Mecca for the rich: Islam's holiest site 'turning into Vegas'

[Abz2000]

If what they are doing is forbidden, then inform us a text who forbidden that ?

yup, here's a text, it's from a book called Al Quran, and a chapter called The Pilgrimage:

25. As to those who have rejected ((Allah)), and would keep back (men) from the Way of Allah,
and from the Sacred Mosque, which We have made (open) to (all believing) people- equal is the dweller there and the visitor from the country
- and any whose purpose therein is profanity or wrong-doing - them will We cause to taste of a most Grievous Penalty.


26. Behold! We gave the site, to Abraham, of the (Sacred) House, (saying): "Associate not anything (in worship) with Me; and sanctify My House for those who compass it round, or stand up, or bow, or prostrate themselves (therein in prayer).


27. "And proclaim the Pilgrimage among men: they will come to thee on foot and (mounted) on every kind of camel, lean on account of journeys through deep and distant mountain highways;


28. "That they may witness the benefits (provided) for them, and celebrate the name of Allah, through the Days appointed, over the cattle which He has provided for them (for sacrifice): then eat ye thereof and feed the distressed ones in want.


29. "Then let them complete the rites prescribed for them, perform their vows, and (again) circumambulate the Ancient House."


30. Such (is the Pilgrimage): whoever honours the sacred rites of Allah, for him it is good in the Sight of his Lord. Lawful to you (for food in Pilgrimage) are cattle, except those mentioned to you (as exception): but shun the abomination of idols, and shun the word that is false,-


31. Being true in faith to Allah, and never assigning partners to Him: if anyone assigns partners to Allah, is as if he had fallen from heaven and been snatched up by birds, or the wind had swooped (like a bird on its prey) and thrown him into a far- distant place.


32. Such (is his state): and whoever holds in honour the symbols of Allah, such (honour) should come truly from piety of heart.


those things which they cover - like the zamzam well, are symbols of Allah
as also also safah and marwah, parts of which have been neatly chopped up in order to make a way between the high royal palace and the sacred mosque.
Innasuafa wal marwata min sha'aa-irillah.
verily safa nd marwa are from among the symbols of God.

it is also sad envisioning a time when all the poor people will have to travel through a 5 star ring in order to get to the ka'bah.
and then when they finish their rites and look up into the heavens - they see the skyscrapers covering the whole horizon.

i am not against skyscrapers, and i have no issue with them being built further off. but to completely cover the haram al shareef and only be available to the rich while the poor can walk a few kilometers is sickening.
people used to go to hajj on camels with just a few required provisions.
now it is becoming a vip resort for only those who are rich.

again:
As to those who have rejected ((Allah)), and would keep back (men) from the Way of Allah,
and from the Sacred Mosque, which We have made (open) to (all believing) people- equal is the dweller there and the visitor from the country
- and any whose purpose therein is profanity or wrong-doing - them will We cause to taste of a most Grievous Penalty.

And what would you like to see ? tents of wood ?

yup, that would be a move in the right direction, it was always permissible for pilgrims to bring their own accommodation along with them, and the people of Makkah - even the pagans of Makkah - were famous for their hospitality too.
pilgrims would come on lean camels with tents, and some would be given hospitality in the houses of the people of Makkah free of charge.
i see no text saying that the Prophet pbuh - or even the pagans - demanded to see proof of paid accommodation before being allowed entry to hajj
or that the maccans' houses were being bought out by roman companies in order for them to be able to charge pilgrims huge amounts for luxury accommodation - it is becoming an extortion racket..
do you know how many people die every year without fulfilling their dream of performing pilgrimage, having enough for food and travel etc but not enough for accommodation and all the other extra costs involved? simply because it has become a competing ground for 5 star multinational hotel companies who continue to drive up the prices of accommodation in the area so that smaller owners just sell out and buy somewhere else.

"And proclaim the Pilgrimage among men:
they will come to thee on foot and (mounted) on every kind of camel, lean on account of journeys through deep and distant mountain highways;

so yes, tents are quite useful, i actually saw a family who rented the space under a stairway leading to our small hotel. they couldn't stand up in it, they could just about sit in it and leave their bags and then go and sleep on the lower floor of the Masjid. They were however able to fulfill their dream of performing pilgrimage.

 

[Darth Ultor]

I understand being mad at the rest of it but what is the big deal about expanding the Masjid al-Haram? More Muslims would be able to come and perform their religious duties.

 

[~Zaria~]

Assalamu-alaikum,

This article should bring tears to our eyes - at just the thought of:

All the heritage sites that have been lost over the years........
the montrosity that over-hangs the Kaaba......
the 5 Star hotels that surround the Harem, fit for kings and the super-rich, complete with satellite TV and its filth - right outside the House of Allah!

Ya SubhanAllah!

This ummah should be hanging their heads in shame and grief at just this thought!


HOW is it possible for some hearts not to grow heavy...... not to feel mournful of what has become of the holy land?

It is the hearts that are so tied to this dunya, that they have grown blind to the fitnah created at OUR hands - not the Zionists, not the Americans, not the British - but our very own brothers whose responsibility it has been, and is, to secure OUR deen!

