Disasters that may lead to hope

Just after the last issue came out of we were all shocked by the disaster in Bam, and just before we were preparing for the present issue, we were shocked by the death of large numbers of pilgrims in the stoning of the devil incident.
The contrast between the two incidents seems obvious to me. While the Bam incident was beyond the control of individuals, the other one was not. I am very sorry these two disasters occurred but the second one leaves me angry.
Why can’t we worship in peace or go about our daily business without so much pushing and pulling? There are rules of etiquette, common decency and common sense when large numbers of people want to get to the same place. The Europeans, in particular the British, have created the idea of the queue. People wait their turn in patience and peace.
But, unfortunately, we witness the worst practices, as far as crowd management is concerned, in Muslim countries, especially at religious sites when one should be in a peaceful, receptive frame of mind in the presence of Allah. The blame always falls on the government, but I think the individuals themselves should take responsibility for their own behaviour. We must get rid of centuries of bad practices which may have worked in other times, in other places - but they are totally unacceptable in the modern world and at the holy places. It is the job of the elites and professional and cultural societies to introduce new civilised practices, especially those who have the good fortune of travelling abroad and witnessing the civilised practices. A disaster, such as the one at the stoning of the devil, should never be repeated. The governments may do some thing to improve the situation but the full responsibility lies with the individuals.
On a different note, we have worked hard during the past two months to attend many travel fairs. There is good coverage of some of them in the present issue. We have talked to so many government officials and representatives of companies world wide. The majority expressed their interest in the magazine and the website. In fact the website was a good selling point and our readers are invited to visit the website and to get news and views on different aspects of tourism. We are working hard to improve it and make it unique due to its Islamic interest and flavour. I personally feel satisfied with our efforts so far. I know the greatest room on earth is the room for improvement, but at least we are on the right track.

Dr. Abdul-Rahim Hassan
Editor-in-Chief