Mecca for the rich: Islam’s holiest site ‘turning into Vegas’ – by Jerome Taylor
Editor’s note: The Saudi-Salafi-Wahhabi empire in Hijaz is implementing its on-going goal of destruction of early Islamic heritage, and their current target is Makkah, Islam’s holiest site. The destruction of sites associated with early Islam is a phenomenon that has occurred mainly in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia, particularly around the holy cities of Mecca (Makkah) and Medina (Madinah). The demolition has focused on mosques, burial sites, homes and historical locations associated with the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and many of the founding personalities of early Islamic history including Sahaba (companions) and Ahlul Bayt (family) of the Prophet. This phenomenon is part of the implementation of state-endorsed Wahhabi religious policy that entirely rejects the practices and habits of remembering and visiting the Prophet’s and his companions and family members’ heritage which according to Salafi-Wahhabi beliefs are tantamount to idolatry and polytheism (Shirk). In the following article published in The Independent, Jerome Taylor reports how historic and culturally important landmarks are being destroyed to make way for luxury hotels and malls in Makkah. (End note)
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Behind closed doors – in places where the religious police cannot listen in – residents of Mecca are beginning to refer to their city as Las Vegas, and the moniker is not a compliment.
Over the past 10 years the holiest site in Islam has undergone a huge transformation, one that has divided opinion among Muslims all over the world.
Once a dusty desert town struggling to cope with the ever-increasing number of pilgrims arriving for the annual Hajj, the city now soars above its surroundings with a glittering array of skyscrapers, shopping malls and luxury hotels.
To the al-Saud monarchy, Mecca is their vision of the future – a steel and concrete metropolis built on the proceeds of enormous oil wealth that showcases their national pride.
Yet growing numbers of citizens, particularly those living in the two holy cities of Mecca and Medina, have looked on aghast as the nation’s archaeological heritage is trampled under a construction mania backed by hardline clerics who preach against the preservation of their own heritage. Mecca, once a place where the Prophet Mohamed insisted all Muslims would be equal, has become a playground for the rich, critics say, where naked capitalism has usurped spirituality as the city’s raison d’être.
Few are willing to discuss their fears openly because of the risks associated with criticising official policy in the authoritarian kingdom. And, with the exceptions of Turkey and Iran, fellow Muslim nations have largely held their tongues for fear of of a diplomatic fallout and restrictions on their citizens’ pilgrimage visas. Western archaeologists are silent out of fear that the few sites they are allowed access to will be closed to them.
But a number of prominent Saudi archaeologists and historians are speaking up in the belief that the opportunity to save Saudi Arabia’s remaining historical sites is closing fast.
“No one has the balls to stand up and condemn this cultural vandalism,” says Dr Irfan al-Alawi who, as executive director of the Islamic Heritage Research Foundation, has fought in vain to protect his country’s historical sites. “We have already lost 400-500 sites. I just hope it’s not too late to turn things around.”
Sami Angawi, a renowned Saudi expert on the region’s Islamic architecture, is equally concerned. “This is an absolute contradiction to the nature of Mecca and the sacredness of the house of God,” he told the Reuters news agency earlier this year. “Both [Mecca and Medina] are historically almost finished. You do not find anything except skyscrapers.”
Dr Alawi’s most pressing concern is the planned £690m expansion of the Grand Mosque, the most sacred site in Islam which contains the Kaaba – the black stone cube built by Ibrahim (Abraham) that Muslims face when they pray.
Construction officially began earlier this month with the country’s Justice Minister, Mohammed al-Eissa, exclaiming that the project would respect “the sacredness and glory of the location, which calls for the highest care and attention of the servants or Islam and Muslims”.
The 400,000 square metre development is being built to accommodate an extra 1.2 million pilgrims each year and will turn the Grand Mosque into the largest religious structure in the world. But the Islamic Heritage Foundation has compiled a list of key historical sites that they believe are now at risk from the ongoing development of Mecca, including the old Ottoman and Abbasi sections of the Grand Mosque, the house where the Prophet Mohamed was born and the house where his paternal uncle Hamza grew up.
