Condolences after Hajj deaths

Strike affecting Christian schools in Israel called off

CHRISTIAN leaders have expressed their condolences to Muslims round the world following the death of 717 people in a stampede during the annual Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca.

Over 700 people were reported killed and 800 injured last Thursday when, on the third day of the five-day pilgrimage, a stampede broke out during the Ramy al-Jamarat, or “stoning of the devil,” in which pilgrims toss rocks at three walls before entering the city of Mecca.

Newspaper interviews with survivors have offered various causes for the panic, but all note the combination of large crowds and a confined space contributed to the panic.

At the start of his 24 September homily at St Patrick’s Cathedral in New York, Pope Francis said: “I want to express the closeness of the church in the face of the tragedy people suffered in Mecca… In this moment of prayer, I unite and join in prayer with our almighty God and merciful father.”

The Church of England published prayers for those “Caught up in Tragedy and Disaster” in response to the disaster.

Last week’s death toll was the second largest loss of life from a stampede at the Hajj in recent years. In 1990 1,400 pilgrims suffocated in a tunnel in Mina while in 2006, 340 people were killed and hundreds were injured after a stampede during the Ramy al-Jamarat ritual.

Hundreds more have been crushed to death during the stoning the devil ritual over the years, with incidents occurring in 2004, 2003, 2001 and 1994. AN AGREEMENT has been reached between the Israeli Ministry of Education and the country’s Christian schools to end the student and teacher strike that has shuttered the country’s 47 Christian schools.

The Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East reports that on Monday (28 September) 33,000 students returned to school after negotiators hammered out an agreement whereby the state would contribute 50 million shekels toward education costs for the first quarter of the new academic year.

All other outstanding issues would be addressed by negotiators in the weeks ahead, sources report.

The strike began on 1 September when students and teachers walked out after the government cut educational subsidies while also imposing a tuition cap.

Christian schools, which serve the Arab Christian minority, are “recognised but unofficial” under Israeli law. They had been receiving government grants to cover 75 per cent of their costs but the current government budget has reduced the subsidy to 29 per cent.

The funding cut was accompanied by a cap on school fees, leaving most schools unable to meet their costs.

Christian leaders note that ultra-Orthodox Jewish schools are also classified as “recognised but unofficial” yet receive 100 per cent funding from the government.

The agreement signed this week to get students back into classes covers the immediate shortfall in funding.