Will There Be a New Entry in the Record Books At this Year's Hajj?

The annual hajj pilgimage to Mecca is underway as millions of the faithful flock to the holy city. Unfortunately, this event has often been marked with the tragic deaths of hundreds or even thousands. Some previous examples (from Wikipedia):

• On July 2, 1990, a stampede inside a pedestrian tunnel (Al-Ma'aisim tunnel) leading out from Mecca towards Mina and the Plains of Arafat led to the deaths of 1,426 pilgrims.
• On May 23, 1994, a stampede killed at least 270 pilgrims at the stoning of the Devil ritual.
• On April 9, 1998, at least 118 pilgrims were trampled to death and 180 injured in an incident on Jamarat Bridge. [1]
• On March 5, 2001, 35 pilgrims were trampled to death in a stampede during the stoning of the Devil ritual.
• On February 11, 2003, the stoning of the Devil ritual claimed 14 pilgrims' lives. [2]
• On February 1, 2004, 251 pilgrims were killed and another 244 injured in a stampede during the stoning ritual in Mina. [3]
• On January 12, 2006, a stampede during the ritual stoning of the Devil on the last day of the Hajj in Mina killed at least 346 pilgrims and injured at least 289 more.
• In December 1975 an exploding gas cylinder caused a fire in a tent colony and resulted in the deaths of 200 pilgrims. [4]
• On April 15, 1997 343 pilgrims were killed and 1,500 injured in a tent fire.
• On November 20, 1979 a group of about 200 militants occupied the Grand Mosque, and later were expelled by Saudi and French (who entered the city with special permission) forces, leaving about 250 dead, and 600 wounded.
• On July 31, 1987 Iranian pilgrims rioted, causing the deaths of over 400 people.
• On July 9, 1989 two bombs exploded, killing one pilgrim and wounding a further sixteen. Saudi authorities beheaded sixteen Kuwaiti Shiite Muslims for the bombings after originally suspecting Iranian terrorists.
• A concrete multi-story building located in Mecca close to the Grand Mosque collapsed on January 5, 2006. The building, the Al Ghaza Hotel, is said to have housed a restaurant, a convenience store, and a hostel. The hostel was reported to have been housing pilgrims to the 2006 Hajj. It is not clear how many pilgrims were in the hotel at the time of the collapse. As of latest reports, the death toll is seventy-six and the number of injured is sixty-four. [5]

Of course, should a non-Muslim attempt to enter the city, he would be immediately beheaded, so it can be dangerous for non-Muslims as well.

However, you'll be glad to know that our airport security people from the TSA have been given "sensitivity training" in order to properly respond to all the Muslims traveling to the hajj. I'm traveling one week from today - maybe we'll hold a prayer meeting in the terminal and see how "sensitive" the security personnel are to our religious needs.