There is little argument that Mecca and Medina desperately need infrastructure development. Twelve million pilgrims visit the cities every year with the numbers expected to increase to 17 million by 2025.
But critics fear that the desire to expand the pilgrimage sites has allowed the authorities to ride roughshod over the area’s cultural heritage. The Washington-based Gulf Institute estimates that 95 per cent of Mecca’s millennium-old buildings have been demolished in the past two decades alone.
The destruction has been aided by Wahabism, the austere interpretation of Islam that has served as the kingdom’s official religion ever since the al-Sauds rose to power across the Arabian Peninsula in the 19th century.
In the eyes of Wahabis, historical sites and shrines encourage “shirq” – the sin of idolatry or polytheism – and should be destroyed. When the al-Saud tribes swept through Mecca in the 1920s, the first thing they did was lay waste to cemeteries holding many of Islam’s important figures. They have been destroying the country’s heritage ever since. Of the three sites the Saudis have allowed the UN to designate World Heritage Sites, none are related to Islam.
Those circling the Kaaba only need to look skywards to see the latest example of the Saudi monarchy’s insatiable appetite for architectural bling. At 1,972ft, the Royal Mecca Clock Tower, opened earlier this year, soars over the surrounding Grand Mosque, part of an enormous development of skyscrapers that will house five-star hotels for the minority of pilgrims rich enough to afford them.
To build the skyscraper city, the authorities dynamited an entire mountain and the Ottoman era Ajyad Fortress that lay on top of it. At the other end of the Grand Mosque complex, the house of the Prophet’s first wife Khadijah has been turned into a toilet block. The fate of the house he was born in is uncertain. Also planned for demolition are the Grand Mosque’s Ottoman columns which dare to contain the names of the Prophet’s companions, something hardline Wahabis detest.
For ordinary Meccans living in the mainly Ottoman-era town houses that make up much of what remains of the old city, development often means the loss of their family home.
Non-Muslims cannot visit Mecca and Medina, but The Independent was able to interview a number of citizens who expressed discontent over the way their town was changing. One young woman whose father recently had his house bulldozed described how her family was still waiting for compensation. “There was very little warning; they just came and told him that the house had to be bulldozed,” she said.
Another Meccan added: “If a prince of a member of the royal family wants to extend his palace he just does it. No one talks about it in public though. There’s such a climate of fear.”
Dr Alawi hopes the international community will finally begin to wake up to what is happening in the cradle of Islam. “We would never allow someone to destroy the Pyramids, so why are we letting Islam’s history disappear?”
Under Threat
Bayt al-Mawlid
When the Wahabis took Mecca in the 1920s they destroyed the dome on top of the house where the Prophet Mohammed was born. It was thenused as a cattle market before being turned into a library after a campaign by Meccans. There are concerns that the expansion of the Grand Mosque will destroy it once more. The site has never been excavated by archaeologists.
Ottoman and Abasi columns of the Grand Mosque
Slated for demolition as part of the Grand Mosque expansion, these intricately carved columns date back to the 17th century and are the oldest surviving sections of Islam’s holiest site. Much to the chagrin of Wahabis, they are inscribed with the names of the Prophet’s companions. Ottomon Mecca is now rapidly disappearing
Al-Masjid al-Nawabi
For many years, hardline Wahabi clerics have had their sites set on the 15th century green dome that rests above the tomb holding the Prophet, Abu Bakr and Umar in Medina. The mosque is regarded as the second holiest site in Islam. Wahabis, however, believe marked graves are idolatrous. A pamphlet published in 2007 by the Saudi Ministry of Islamic Affairs, endorsed by Abdulaziz Al Sheikh, the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia, stated that “the green dome shall be demolished and the three graves flattened in the Prophet’s Masjid”.
Jabal al-Nour
A mountain outside Mecca where Mohammed received his first Koranic revelations. The Prophet used to spend long spells in a cave called Hira. The cave is particularly popular among South Asian pilgrims who have carved steps up to its entrance and adorned the walls with graffiti. Religious hardliners are keen to dissuade pilgrims from congregating there and have mooted the idea of removing the steps and even destroying the mountain altogether.
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Appendix: Destroyed sites
Mosques
- The mosque at the grave of Sayyid al-Shuhada’ Hamza bin Abdul Muttalib.
