Outdated Video of Deceased Pilgrims Shared in Relation to the 2024 Hajj Season
The Claim
The face of the dead man shown in the picture was not covered during the Janaza at the Masjid a-Haram. What is the reason? Whether he is performing Hajj or Umrah, whoever dies in the state of Ihram, his face is not covered.
Emerging story
Amid this year's Hajj season, social media users circulated a video clip allegedly showing deceased Hajj performers during a Janaazah in Masjid al-Haraam.
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar investigated the video and found the claim to be misleading.
A comprehensive reverse image search revealed the video making the rounds to be unrelated to the recent Hajj season.
2017 Video Shows Janaazah in Masjid al-Haraam
Contrary to social media users’ claim, the video is not recent. The video was first published online in September 2017.
Misbar’s team traced the original video back to September 5, 2017, when a local YouTube channel uploaded the video.
Another YouTube channel published the video in question on September 15, 2017, as showing, “Janazah in Al-Masjid Al-Haram.”
Saudi Arabia Gears Up for This Year’s Hajj Season
The Hajj, one of the five pillars of Islam, requires all Muslims with the means to complete it at least once in their lifetime.
Saudi Arabia announced extensive preparations for an unprecedented Hajj season this year, anticipating over 2 million pilgrims. The Hajj season started on Friday and featured significant initiatives and arrangements to ensure a successful and comfortable experience for all attendees.
According to Saudi authorities, about 1.8 million pilgrims took part in the hajj this year, 1.6 million of them from abroad.
Over 550 Hajj Pilgrims Die in Mecca Amid Extreme Heat
Despite extensive preparations, more than 550 Hajj pilgrims have died in Mecca as temperatures soared above 50°C. Among the deceased, at least 323 were Egyptians.
According to two Arab diplomats coordinating their countries’ responses. "All of them [the Egyptians] died because of heat," one diplomat said, except for one who sustained fatal injuries during a minor crowd crush. The total figure comes from the hospital morgue in the Al-Muaisem neighborhood of Mecca.
Egypt’s foreign ministry stated that Cairo wascollaborating with Saudi authorities in search operations for Egyptians who went missing during the Hajj. Saudi authorities have treated over 2,000 pilgrims for heat stress.
At least 60 Jordanians have also died, the diplomats reported, up from an earlier official tally of 41 given by Amman. The latest figures bring the total reported deaths so far to 577, according to an AFP tally. The morgue in Al-Muaisem, one of the largest in Mecca, has recorded 550 deaths.
Hajj Pilgrimage Is Affected by Climate Breakdown
The Hajj pilgrimage is affected by climate breakdown, with a Saudi study published last month indicating that temperatures in the area where rituals are performed are rising by 0.4°C (0.72°F) each decade. Temperatures hit 51.8°C at the Grand Mosque in Mecca on Monday, according to the Saudi National Meteorology Center.
Read More
This Video Does Not Show Rishi Sunak Performing Religious Rituals Before Entering His Office
Statement About Merging the Three Abrahamic Religions Falsely Attributed to President Biden
