Free Republic

News arrived through twitter that an explosion occurred in Medina. Probably the Snackbars again.

A visiting Pakistani-American radio journalist has commended Saudi Arabia for the successful organization of this year’s Haj. Qamar Abbas Jafri of Voice of America’s Urdu Service described Saudi efforts “as a job well done.” Jafri was among 200 international journalists invited by the Ministry of Culture and Information to perform Haj and report on it. “I performed Haj and did a number of reports from the holy sites,” he told Arab News on Friday before heading back to Washington, D.C. “I am really impressed; it is a wonderful experience to be here.” Jafri said this was his second Haj. “I...

Q. Some people argue that preventing non-Muslims from visiting Makkah and Madinah deprives them of a chance to be impressed with Islam. Some say that they could be informed of the protocols they have to observe and allowed to visit the two mosques. After all, Islam is very tolerant in its attitude to other faiths. Please comment. Muhammad Asif A. That Islam is tolerant is beyond doubt. But tolerance and kind treatment of the followers of other faiths does not mean contravening the rules of our religion. The question of prohibiting entry of non-Muslims into Makkah and Madinah is not...