- The Mosque of Fatima Zahra.
- The Mosque of al-Manaratain.
- Mosque and tomb of Sayyid Imam al-Uraidhi ibn Ja‘far al-Sadiq, destroyed by dynamite on August 13, 2002.
- Four mosques at the site of the Battle of the Trench in Medina.
- The Mosque of Abu Rasheed.
- Salman al-Farsi Mosque, in Medina.
- Raj’at ash-Shams Mosque, in Medina.
Cemeteries and tombs
- Jannat al-Baqi in Medina, completely leveled.
- Jannat al-Mu’alla, the ancient cemetery at Mecca.
- Grave of Hamida al-Barbariyya, the mother of Imam Musa al-Kazim.
- Grave of Amina bint Wahb, Muhammad’s mother, bulldozed and set alight in 1998.
- Graves of Banu Hashim in Mecca.
- Tombs of Hamza and other martyrs were demolished at Uhud.[10]
- Tomb of Eve in Jeddah sealed with concrete in 1975.
- Grave of the father of Muhammad, in Medina.
Historical religious sites
- The house of Mawlid where Muhammad is believed to have been born in 570. Originally turned into a cattle market, it now lies under a rundown building which was built 70 years ago as a compromise after Wahhabi clerics called for it to be torn down.
- The house of Khadija, Muhammad’s first wife. Muslims believe he received some of the first revelations there. It was also where his children Umm Kulthum, Ruqayyah, Zainab, Fatimah and Qasim were born. After it was rediscovered during the Haram extensions in 1989, it was covered over and it was made into a library.
- House of Muhammed in Medina, where he lived after the migration from Mecca.
- Dar al Arqam, the first Islamic school where Muhammad taught. It now lies under the extension of the Masjid Al Nabawi of Madinah.
- Qubbat’ al-Thanaya, the burial site of Muhammed’s incisor that was broken in the Battle of Uhud.
- Mashrubat Umm Ibrahim, built to mark the location of the house where Muhammad’s son, Ibrahim, was born to Mariah.
- Dome which served as a canopy over the Well of Zamzam.
- Bayt al-Ahzan of Sayyida Fatima, in Medina.
- House of Imam Ja’far al-Sadiq, in Medina.
- Mahhalla complex of Banu Hashim, in Medina.
- House of Ali where Hasan and Husayn were born.
SAUDI DESTRUCTION
By Mustafa Shakir
On 8th Shawwal, Wednesday, in the year 1345 AH (April 21, 1925), mausoleums in Jannat al-Baqi in Madina were demolished by King Abdul Aziz Ibn Saud.
In the same year (1925), he also demolished the tombs of holy personages at Jannat al-Mualla in Makkah where the Holy Prophet’s (SAWS) mother, wife, grandfather and other ancestors are buried.
Destruction of sacred sites in Hijaz by the Saudi Wahhabis continues even today. According to some scholars what is happening in Hijaz is actually a conspiracy plotted by the Jews against Islam, under the guise of Tawheed. The idea is to eradicate the Islamic legacy and heritage and to systematically remove all its vestiges so that in the days to come, Muslims will have no affiliation with their religious history.
The Origins of Al-Baqi
Literally “al-Baqi” means a tree garden. It is also known as “Jannat al-Baqi” due to its sanctity, since in it are buried many of our Prophet’s (SAWS) relatives and companions.
The first companion buried in al-Baqi was Uthman b. Madhoon who died on the 3rd of Sha’ban in the 3rd year of Hijrah. The Prophet (s) ordered certain trees to be felled, and in its midst, he buried his dear companion, placing two stones over the grave.
Ibn Maz`un (ru) was the first of the Muhajirin buried in Baqi al-Gharqad. Hadhrat Ibrahim (ru), the Prophet’s (SAWS) son, was buried next to him. (Abu Dawood, al-Bayhaqi, Ibn Hajar, Ibn al-Mulaqqin).
The site of the burial ground at al-Baqi was gradually extended. Nearly seven thousand companions of the Holy Prophet (SAWS) were buried there, not to mention those of the Ahl-e-Bayt (ru). Imam Hasan b. Ali (ru), Imam Ali b. al-Husayn (ru), Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (ru), and Imam Ja’far al-Sadiq (ru) were all buried there.
