Statements at the Beginning of the Advanced Jurisprudence Class Regarding the Mina Tragedy

In the Name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

After a long break, today we begin our discussions; however, our hearts are filled with sorrow and grief due to this bitter incident that occurred in Mina, which truly turned the holiday into mourning. Every year during the Hajj season, like these days when the rituals of Hajj have concluded, the country is in a state of public joy; pilgrims return, families are happy; their fathers, children, and spouses come; families rejoice that their pilgrims have returned, performed Hajj, and succeeded. This is how it is every year; it is a time of joy. This year, however, this time of joy has turned into a time of sorrow. In many provinces of the country, the number of the dead and the deceased is high, and the bodies must be brought back; hearts are truly grieving during these days. Well, one cannot momentarily free oneself from this grief, and for these few days, this sorrow weighs heavily on our hearts and the hearts of others. What must be concluded now is that the responsibility for this heavy incident and this great tragedy lies with the rulers of Saudi Arabia; they must accept their responsibility regarding this matter. Shifting blame and constantly accusing others while praising themselves is not a course of action that will lead anywhere; these are futile activities. Ultimately, the Islamic world has questions. Is it a joke that over a thousand people from various Islamic countries were killed in one incident? God knows how many hundreds from our country! The missing persons are still unknown; many of them may be among the deceased. Is several hundred deaths in one incident—the Hajj incident—a small matter? Is it a joke? The Islamic world must think about this; and the first point is that the Saudis must accept their responsibility, and they must act according to the implications of this acceptance of responsibility. Instead of apologizing to the Islamic nation and instead of apologizing to the families, starting to constantly talk like this and accusing others will not lead anywhere, and nations will seriously pursue this matter; this issue will not be forgotten. We hope, God willing, that God will decree good.