The profane crowding out sacred in Mecca (nearing its end?)

IHT ^ | 03/08/07 | Hassan M. Fattah

[TigerLikesRooster]

The profane crowding out sacred in Mecca By Hassan M. Fattah

Thursday, March 8, 2007 MECCA: Five times a day across the globe, devout Muslims face this city in prayer, focused on a site where they believe the prophet Abraham built a temple to God. The spot is also the place Muslims are expected to visit at least once in their lives.

Now as they gaze here in their mind's eye, and make the pilgrimage clothed in simple white cotton wraps, they will see something other than the austere black cube known as the Kaaba that occupies the spot. They will also see Starbucks. And Cartier and Tiffany. And H&M and Topshop.

The Abraj Al Bait Shopping Center, one of the largest malls to open in Saudi Arabia, outfitted with flat-panel monitors, neon lights, an amusement park ride, fast-food restaurants and a lingerie shop, is being built directly across from Islam's holiest site.

Not everyone considers this progress.

"Mecca is becoming like Las Vegas, and that is a disaster," said Ali al- Ahmed, director of the Institute for Gulf Affairs in Washington, a Saudi opposition research organization. "It will have a disastrous effect on Muslims because going to Mecca will have no feeling. There is no charm anymore. All you see is glass and cement."

The mall, which opened a week before the annual hajj pilgrimage in December, is the first in a $13 billion construction boom in Mecca that promises to change how this city, forbidden to everyone but Muslims, looks and feels.

[TigerLikesRooster]

Maybe folks doing palm-reading, or selling potions would be also coming soon.

[Darkwolf377]

"Mecca is becoming like Las Vegas,"

Let's not exagerrate.

Just because Rich Little is doing two weeks there doesn't mean Mecca is "becoming like Las Vegas." Although comping the visitors to Mecca IS a bit much.

[Constantine XI Palaeologus]

There's no charm right now either. All you have is a bunch of crazy, murderous, pedophile-worshipers who flock there for the haj.

[Dallas59]

Mecca is becoming like Las Vegas...

and Helen Thomas is Miss America....

[conservative in nyc]

Interesting. Mecca is becoming more Westernized, with 3-bedroom apartments selling for more than those in NYC.

One man's progress is another man's profane, I guess.

Also from the article:

Ahmed, of the Islamic Heritage Foundation, has catalogued the destruction of more than 300 antiquity sites, including cemeteries and mosques. He says that the house where the Prophet Muhammad was born was torn down to make way for a bathroom.

That's not very respectful to the Mohammad (although some non-Muslims might pay a pretty penny to visit).

[Allegra]

No, Dubai is becoming like Vegas.

Mecca is just a place in Saudi Arabia where life overall pretty much sucks by American standards.

[NurdlyPeon]

Well, I guess I'll file this one under BWAAA HAAAA HAAAA HAAAAAAAAAAAAA

[saganite]

I'm surprised the Saudi religious police (their name escapes me) would allow this if the report is factual.

[Nam Vet]

The Abraj Al Bait Shopping Center.....

Those muzzies think of everything! They've even got a bait shop.

Nam Vet

[SunkenCiv]

an amusement park ride

One ride? Billions in cash pour in, and they buy one freakin' merry go round? Why don't they stick with what they know best -- throwing stones at the carcass of a dead goat, then panicking and trampling hundreds of fellow pilgrims to death.

[Lurker]

" All you see is glass "

Would that this were true.

Trinitite is lovely I hear.

L

[Bazooka]

Bearing in mind that only muslims are allowed to enter Mecca, who are they going to blame for things going bad? Israel? The US of A?

Time for them to get a real life.

[conservative in nyc]

What is that? I thought the meteorite black stone that the Muslims all try to kiss was one of the cornerstones of the Kaaba, and the Kaaba is actually empty (or so sayeth Wikipedia - perhaps not the best source).

[Berosus]

I thought Moslems were boycotting Starbucks, because the company's Jewish owner made a speech supporting the War on Terror in 2002. I was reminded of it recently when I saw cans of Caribou Coffee, the competitor Arabs set up, in a local store.

And if people are worried about Mecca becoming too commercial, big deal. It has already happened in Cairo.

[visualops]

going to Mecca will have no feeling. There is no charm anymore. All you see is glass and cement

And this is a complaint coming from someone who worships a rock?

[SunkenCiv]

:') Of course, in Cairo, Pizza Hut doesn't offer Personal Pan Pizza because the gov't regards the name as too pagan.

Okay, I made that up...

[tupac]

It looks like the bad-evil-eye-thingy that Frodo was trying to destroy. Or a sphincter. Whatever.

Hey! Where is a picture of the Bait shop that was mentioned too? They can't be all bad if there's fishing involved.

[shove_it]

"He says that the house where the Prophet Muhammad was born was torn down to make way for a bathroom."

An example of Saudi styled eminent domain - learning from SCOTUS.

[reagan_fanatic]

"He says that the house where the Prophet Muhammad was born was torn down to make way for a bathroom."

So they increased the value the property - what's the big deal?