There is a huge difference between paganism and revering certain places and rituals, whether religious, national, or ethnic.
According to the opinion of some scholars, throwing pebbles at the Jamrahs (stoning pillars), for instance, shows our disagreement with the devil and our abstention from following him, and is a symbol of following the example of Abraham (peace be upon him), who threw stones at the devil when the latter appeared to him and tried to prevent him from carrying out his Lord's command by slaughtering his son. [301] Similarly, performing Sa‘y (walking at a brisk pace) between Safa and Marwah is a symbol of following the example of Hājar, who kept walking at a brisk pace in search of water for her son Ishmael. In all cases and regardless of the views in this regard, all the rituals of Hajj are meant to establish the remembrance of Allah and to indicate obedience and submission to the Lord of the worlds. They are not meant to worship stones, places, or people. Meanwhile, Islam calls for worshiping one God, the Lord of the heavens and the earth and what is between them and the Creator and Sovereign of everything. Imam Al-Hākim in "Al-Mustadrak" and Imam Ibn Khuzaymah in his "Sahīh" on the authority of Ibn ‘Abbās (may Allah be pleased with him).
Can we blame someone for kissing the envelope that contains a message from his father, for instance?! All rituals of Hajj are meant to establish the remembrance of Allah and to indicate obedience and submission to the Lord of the worlds. They are not meant to worship stones, places, or people. Meanwhile, Islam calls for worshipping one God, the Lord of the heavens and the earth and what is between them and the Creator and Sovereign of everything.
Allah Almighty said:
{I turn my face towards the One Who originated the heavens and earth, inclining to true faith, and I am not one of those who associate partners with Allah.} [302] Surat al-An‘ām: 79.
Death caused by crowdedness during Hajj has only occurred in a limited number of years, and usually those who die because of the crowdedness are extremely rare. However, those who die because of consuming alcohol, for instance, amount to millions every year, and victims from among the crowds of football fields and the South American carnivals are even more. In all cases, death is an inevitable truth and meeting Allah is truth, and dying while performing an act of obedience is better than dying while committing a sin.
Malcolm X says:
"For the first time, after spending twenty-nine years on this earth, I stood before the Creator of everything and felt that I am a perfect human being. I have never witnessed in my life something more truthful than such establishment of brotherhood between people of all colors and races. America needs to understand Islam because it is the only religion that can solve the problem of racism." [303] A Muslim preacher and a human rights activist, an American from African origins (Afro-American). He rectified the Islamic movement course of action in America after it had strongly deviated from the Islamic creed and he called people to the sound creed.