The Pilgrimage Business (Video)

Where can you spend almost $US150,000 per square metre on a piece of land? Not the Champs-Elysees in Paris, or Broadway or New York. But Mecca! This film shows the transformation of the holiest place in the Islamic world into a real estate business for religious tourism … More than 3-million Muslims from around the world now attend the world’s largest pilgrimage, the Hajj. Following the pilgrims’ journey, this film features a rare interview with the Bin Laden Group behind much of the monumental development of Mecca, potentially Saudi Arabia’s new ‘gold’.

I found this documentary both fascinating and revealing.

It goes beyond the financials and provides insight into cultural and social aspects. And, why so many Muslims feel compelled to attend the Hajj, even when it means spending, at minimum, 2,200 Euros (approx. $US 3,300) per person just to get there; the example in this case is from France.

I suggest you watch the entire film, especially the last 20 minutes regarding the Bin Laden Group, as well as future projections about Muslim population, hence pilgrims to Mecca.

They aren’t exactly the “borg”.

Meantime, many Muslims (not all) are shaping the West as they wish, because they can and the West is and appears to be accommodating to their demands.

Often, it begs the questions why so many “average” muslims, while outwardly or inwardly adhering to their belief system, seek and have sought refuge in the West?

Why many muslims have not been able to establish a democracy and all kinds of freedom, those they enjoy in the West, in their own country?

I wonder how many non-muslims or even American Muslims would care, to be stripped off their Western residency or citizenship, and to go and live in Saudi Arabia, for example, under their laws? 30 million for example in this poll:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2377898/posts?

Maybe it would be best for those who wish to go and live in Saudi Arabia to do so ASAP. Of course, at present, they will not, and many can not.

The Saudis, unlike the West, are quite strict as to Who, What, When and How Many they allow into their Islamic Kingdom. I haven’t heard many Muslims complain about that.

I think the West is often its own worst enemy.

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