It is a pathetic News that 165 Indonesian pilgrims have died during this year Hajj. The Indonesia’s Religious Affairs Ministry has confirmed. The elderly made up the majority of the death toll, with the oldest Indonesian pilgrim to have died reported to be 94 years old. The youngest was 31.
Over 550 people overall have died during this year’s sacred journey, with officials attributing the deaths to scorching heat in Mecca.
Temperatures have soared above 50 degrees Celsius in this unforgiving Arabian summer.
As millions of pilgrims wrap up this year’s Hajj, one hopes that there will be no more casualties from Indonesia or anywhere else. As for the fallen, there may be solace in the belief that taking one’s last breath on holy land, during such a holy occasion, is a special privilege in Islam.
In Other News
– The House of Parliament (DPR) is calling for higher hospitality standards for Indonesian Hajj pilgrims after a video circulated depicting hundreds crammed into a small tent as they slept on the floor. As a country that’s home to some 12% of Muslims in the world, DPR believes the government has the right to make demands of Saudi Arabia for the humane treatment of Indonesian pilgrims.