|
Home / Finance / Insurance
Is Life Insurance A Matter Of Faith?
By:Catherine Harvey
Life insurance takes into account, and pays out for, accidental death including that of the types that occur when a crowd surges and panics, resulting in death from crushing, choking and trampling.
This is occasionally seen at places like football stadiums when a forward surge has resulted in the people at the front who were hemmed in by fencing being crushed to death. This tragic occurrence has been addressed in the UK to stop this from happening and there have been no new cases in the press since.
However, the same type of incidents are still happening and many occur on religious pilgrimages in foreign countries when hundreds of thousands of people mass together for annual prayers.
Only recently hundreds of people, including women and children, were reportedly killed when a 1500 foot long bridge collapsed over a canyon. The bridge was carrying around 400 pilgrims on their way to a religious ceremony in Nepal when it gave way, tipping all the travellers into the gorge, with the river below sweeping them away to their deaths.
Record numbers of lives have been lost in the annual pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia. The peak of this annual tragedy was in 1990 when 1400 people died in the mass panic and crushing. Although in smaller numbers, deaths have occurred every year in the same manner.
Authorities in Saudi Arabia bought in Western engineers to help with the problem and since new measures have been implemented, they are very happy to report that in the pilgrimage immediately following, there was no loss of life.
Muslims are required to make a pilgrimage to Mecca once in their lives to show their obedience to Muhammed. Hence, every year, during the last month of the Islamic lunar calendar, a five day hajj pilgrimage to the Grand Mosque for prayers brings 3 million visitors from hundreds of countries into a very small area.
During the next five days, they will travel to the Grand Mosque for prayers, they will visit a monument in the hope of touching the place where Muhammed is said to have preached and they will visit Muzdalifah, a valley outside Mina, several kilometres from Mecca for the ritual stoning of three pillars. The stoning is to represent the stoning of the temptations of the devil and has a set pattern to it.
Studies have shown that, given the average size of a human being, 6 people is the maximum density possible in one square meter. Due to the crowds at Mecca at this time of year, 10 people are trying to cram into the same space putting pressure equal to one ton on each and every person.
Studies reveal that in the last day of the pilgrimage after midday prayers, Muslims make their way to the three pillars for the last of the stoning rituals. After this event they begin to make their way home. They are all tired, emotions are running high from their once in a lifetime trip and the sun is at its fiercest.
This is the optimum time for a disaster to occur and exactly why engineers have been brought in to fix the problem. Their difficulties were compounded by the fact that the pilgrims collectively spoke dozens of different languages and many of them were illiterate making any written instructions virtually impossible.
A new bridge to ease the stoning ritual and a one way traffic flow system was put in place with instructional video footage shown to the pilgrims at their camp. This was all it took to alleviate the problem and no casualties were reported after these measures were in place.
Shariah Law of the Muslims does not permit life insurance by Western standards and neither do they take out Western style mortgages. They also do not see dying during a pilgrimage as much of a problem as it fast tracks you into heaven.
However, they do have their own banking system, developed in an entirely different way to what you and I know and they also have Takaful insurance, which is similar to life insurance in that it will pay for any outstanding finances owed on the event of death.
So, hopefully the rest of the world will take notice of the changes that Saudi Arabia have made to the way pilgrimages are managed to allow for religious rituals to take place without the tragic loss of lives.
Digg
del.icio.us
Blink
Stumble
Spurl
Reddit
Netscape
Furl
Article keywords: life insurance
Article Source: http://www.articles2k.com
Insurance expert Catherine Harvey looks at the Muslim pilgrimages and their view on life insurance to cover these events. To find out more please visit http://www.theidol.com/
|
|
| Top Insurance Articles |
- 1). Growing Old By : Joseph Kenny
There are a couple of things in life that we know, at some stage, we will be worried about. Growing old certainly seems to be one of them. More and more, our culture is becoming obsessed by the cult of youth. Not only are film stars and musicians young and beautiful, but increasingly, politicians and newsreaders are getting younger also. Add to this.
|
- 2). Health Care Eligibility For Unauthorized Migrants - Moral & Practical Implications By : Erin Shaughnessy
Various organizations and government officials have cited estimates for the number of illegal immigrants at between eight and twenty million. With rising health care costs as a major issue for most Americans, this article considers the moral and practical issues of providing medical care for uninsured immigrants.
According to a research report entitled “The Size and Characteristics of the Unauthorized Migrant Population in the U.
|
- 3). Determining How Much Life Insurance You Need By : Stephen L. Nelson, CPA
When considering life insurance, you’re planning and preparing for an event most of us would rather not think about. But life insurance represents a critical step in managing your personal finances and ensuring your family’s well-being.