Among other relatives of the Prophet (s) who were buried at al-Baqi are: his aunts Safiya and Aatika, and his aunt Fatima bint al-Asad, the mother of Hadhrat Ali (RUA). The third caliph Hadhrat Uthman (RU) was also buried in Baqi. In later years, great Muslim scholars like Malik bin Anas and many others, were buried there too. Thus, did al-Baqi become a well-known place of great historic significance to all Muslims.
Al-Baqi as viewed by historians
Umar bin Jubair describes al-Baqi as he saw it during his travel to Madina, saying “Al-Baqi is situated to the east of Madina. You enter it through the gate known as the gate of al-Baqi. As you enter, the first grave you see on your left is that of Safiya, (RA) the Prophet’s (SAWS) aunt, and further still is the grave of Malik bin Anas,(RU) the Imam of Madina. On his grave is raised a small dome. In front of it is the grave of Ibrahim (RU) son of our Prophet (SAWS) with a white dome over it.. Facing it are the graves of Aqeel bin Abi Talib (RU) and Abdullah bin Ja’far al-Tayyar (RU). There, facing those graves is a small shrine containing the graves of the Prophet’s (SWAS) wives, following by a shrine of Abbas bin Abdul Muttalib (RU).
The grave of Hasan bin Ali (RU), situated near the gate to it’s right hand, has an elevated dome over it. His head lies at the feet of Abbas bin Abdul Muttalib (RU), and both graves are raised high above the ground, their walls are paneled with yellow plates and studded with beautiful star-shaped nails. This is how the grave of Ibrahim(RU), son of the Prophet (SWAS) has also been adorned. Behind the shrine of Abbas (RU) there is the house attributed to Fatima, (RA) daughter of our Prophet (s), known as “Bayt al-Ahzaan” because it is the house she used to frequent in order to mourn the death of her father, the chosen one (SAWS). At the farthest end of al-Baqi is the grave of the caliph Uthman (RU), with a small dome over it, and there, next to it, is the grave of Fatima bint Asad (RA), mother of Ali bin Abi Talib (RU)”
After a century and a half, the famous traveller Ibn Batuta came to describe al-Baqi in a way which does not in any way differ from the description given by Ibn Jubair. He adds saying, “At al-Baqi are the graves of numerous Muhajirin and Ansar and many companions of the Prophet (SAWS), except that most of their names are unknown.”
Thus, over the centuries, al-Baqi remained a sacred site with renovations being carried out as and when needed till the Wahhabis rose to power in the early nineteenth century. The latter desecrated the tombs and demonstrated disrespect to the martyrs and the companions of the Prophet (SAWS) buried there. Muslims who disagreed with them were branded as “infidels” and killed.
The First Destruction of Al-Baqi
The Wahhabis claimed that visiting the graves and the shrines of the Prophets, the Imams, or Sahabah was a form of idolatry and totally un-Islamic. Those who did not conform with their self concocted ideology were killed and their property was confiscated. Since their first invasion of Iraq, and till nowadays, in fact, the Wahhabis, as well as other rulers of the Gulf States, having been carrying out massacres from which no Muslim who disagreed with them was spared. Obviously, the rest of the Islamic World viewed those graves with deep reverence. Had it not been so, the two caliphs Abu Bakr (RU) and Umar (RU) would not have expressed their desire for burial near the grave of the Prophet (SAWS).
From 1785 AD (1205 AH) to 1787 AD (1217 AH), the Wahhabis made several attempts to gain a foothold in Hijaz but failed. Finally in 1799 AD (1217 AH), they somehow emerged victorious in Taif where they spilled the innocent blood of Muslims. In 1800 AD (1218 AH), they entered Makkah and destroyed all sacred places and domes there, including the one which served as a canopy over the well of Zamzam.
