The Secretary General of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Iyad Ameen Madani, has expressed his sincere condolences and sympathy to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdul Aziz of Saudi Arabia , and Crown Prince, His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Nayef bin Abdul Aziz, Minister of Interior and Chairman of the Supreme Committee of Hajj, on the pilgrims who have lost their lives during the stampede that occurred in one of the streets of Mina yesterday. The Secretary General also conveyed his heartfelt condolences to the families of the deceased; praying to the Almighty Allah to bestow on them His mercy and ascribe them as martyrs. The Secretary General noted the enormous and continuous efforts of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in serving the pilgrims, ummrah performers and visitors, and its investments in the service of the Two Holy Mosques and the holy sites. The Hajj sites of Mina and Arafat are transformed during the few days of Hajj into full fledged cities that cater for more than three million people with all the necessary utilities and living needs, with major infrastructures of roads, tunnels, and bridges that facilitate the pilgrims' performance of their rituals. This, in addition to the major expansions that took place and are ongoing of Al Masjid Al Haram (Grand Mosque in Makkah) and Al Masjid Al Nabawi (Prophet's Mosque in Medinah). The Secretary General expressed the full confidence of the OIC that Saudi Arabia is continuing in undertaking its duty, which Allah has bestowed upon it, as the custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and the servant of the pilgrims, taking into account every aspect that would improve these services and provisions. The Secretary General expressed the hope that no party would seek to take advantage of the pilgrimage and pilgrims, and the incidents that might happen when these crowds of millions perform the same rituals at the same time, in a controversial context that would divide rather than unite, in contradiction with the essence of Hajj where a Muslim's sense of an independent self standing in front of his Creator as an individual coincides with his sense of the community and the Ummah to which he belongs. It is a collective scene that goes beyond and transcends any differences in sex, colour, race, and status, where there is no honor but the honor of sincerity in worshiping Almighty and working on what unites the Ummah and keeps it together.
