Hajj Stampede: How to Stay Safe in Mass Gatherings

The images flooding in of Thursday morning's stampede in Saudi Arabia tell a horrifying tale. Hundreds of people have suffered a gruesome death as they were crushed or trampled during a stampede that occurred at the annual pilgrimage of devout Muslims to their holy city of Mecca.

The stunning toll is even more outrageous when you consider that this latest disaster took place during a ritual known as "stoning the devil," which is backed by centuries of tradition and practice but has a history that already includes plenty of tragedy. Indeed, literally thousands of pilgrims have died or been injured during the Hajj since the 1980s, despite the billions of dollars spent by the Saudi government on infrastructure improvements....

Continue reading: http://www.cnn.com/2015/09/24/opinions/kayyem-hajj-stampede-deaths/