In 1803 AD (1221 AH), the Wahhabis entered Madina to desecrate al-Baqi as well as every mosque they came across. An attempt was even made to demolish the Prophet’s (SAWS) tomb, but for one reason or another, the idea was abandoned. In subsequent years, Muslims from Iraq, Syria, and Egypt were refused entry into Makkah for Hajj. King Abdul Aziz set a pre-condition that those who wished to perform the pilgrimage would have to accept Wahhabism or else be branded as non-Muslims, becoming ineligible for entry into the Haram.
Al-Baqi was razed to the ground, with no sign of any grave or tomb whatsoever. But the Saudis were still not quite satisfied with doing all of that. Their king ordered three black attendants at the Prophet’s (SAWS) shrine to show him where the treasure of valuable gifts were stored. The Wahhabis plundered this treasure for their personal use.
Thousands of Muslims fled Makkah and Madina in a bid to save their lives and escape from the mounting pressure and persecution at the hands of the Wahhabis. Muslims from all over the world denounced this Saudi savagery and exhorted the Caliphate of the Ottoman Empire to save the sacred shrines from total destruction. Then, as it is known, Muhammad Ali Basha attacked Hijaz and, with the support of local tribes, managed to restore law and order in Madina and Makkah, dislodging the Abdul Aziz clansmen. The entire Muslim world celebrated this victory with great fanfare and rejoicing. In Cairo, the celebrations continued for five days. No doubt, the joy was due to the fact that pilgrims were once more allowed freely to go for Hajj, and the sacred shrines were once again restored.
In 1818 AD, the Ottaman Caliph Abdul Majid and his successors, Caliphs Abdul Hamid and Mohammed, carried out the reconstruction of all sacred places, restoring the Islamic heritage at all important sites. In 1848 and 1860 AD, further renovations were made at the expense of nearly seven hundred thousand pounds, most of which came from the donations collected at the Prophet’s (SAWS) tomb.
The second plunder by the Wahhabis
The Ottoman Empire had added to the splendor of Madina and Makkah by building religious structures of great beauty and architectural value. Richard Burton, who visited the holy shrines in 1853 AD disguised as an Afghan Muslim and adopting the Muslim name Abdullah, speaks of Madina boasting 55 mosques and holy shrines. Another English adventurer who visited Madina in 1877-1878 AD describes it as a small beautiful city resembling Istanbul. He writes about its white walls, golden slender minarets and green fields. 1924 AD Wahhabis entered Hijaz for a second time and carried out another merciless plunder and massacre. People in streets were killed. Houses were razed to the ground. Women and children too were not spared.
Awn bin Hashim (Shairf of Makkah) writes: “Before me, a valley appeared to have been paved with corpses, dried blood staining everywhere all around. There was hardly a tree which didn’t have one or two dead bodies near its roots.”
1925 Madina surrendered to the Wahhabi onslaught. All Islamic heritage were destroyed. The only shrine that remained intact was that of the Holy Prophet (SAWS).
Ibn Jabhan says: “We know that the tomb standing on the Prophet’s (SAWS) grave is against our principles, and to have his grave in a mosque is an abominable sin.”
Tombs of Hamza (RU) and other martyrs were demolished at Uhud. A promise was given that Hijaz will have an Islamic multinational government. This was also abandoned.
1925 AD Jannat al-Mu’alla, the sacred cemetery at Makkah was destroyed along with the house where the Holy Prophet (SAWS) was born.
Is it not strange that the Wahhabis find it offensive to have the tombs, shrines and other places of importance preserved, while the remains of their Saudi kings are being guarded at the expense of millions of dollars?
Protest from Indian Muslims
1926, protest gatherings were held by shocked Muslims all over the world. Resolutions were passed and a statement outlining the crimes perpetrated by Wahhabis was issued and included the following:
The destruction and desecration of the holy places i.e. the birth place of the Holy Prophet [SAWS], the graves of Banu Hashim in Makkah and in Jannat al-Baqi (Madinah), the refusal of the Wahhabis to allow Muslims to do Ziyarah.
The destruction of the places of worship i.e. Masjid Hamza, Masjid Abu Rasheed, in addition to the tombs of Imams and Sahaba (Prophet’s companions).
Interference in the performance of Hajj rituals.
Forcing the Muslims to follow the Wahhabis innovations and to abandon their own ways according to the guidance of the Imams they follow.
