At OpinionJournal, professor of Islamic Studies Eric Ormsby lectures us uncultured cow-tippers about the pilgrimage to Mecca (the hajj); the “stoning of Satan” ritual is a solemn, holy occasion, he writes:

The stoning is an explicit rejection of evil in the most tactile way; it is a final stage of purification and the culmination of the pilgrimage. Followed by the major festival of Id al-Adha, celebrated by Muslims all over the world (and just concluded for this year), the closing moments of the hajj can be filled with fervor. The pilgrimage is a communal experience of the most intense sort: The pilgrim stands alone before God but in the company of millions of fellow believers. There is a strong sense both of compunction (for the course of the rites is precisely laid down) and of joy.

It is hardly surprising that under such charged circumstances tragedies occur.

Perhaps professor Ormsby can explain why this joyous rejection of evil (that results in mass casualties year after year) also includes scenes such as this:

Calling America “the greatest Satan,” Egyptian pilgrim Youssef Omar threw pebbles at one pillar where someone scrawled “USA.”

Apparently, along with all that compunction and joy, the communal experience this year included large doses of America-hatred, and calls for holy war and the destruction of Israel:

“Oh God, give victory to the mujahedeen (holy warriors) everywhere,” al-Taleb said. “Give them victory in Palestine. Oh God, make the Muslims triumphant and destroy their enemies, and make this country and other Muslim countries safe. Oh God, inflict your wrath on the criminal Zionists.”

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