The Leader of the Islamic Revolution called on officials to “seriously” pursue the last month’s Mina crush incident, which killed hundreds of worshippers in the Hajj pilgrimage.
The disaster, the worst to befall the annual gathering in 25 years, occurred when two groups of pilgrims converged at a crossroads in Mina, six kilometers from Mecca, on their way to performing the stoning-of-the-devil ritual in Jamarat.
The Saudis reported over seven hundred people dead, while Iranian media put the death toll at several thousand. The majority of the victims, nearly 500, were Iranian nationals.
“Apparently, the disaster happened due to the incompetence of the host government. But whatever the case, this is not a political issue,” Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said.
“It is rather a matter of thousands of Muslims who lost their lives while performing the Hajj rituals, clad in Ihram clothing [special garments worn by Muslims during the pilgrimage]. The issue must be seriously pursued,” IRNA quoted him as saying.
He made the remarks in a meeting with officials of the Hajj organization in Tehran on Monday.
The Leader criticized other Muslim states and western countries that claim to advocate human rights for remaining silent on the issue, saying, “No cry of protest was raised except by the Islamic Republic of Iran. No considerable protest was made even by other governments whose people were among the victims.”