The Two Approaches to Life Insurance
You can use one of two approaches to estimate how much life insurance you should buy: the needs approach or the replacement-income approach.
|
- 4). Can Car Insurance Be Affected By Your Bad Credit History? By : Joseph Kenny
If you have bad credit you can be denied car insurance! The protections afforded to the consumer since the Depression of 1929 no longer exist. The Financial Laws passed through Congress in 1992 allowed banks, insurance companies, investment firms to handle banking, insurance and investment operations. Laws passed after 1929 had prevented banks from.
|
- 5). How to Get Cheap Auto Insurance on the Internet By : Heather Colman
If you have a connection to the Internet and a computer you can easily find cheap auto insurance. With more and more businesses turning to the Internet to service their customers and increase sales, it's no wonder you see an insurance man on every virtual corner.
Not only are most of the major companies online today they now provide insurance quotes and the ability to buy your policy right from their websites.
|
- 6). Gap Insurance: A Financial Safety Belt By : Peter Garant
Why is gap insurance considered as a financial safety belt? Simply put, it keeps you from being financially ruined when disaster hits your car. For example you are in this situation, you bought a late-model car three months ago using a car loan with a regular car insurance. The car costs $30,000 and you have already made three payments of $900 each month.
|
- 7). Eight Rules for Saving Money When You Buy Insurance By : Stephen L. Nelson, CPA
By following the eight rules explained here, you can save money, and just as important, you can save yourself from making serious mistakes when you shop for and acquire insurance policies.
Rule 1: Buy Insurance Only for Financial Risks You Can’t Afford to Bear on Your Own
The purpose of insurance is to cover catastrophes that would devastate you or your family.
|
- 8). Critical Illness Insurance The Non-Disclosure Problem By : Michael Challiner
If you're in the unfortunate position of having to make a claim on your critical illness insurance policy, the last thing you want is insensitive hassle or apparent non co-operation from your insurer. But according to numerous newspaper articles, that's precisely what's happening. The core problem is that before they'll pay out, the insurer will always want to make exhaustive enquiries about your past health record.
|
- 9). Pssst - Want To Know A Secret That Banks & Car Insurance Companies Don't Share With You By : Tom OLeary
Every single driver in the U.S. is required to have Car Insurance. And most of drive around confident that we have adequate coverage to protect us should we ever be involved in an accident.
Yet, almost 97% of all drivers are not adequately protected...and don't even know it. Here's what I mean.
Let's say you're involved in an accident and it's serious enough that the car is considered a "total loss" by your Insurance Company.
|
- 10). Life Insurance & Why It’s Important For Your Family By : Daphne Succes
It’s sad to think about, but life insurance is something that everyone needs to consider. In the event of an unfortunate loss, an individual often wants to have the peace of mind in knowing that his/her family will be financially secure.
Life insurance can be obtained in a number of ways, including from a national insurance provider, various credit cards and/or certain employers.
|
| New Insurance Articles |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
- 6). When To Consider Selling Your Life Insurance Policy? By : Paul Sherman
A Life Insurance Policy is a personal property, like a house, car, antiques, old painting or stocks and bonds. You can sell your life insurance policy like you sell your other personal property items. Life insurance may now be viewed as a traditional asset that can be purchased or sold. Sale of Life insurance policy is called as Life insurance settlement, Life settlement or Senior settlement.
|
- 7). Life Insurance, A Great Investment Opportunity By : Mika Hamilton
Insurance is often the safe and most risk free approach to investment. Most people think they are sufficiently insured when they are not. Hardworking people spend a lifetime earning what they have. Our personal wealth is a coupling of family and our income early potential.
|
- 8). All About Home Insurance Leads By : Oliver Turner
After loads of man-made and natural calamities in USA the Home Insurance market has come much into prominence. And at present the competition is at its peak.
Homeowners Insurance is a guarantee, which pays the cost of your house if it gets damaged in some natural or manmade disasters like fire, floods, storms etc.
To get a good home insurance quote we often turn to agents.
|
- 9). Health insurance plans By : Janani
Health Insurance:
Health insurance, which is coverage for individuals to protect them against medical costs and give them a surity to a secured life in this unsecured world with day to day accidents, enormous infections and diseases which may be highly fatal such as Tuberculosis and other viral infections, Genetic disorders that requires relatively high costs for treatment and diagnosis.
|
- 10). Life Insurance Online By : Robert Lawrence
There are many types of life insurance policies. Before you venture out for one, learn about them and see which one is applicable to your needs best. The following are the most common ones:
1. Term life insurance: This type of insurance is the most basic of all. Its one and only function is to cover your life with an amount of cash which on even of your death will be given to your nominee.
|
|
|
