Posted on 08/19/2005 11:28:06 AM PDT by Alouette
The Saudi government’s decision to demolish the home of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) to make way for the Jabal Omar Scheme, a project consisting of a parking lot, two 50-storey hotel towers and seven 35-storey apartment blocks, has evoked no response from the Muslim world. This is surprising, to say the least. The only voice that has been raised against the project is that of Saudi architect Dr Sami Angawi, who according to news reports, is on a one-man campaign against the very idea. Interestingly, the project is in the vicinity of the Grand Mosque.
There are two broad aspects to be considered. While one relates to religion, the other is underscored by history and culture. Let’s consider both.
Denominationally, Saudi Arabia practices Wahhabism, a ghair-muqallid (non-imitative) creed that does not follow the four recognised schools of Islamic fiqh. Its founder Abdul Wahhab stressed the need to return to the purity of religion. In practice, this has meant a rejection of history. In the centuries between Wahhab’s time and the time of the Prophet (pbuh), many bida’s (innovations) came to be injected into Islam. According to Wahab, these had to be eliminated in order to restore Islam to its pristine, ideological purity and glory.
Not surprisingly, this emphasis on purity has led to debates over various issues at the micro level: graves cannot be bricked because tombs can be used by people of feeble faith for worship, which is shirk (worshipping anyone but one Allah); pictures are not allowed; mysticism is bida’; music is banned, and so on. In the early 1920s, the Saudis bulldozed and levelled a major part of Jannat-ul Baqi’, a graveyard in Medina that housed the graves of the family and companions of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). They did not finish the job because there was much protest in the Muslim world over the project. But today no voice has been raised against the Saudi government’s decision because Wahhabism has penetrated deeply into the Sunnis. One of the most ironic developments following the rise of Islamist groups is that even Sunnis — for instance Deobandis in South and West Asia who follow the Hanafi fiqh — are part of the Salafist (from Islaaf — forefathers) phenomenon that used to distinguish Wahhabis from those Sunnis that followed any of the four schools of jurisprudence. Increasingly, Islam in the Muslim world is manifesting symptoms of Wahhabism.
This is one of the main issues on which there is virtually no debate in the Muslim world. Now with Islamist extremism, the space to debate these issues has further diminished.
On the historical-cultural front, the Saudi government has steadily denuded the country of its heritage. What it has done is nothing less than a “cultural” massacre. An additional factor is the aspect of greed. Reports suggest that commercial developers are making a killing by destroying the heritage and constructing in its place the steel and glass monstrosities that pass for modern architecture. Saudi Arabia is one big centrally-air-conditioned state. That shows that its modern buildings are incommensurate with its climate. John Ruskin said that architecture reflected a nation’s character. How that translates into a yardstick for measuring the character of the Saudi state is not difficult to fathom.
There is definite need here for governments in the Muslim world to raise their voice against what Riyadh is trying to do. Renouncing and destroying history in the name of either denominational purity or rank commercialism or a combination of both cannot be allowed. Voices are already being raised for the preservation of Islamic culture from among the “infidels”. Let us not allow the world to say that Muslims show horrible inertia when it comes to fighting internal causes while they are ever ready to blow themselves up across the globe to fight the infidels. Why should we always have to wait for others to secure our heritage for us? *
Warning! This is a high-volume ping list.
Late last night they put up a parking lot. (Peace be upon it)
LOL! Awesome.
I'm sure David Souter will support the builders.
I guess Muslims have their own problems with eminant domain powers.
Good News!
This is no big deal. They will revise history and say Prophet Mo' lived in a air-conditioned high-rise. Can't let a little thing like the truth get in the way of progress.
Man, Mohammed's (may pig piss be upon him) boyhood home...did the Saudi's consult with Justice Souter? (hehehe)
So, is this author declaring a jihad against air conditioning?
Not only do they love to destroy the culturally significant sites of others, as in the Buddhas in Afghanistan, but they love to destroy their own.
Hey, Saudis, there's a big Muslim holy site in Jerusalem that you can raze if you want.
Islam sure is a destructive religion/political movement, isn't it?
They paved paradise, and put up a parking lot!
(Ooooooh Bop Bop Bop Bop...Ooooooooooh!)
Oddly, this is further evidence that turning Meccah into a glass parking lot would have no effect on the associated religion. No idols.
Lyrical Opportunity bump!
If you want to support this cause, send your money to ME! :>)
Leave out religion...
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