Alwaght- If actions do really speak louder than words then the Islamic nations and international organizations have had nothing to say about the Mina tragedy.
When this year’s Hajj season was marred by the bloodshed of pilgrims, clearly a result of Saudi mismanagement, the world once again failed to stand up against injustice. Based on Iranian officials' statistics, Mina tragedy has claimed lives of over 7,000 Muslims.
One of the few Islamic countries to raise its voice against Riyadh over the Mina catastrophe was Iran which has repeatedly called for an investigation into the incident.
Tehran has also vowed to take necessary political and legal follow-up measures to prevent the reoccurrence of incidents. Mohammad Javad Zarif, the Iranian foreign minister, had said at the 70th session of the UN General Assembly that Saudi Arabia’s refusal to cooperate with Iran to identify the unaccounted for was in contravention of international regulations.
The latest appeal for action came from Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Khamenei.
“After this incident, a unanimous voice of protest must have arisen from the Muslim world, but unfortunately, except for the Islamic Republic of Iran’s voice, no other voice was heard and even governments whose nationals were among the dead pilgrims did not make a noteworthy protest at this tragedy,” he deplored.
Of those who were not affected by the catastrophe Muslim and non-Muslim countries, western and non-western, have failed the cause of human rights.
International human rights organizations have done little to address this issue which might as well be a massacre.
“The lying and hypercritical bodies, which claim to [be promoting] human rights, as well as the Western governments, which sometimes make great fuss over the death of a single person, remained dead silent in this incident in favor of their allied government,” the supreme leader added.
In a piece published on Iran Review, Nozar Shafiei
member of the Iranian Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee slammed international bodies for their inaction vis-à-vis Mina tragedy, saying “meaningful silence of international institutions and organizations and their failure to support human rights of Muslims; and absence of a reaction commensurate with this disaster from Islamic countries.”
He also called for a “more serious” follow-up by Islamic countries which could produce the following results:
“1. Revelation of more facts for presentation to the public opinion in the Islamic world and preventing any doubt from being cast on the dignity of Muslims;
2. Counteracting erroneous and inhuman policies that Saudi Arabia implements during the Hajj congregation; and
3. Creating a global discourse on the necessity of the participation of all Muslim countries in the management of Hajj rituals.”
The irony of situation lies in the double standards by which western-manipulated mainstream media abide. When it comes to yellow journalism, the media is exemplary. When it comes to facts and justice, we can’t say the same.
Trivial news such as that of naming storms Nigel and Barney are dealt with extreme care, are allocated massive amount of time or space, and are repeated and updated even when there is nothing new to tell. Every media outlet races to seize the story and fill its news hour or front page with exaggerations of minor stories while diverting the light from major ones as part of a political cover up.
When the Mina tragedy occurred, the effect of the media didn’t ripple worldwide. The news was dealt with as if it were a natural disaster, even on a minor scale. The fact that this disaster was man-made wasn’t the talk of the town. After a few days, news started subsiding.
Trying to dust it under the rug, Saudi Arabia is most likely behind this inaction and media oblivion.
The UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon said he was “deeply saddened” by the Hajj stampede but fell short of holding Riyadh responsible.
Many Islamic countries are under the influence of the US or Saudi regime. Therefore they are forced to minimize the effect of the Saudis’ mistake instead of aggrandizing it and form a body to address the issue; causes, effects, and come up with preventive measures. This silence is wearing the clothes of inaction, because some countries have verbally offered condolences but failed to translate words into action due to external pressure.
