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.

[steve8714]

Ancient urinal?

[TC Rider]

If they're pissed now, wait till they get one of these...

[Joe 6-pack]

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

LOL....I was thinking the same thing...and not so much as a decent bass pond around for miles!

[VaBthang4]

21*25'0" North Latitude
39*49'34" East Longtitude
________________________

Nuke it.

[HeartlandOfAmerica]

Mutawa I believe

[Berosus]

I forgot to remind everyone in message #15 that the Starbucks' logo is a woman's face. You know the Saudis are going to try to cover or ban that.

[Tamar1973]

Ah, now I get it. It's the Muslim version of the Blarney Stone? Thanks for enlightening me. LOL!

[Alouette]

Mecca is becoming like Las Vegas

The mob is taking over?

[Dr. Eckleburg]

Sounds like progress to me.

[conservative in nyc]

Looks like a spitoon or a bedpan. I think I kinda already know the answer, but what's the deal with it?

From the article F15Eagle linked (which makes a heck of a lot more sense than Wikipedia), it's the black rock/meteorite that Muslims try to kiss while on their pilgrimage to Mecca. When it broke apart back in the 600sAD, they set the rock in silver. It is usually placed at one of the cornerstones of the Kaaba:


However, the silver thing containing the rock is removable for cleaning, which the tribe in charge of maintaining the Kabaa does once a year. That's why there are people holding it in F15Eagle's original picture. In that picture, it truly looks like a bedpan, spittoon or bad mirror.

[SunkenCiv]

the Starbucks' logo is a woman's face. You know the Saudis are going to try to cover or ban that.

I'd agree with that under certain circumstances...

[saganite]

That's right. Thanks.

[Terriergal]

Too wacky! I wonder if they'll invite Rick over for "Hajj 2007"?

[Phsstpok]

No doubt most of the development will be done by the Bin Laden firm, which did most of the renovation to the Grand Mosque. They are one of, if not the largest construction firms in the kingdom.

There's always been speculation that Bin Laden built in back doors and pathways during the work on the Mosque that Osama could use to "appear" at the right moment in the Grand Mosque and declare his Mahdihood. In this most recent construction I'd be more likely to wonder how many tons of plastique was included in the structures.

[Gamecock]

Purpose Drive Jihad?

[Terriergal]

I guess so!

[Gamecock]

That would tie into Warren denying Christians are persecuted in Syria.