City Council To Discuss Senior Tax Freeze Tuesday. See Our Legal Notices.

Stampede Kills 40 at Muslim Shrine

  • Saturday, April 7, 2001

Forty people were killed and more than 100 injured in a stampede recently at a Muslim shrine in Pakistan when pilgrims pressed forward to enter the "Behisti Darwaza" or Paradise Gate at the start of a religious festival in the
town of PakPattan, in Punjab province.

The festival is an annual event at the shrine of a 13th century Sufi saint, Baba Fariduddin Gani Shakar, which attracts about 500,000 devotees every year.

Traditionally it begins with the opening of the Paradise Gate, which
leads to the saint's tomb.

Pilgrims believe that passing through the gate will secure them a place in paradise after death.

Usually the festival takes place in an atmosphere of spiritual calm, with pilgrims distributing offerings of sweetmeats and rice, and picking leaves from trees that grow near the saint's tomb.

The district magistrate said the stampede happened because the opening ceremony was delayed for three hours.

Thirty-five Muslim pilgrims died
in a stampede last month during the annual pilgrimage or haj to the holy city of Mecca.

They were crushed or suffocated when a crowd surged forward to hurl stones at pillars representing the devil.

(By Meriel Beattie, Independent News, UK: http://news.independent.co.uk/world)

To view this story on-line, go to: http://news.crosswalk.com/religion/item/0,,338062,00.htm

Church
First Christian Church Announces "Good Trouble" Event July 17
  • 7/15/2025

First Christian Church, 650 McCallie Ave., will host "Good Trouble," a community gathering inspired by the words and legacy of the late Congressman John Lewis, this Thursday from 5-8 p.m. ... more

CBMC Chattanooga Outreach Luncheon Set For Aug. 6
  • 7/14/2025

The next CBMC Chattanooga Outreach Luncheon will be Wednesday, Aug. 6 from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Chattanooga Convention Center. The guest speaker will be David Fowler, former Tennessee state ... more

Local Author Dean Arnold Presents Biblical Commentary On Revelation
  • 7/11/2025

Dean Arnold, a Chattanooga based author and historian, told Civitan Club about his latest project: a three volume commentary on the Book of Revelation titled "Revelation Explained." The presentation ... more