WAS HE?
WHAT HAPPENED?
THIS HAPPENED THROUGHOUT HISTORY A
MILLION TIMES TO ALL THE RELIGIONS -- LITERALLY JESUS
CHRIST SAID, ON THE CROSS, IF YOU BELIEVE ANY OF IT, GOD, WHY
HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?
AND THOSE 700-SOME-ODD PEOPLE MUST HAVE
THOUGHT, ALLAH, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN US?
I HAVE GOT REALLY
BAD NEWS, IT IS BECAUSE HE IS NOT THERE.
LOOK, A LOT OF PEOPLE
HAVE DIFFERENT KINDS OF FAITH, I DON'T WANT TO ARGUE WITH
PEOPLE'S FAITH.
I KNOW THAT IS DIFFERENT THAN RELIGION, AND IF
YOU WANT TO BELIEVE THAT THERE IS A HIGHER SOURCE OR ORDER IN
THE UNIVERSE, I FIND THAT TO BE A PERFECTLY ACCEPTABLE POSITION.
I MIGHT NOT NECESSARILY AGREE, BUT IT IS NOT CRAZY.
I GET IT.
ARE WE THE END-ALL BE-ALL OF CONSCIOUSNESS IN THE UNIVERSE?
I
WOULD BE SURPRISED.
SO DO WE KNOW ALL THE ANSWERS?
OF COURSE
NOT.
BUT IF THE GOD THAT YOU THINK IS IN THOSE TEXTS EXISTS,
WHY DIDN'T HE COME TO YOUR RESCUE?
THAT GOD WITH THE BEARD
IN THE SKY?
HE'S NOT THERE, MAN.
I DON'T MIND YOU HAVING FAITH, I
KNOW IT IS NOT MY PLACE TO TELL EVERYBODY IN THE WORLD WHAT TO
DO, BUT I AM GIVING YOU MY HONEST OPINION AND I WANT YOU TO
TAKE THE SITUATION AND REFLECT ON IT.
WHY DID IT GO DOWN THAT
WAY?
AND MOST OF THE TIME, ALMOST EVERY TIME, RELIGIOUS
PEOPLE WILL FIND AN EXCUSE.
GOD WAS TAKING A LUNCH BREAK OR HE
WAS DOING THIS OR HE WAS GOING TO TEACH A LESSON -- THEY
SUFFOCATED TO DEATH.
THEY DIED IN THE MOST TRAGIC WAY.
GOD DID
NOT COME TO THEIR RESCUE.
THERE WAS NO OTHER GREATER PLAN THAT
IS GOING TO LEAD TO PEOPLE BEING EVEN MORE HAPPY LATER.
NO, THEY
JUST DIED BECAUSE NO ONE CAME FOR THEM.
BECAUSE HE IS NOT
THERE.
DOES NOT MEAN THERE IS NO HIGHER CONSCIOUSNESS, DOES NOT
MEAN THERE IS NO ORDER IN THE UNIVERSE, BUT IT DOES MEAN THAT
THE TEXTS THAT TELL YOU HE IS SITTING UP IN THE SKY AND
WATCHING EVERY MOVE YOU DO AND IS ULTIMATELY GOING TO REWARD
YOU WITH SOME GREAT THINGS THAT YOU WILL NEVER SEE -- MAYBE YOU
SHOULD QUESTION THAT.
MAYBE THIS IS ACTUALLY A GREAT MOMENT TO
QUESTION THAT.
IF YOU DON'T LIKE THE MESSENGER, I HEAR YOU ON
THAT.
BUT I AM ASKING YOU TO BE LOGICAL AND I AM ASKING YOU TO
THINK ABOUT THE MESSAGE.
YOUNG TURKS.