​More needs to be done to protect Muslim pilgrims says Scots charity worker

Muslims attending the yearly Hajj pilgrimage should be trained as part of their visa conditions, a Scots based charity worker has urged.

Habib Malik, director of the Scottish Hajj and Umra Trust, who is himself in Mecca, said the British government was in a position where it could organise obligatory courses to set an example for other nations.

The call comes after an estimated 800 pilgrims were crushed to death earlier this week as they made their way to worship the iconic Kaba in Mecca.

Over 2 million Muslim worshippers attend the annual Hajj but a series of major tragedies in recent years has called into question the safety of the event.

I think every country should be playing a role. And should be training their citizens when they come here

A stampede in a tunnel killed over 1,400 pilgrims in 1990. Other fatal incidents have included the death of 244 pilgrims who were crushed in 2004 while more than 360 pilgrims were killed in a 2006 stampede.

It is estimated that around 25,000 British nationals head overseas from the UK to Saudi Arabia for the event, according to Abta, the travel association.

Malik said: "Train the people who are coming because it's not possible just to rely on one government to manage all that.

"I think every country should be playing a role. And should be training their citizens when they come here."

The tragedy happened as Muslims around the world celebrated the key festival of Eid al-Adha, which is known as the Feast of the Sacrifice as it recalls Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son in obedience to Allah.

It comes just two weeks after a giant construction crane came crashing down on the Grand Mosque in Mecca, the focal point of the Hajj.

Humza Yousaf,an SNP MSP, said he faced the most anxious hours of his life after trying to trace his parents and other family members who were currently at Hajj.

"I only managed to speak to them briefly yesterday. I first heard about the incident at roughly 10.30am and it took about an hour and a half to get through to them,” he said.

"It was probably the most anxious hour and a half of my life because you really, genuinely worry.

“You just can't get through, you don't know who is involved, you don't know who might have been caught up in the incident.

"I had my mother and father out there along with two uncles, an auntie and a couple of my cousins so I had a fair number of family members there. It was quite nervy but when I finally got through to them it was a huge sigh of relief."