The recent incidents in Mecca have revived, in the various parts of the Muslim world, previous demands that management of the hajj be transferred from the Saudi government to a joint Muslim administration. The issue has added a new dimension to the sectarian conflict between Saudi Arabia and its opponents, led by Iran.

The storms that hit Mecca on Sept. 12 caused a crane to collapse on the Grand Mosque, killing 107 people and leaving 230 injured of various nationalities. On Sept. 17, a major fire broke out at a hotel for pilgrims in Mecca, injuring two people and leading to the evacuation of 1,028 others. Most recently, a stampede killed 717 pilgrims and injured 863 others, according to the Saudi version of the story. Some countries whose nationals were among the victims, such as Indonesia and Pakistan, have said that the death toll from the stampede reached 1,036 people.

Many other deaths have occurred during hajj rituals.

In 2006, 346 pilgrims were killed during the stoning ritual in the same street as this year's stampede. Similar incidents occurred in 1990,1994, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2004 and 2005, claiming the lives of hundreds of pilgrims. This year’s tragedy is the worst in 25 years; in 1990, 1,426 pilgrims suffocated in a stampede in a tunnel at Mina after a failure in its ventilation system.