The massacre of Sayyids in Taif, Madina, Ahsa, and Qatif.
The demolition of the grave of the Imams at al-Baqi
Protest from other countries
Similar protests were lodged by Muslims in Iran, Iraq, Egypt, Indonesia, and Turkey. All of them condemn the Saudi Wahhabis for their barbaric acts. Some scholars wrote tracts and books to tell the world the fact that what was happening in Hijaz was actually a conspiracy plotted by the Jews against Islam, under the guise of Tawheed. The idea was to eradicate the Islamic legacy and heritage and to systematically remove all its vestiges so that in the days to come, Muslims will have no affiliation with their religious history.
A partial list of the demolished graves and shrines
Al-Mualla in Makkah which includes the grave of Sayyida Khadija bint Khuwailid (RA), wife of the Prophet(sSAWS), the grave of Amina bint Wahab (RA), mother of the Prophet (SAWS), the grave of Abu Talib (RU), father of Hadhrat Ali (RU), and the grave of Abdul Muttalib (RU) grandfather of the Prophet (SAWS)
The grave of Hawa (RA) in Jeddah
The grave of the father of the Prophet (SAWS) in Madina
The house of Sayyida Fatima (RA) in Madina
The Salman al-Farsi (RU) mosque in Madina
The Raj’at ash-Shams mosque in Madina
The house of the Prophet (SAWS) in Madina, where he lived after migrating from Makkah
The house of Imam Ja’far al-Sadiq (RU) in Madina
The complex (mohhalla) of Banu Hashim in Madina
The house of Hadhrat Ali (RU) where Imam Hasan(RU) and Imam Husayn (RU) were born
The house of Hamza(RU) and the graves of the martyrs of Uhud (RUA)
http://www.cifiaonline.com/saudidestructioni.htm
You have not seen spiritual pain until you’ve seen what’s been done with Jannat-ul-Baqi. Nearly all the graves in Jannat-ul-Baqi have been destroyed and its a tragedy, seeing people come with maps, trying to figure out where who’s been buried so that a little respect can be paid to the few who helped Islam survive in it’s early days. This is disgusting behaviour by the Sauds.
Wahabbis are destined to hell. They demolished the graves of Prophet Muhammad’s (utmost peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) blessed family, descendents and companions. Wahabbis destroy Muslims with suicide bombers. Wahabbis through NTC of Libya have done mass-murder of Libyans. Wahabbis through Muslim Brotherhood have done mass-murders of Eyptians, now they have Wahabbi rule there which serves mere Western interests. Wahabbis through Taliban have done mass-murder of Afghanis and Pakistanis, Wahabbis are now trying to do mass-murders of Syrians. Pakistanis must stand against Wahabbis now it’ll be too late to wake up and take a decision.
I read above article with tears in my eyes. I red about the history of Saud family. This family ‘ve no concern with Holy Prophet(PBUH) and Quran. They killed so many innocent people in Iraq in 1924 & destroyed holiest site in Baghdad. They were trained and equipped by the British to replace Sarife Makkah in 1932. When innocent Iraqi were dying these Wahabbies were laughing at them, they rejected the massage of Quran in Gulf war and asked the western countries to come in to destroy a muslim nation Iraq. Shame on these Wahhabies. If you wanna read the ugly but real story of King Aziz family read a book on line GULF CRISES. http://www.alislam.org. With the bottom of heart I’m thankful to Sara Khan to bring this article for us.
Here is a link where you can read about these facts.
http://www.alislam.org/library/books/newworldorder/
Plese read this book if you want to see the reality about king Aziz family.
Very Sad 🙁
Mecca for the rich: Islam’s holiest site ‘turning into Vegas’ – by Jerome Taylor | LUBP – just great!
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Nothing surprising in this article, we all knew how the wretched Saudis have turned the holy places into a giant ATM machine. May the wrath of Allah SWT be upon these Saudis for fleecing the poor muslim pilgrims from dirt poor countries, who save portion of their meager earnings for a chance to visit Mecca and Medina. In the eyes of Allah SWT the faith and desire of these poor muslims is greater then the so-called services these inbred Saudis are providing in the name of hospitality.