MELANIE: Muslims are expected to perform the 5 pillars or duties for their Islamic faith. These are: 1.

Shahadah-is a saying professing monotheism and accepting Muhammad as God's messenger. 2.Salat- which consists of five daily prayers: Fajr, Dhuhr, Asr, Maghrib, and Isha'a 3.Sawm- fasting, Muslims must abstain from food, drink, and sexual intercourse from dawn to dusk during this month, and are to be especially mindful of other sins. Fasting is necessary for every Muslim that has reached puberty. 4.Zakat- alms giving 5. Hajj- is a pilgrimage that occurs during the Islamic month of Dhu al-Hijjah to the holy city of Mecca. Every able-bodied Muslim is obliged to make the pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in their lifetime if he or she can afford it, Activities in Hajj involves: a. Circling the kaaba b. Search for water and Drinking from the water of the Zamzam Spring. c. Prayer and contemplation in Mount Arafat. d. Stoning the devil

KATHY:

Considering the number of Muslims around the world that perform these duties at Saudi Arabia on the same time, it has resulted to a number of major problems. E.g. Deaths due to stampede and fire. The Saudi Government hired a Crowd Management Specialists company to help them in these issues. All the risks were minimized but still the movement of huge crowds remains a constant Management Issues. The Incidents and Disasters were generalized into 3:

1. Crowd Management Problems- stampedes and riots. 2. Fire 3. Protests- People take advantage of the Hajj to gain a lot of attention around the
world.

The worse thing that would happen because of this event is the spread of diseases. The Hajj is and event where people from developed, developing and underdeveloped countries meet. Some of these countries do not have effective public health programs and these pilgrims may not be vaccinated against numerous diseases. This event is just perfect for the rapid spread of diseases one good example is the Meningococcal Meningitis also known as Meningococcemia.

BYRNE: Diseases from the Hajj and how the Saudi Arabia Government prevented it:

1.

Polio- In 2005, Saudi Government traced some members of a tribe that has Polio in Nigeria that travelled to Mecca for the Hajj.

PREVENTIVE: with the cooperation of World Health Organization the Saudi Arabia authorities made it mandatory for pilgrims from specific countries to be given an oral vaccine during arrivals at ports and recommends to have a booster vaccination six weeks prior to arrival

2.

Hepatitis B- In the past, shaving the head was performed by anyone else to do it especially male pilgrims. Because of this, the disease could rapidly spread through contaminated razor blades. PREVENTIVE: Saudi authorities now have licensing system for barbers. They set up Barber chairs in the area and recommends that all Hajjess ask for a new blade,

3. illness.

Hajj Cough- a respiratory infection which ranges from a mild cough to a major

PREVENTIVE: According to Saudi authorities, the infection can be prevented by washing hands, covering coughs/sneeze and disposing tissue correctly. 4. H1N1 Virus (Swine Flu Type)- In the year 2009, H1N1 was a new risk at the Hajj. This is a disease that has rapidly spread among the world and because many people from different countries meet at the Hajj. This becomes a major risk. PREVENTIVE: The Saudi Government made the meningitis vaccination mandatory and a requirement for obtaining a Hajj Visa. This had helped in the control of the disease. BELL: The following are also done by the Saudi Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization: 1. Advised elderly, children, pregnant woman and patients with chronic diseases to postpone their participation in the Hajj due to the spread of numerous diseases. 2. Nationals of other countries other than Saudi Arabia require special Hajj Visas. This is to make the vaccination mandatory. All passengers are screened as they arrive at ports and placed in temporary quarantine areas if they are suspected of being infected. 3. Pilgrims are educated before, during and after the Hajj with brochures websites, signage and advice on health issues. 4. Recommends that the pilgrims, prior to the Hajj to have a full medical and dental check up six months before leaving. 5. Recommends that the pilgrims wear good shoes or sandals as there is a large amount of walking and to bring a medical kit. 6. Hajjees, upon their return home, are also encouraged to arrange for a screening stool culture and full blood count to ensure they havent picked up any diseases. DINDIN: The scale of the Hajj and the countries it draws from its unique in the world and it presents risks. The scale and consequence of these risks require Government Level Actions. The Management of the risk brings into play the 2 types of medicine: a. Preventive- medications that reduce the likehood b. Therapeutic- medications that reduce the consequences.

The education on the cause of the spread of the disease of the participants is a vital part of risk minimization. JANNINE: The Safety and Security Committee should also understand the Crowd Management Theories. They should understand this certain theories because it will come in handy if worst case scenario will happen. Group Mind Tradition Being part of a large gathering, individuals lose all sense of self-responsibility, gain the sentiment of invincible power, become subject to contagion, and primitive behavior results. Pre-Disposition Theory Collective action is explained in terms of pre-existing individual tendencies, indicating that violence arises from anti-social personalities. Emergent Norm Theory Collective behavior occurs under the governance of emerging norms. Rumor and milling movement of crowds are said to aid the emergence of new norms (emergent norms), which usually are a modification of existing norms. While Emergent Norm Theory restores the link between the understanding of the individual and the actions of the large gathering, it fails to explain how large group unity can be achieved in a short period of time. Inter-Group Perspective There is a need to recognize and understand the different social-cognitive perspectives of the in-group (resembling other members of the same group in some ways) and the out-group (another group with opposing or different attributes). Social Identity Theory Based on self-categorization theory expounded by Turner et al,the premise of which is that collective behavior and social influence only are possible on the basis of shared self categorization or shared sense of identity. Elaborated Social Identity Theory This model starts by putting greater emphasis on the fact that large gatherings usually are inter-group encounters. It also examines how identity within a group may develop as a function of inter-group dynamics. Conflict arises in contexts where two groups hold incompatible and irreconcilable notions of proper social practice, and where the action of one group is seen as violating conceptions of what is right in terms of the social identity of the other. The spread of conflict coincides with changes in the selfcategorization of crowd members and that inter-group dynamics are crucial to the onset and development of crowd conflict.