Save for the Kaaba and what remains of the foot-prints of the prophet (sallalahu alaihi wasalam), his sahaba, and those before him......today, there is very little that sets Makkah apart from every other city in this dunya.



:wa:

 

[Haya emaan]

But now, the masjid seems tiny and is made to look unimportant in comparison to the hotels.

and that big clock tower.. a big test for one's concentration on ibadah while doing tawaf..!!

 

[جوري]

Buildings around the Kaaba shouldn't tower over it. I read that somewhere and would love if someone can find that hadith because I came across it so long ago. I think expansion of Makkah is mandatory though given how many people die and get trampled on every year and also to accommodate more Muslims. some people wait for 20 years. My grandmother had to wait a good five years and then it was too late she was only able to make umrah and that's terribly unfortunate to miss a major religious rite. It should be done without changing the identity of Makkah.

 

[Insaanah]

I just came across these ahadeeth in the Darussalam book, "History of Makkah". Emphasis mine.

It was reported from Sa'eed bin Sa'man that he heard Abu Hurairah telling Abu Qatadah that Allah's Messenger :saws: said:
"Allegiance will be sworn to a man between the Rukn and the Maqam, and no one will violate the sancitity of this house except it's own people. When they violate it, do not ask about the destruction of the Arabs. Then the Abyssinians will come and destroy it in such a way that it will never be rebuilt, and they are the ones who will extract its treasures." [Ahmad (2/291), Al-Hakim (4/452)]

Umar bin Al-Khattab ‬used to say to the Quraish: “The guardians of this House before you were Tasm, but they lost respect for it and violated its sanctity, so Allâh destroyed them. Then guardianship passed to Jurhum, but they lost respect for it and violated its sanctity, so Allâh destroyed them. So, do not lose respect for it, and honour its sanctity.” (Reported by al-Baihaqi in ad-Dala'il, 2/49,50)

 

[AbdulazizB]

Hmm, I dunno what to say but i'll tell you how I feel since I am a Saudi Arabian guy. Every year we have Muslims coming to Makkah and Madinah all year around al hamd li llah thanks to the Dua of Ibrahim Alaihi al salam; we know that Al Saud did wrong things and they also did good things. To call them kafirs or comparing Makkah to Vegas or having Victoria secrets shop? makes me wonder if you really lived in Saudi Arabia for 15 years like you claim~ Beside all that lets say Al Saud are no more the rulers who do you think will be the new ruler? Right now as a Saudi I am more worried about what is happening around us and I am not talking about the Arab spring but things like Syria and how Bashar al Asad killing our Muslims brothers/Sisters with the help of Iran and it's puppets from HizboAllah and al Mehdi army in Iraq. Trust me we as Saudis we have our eyes opened we don't need your fitna among us and the youth is pretty much well informed of what's really going on. :zip:

 

[Scimitar]

we're headed for rough seas

Afflictions at the end of time.

In Bukhari,

Narrated Abu Huraira: The Prophet said, "Time will pass rapidly, good deeds will decrease, miserliness will be thrown (in the hearts of the people) afflictions will appear and there will be much 'Al-Harj." They said, "O Allah's Apostle! What is "Al-Harj?" He said, "Killing! Killing!" (See Hadith No. 63, Vol. 8)

I really don't need to say anything really, it's a no brainer from here onwards. Sadly, this provides me with no comfort.

But that eschatology section will (come on admin... please?)

Scimi

 

[جوري]

Afflictions at the end of time.

In Bukhari,

Narrated Abu Huraira: The Prophet said, "Time will pass rapidly, good deeds will decrease, miserliness will be thrown (in the hearts of the people) afflictions will appear and there will be much 'Al-Harj." They said, "O Allah's Apostle! What is "Al-Harj?" He said, "Killing! Killing!" (See Hadith No. 63, Vol. 8)

I really don't need to say anything really, it's a no brainer from here onwards. Sadly, this provides me with no comfort.

But that eschatology section will (come on admin... please?)

Scimi

:lol: Br. Muhammad said that is what the akhira section is for.. speaking of which I posted something there but part of it was inappropriate I guess so it was never approved.. or maybe it was just forgotten who knows..
Yes difficult times ahead so hang on to the rope of Allah:

[FONT=Verdana,arial]

WaiAAtasimoo bihabli Allahi jameeAAan wala tafarraqoo waothkuroo niAAmata Allahi AAalaykum ith kuntum aAAdaan faallafa bayna quloobikum faasbahtum biniAAmatihi ikhwanan wakuntum AAala shafa hufratin mina alnnari faanqathakum minha kathalika yubayyinu Allahu lakum ayatihi laAAallakum tahtadoona​

3:103 And hold fast, all together, by the rope which Allah (stretches out for you), and be not divided among yourselves; and remember with gratitude Allah's favour on you; for ye were enemies and He joined your hearts in love, so that by His Grace, ye became brethren; and ye were on the brink of the pit of Fire, and He saved you from it. Thus doth Allah make His Signs clear to you: That ye may be guided. ​

[/FONT]

 

[Scimitar]

Salaam,

I think some Saudi scholars have argued these ancient architects lead to shirk. Not sure if this is true.

The destruction of sites associated with early Islam is an on-going phenomenon that has occurred mainly in the Hejaz region of westernSaudi Arabia, particularly around the holy cities of Mecca and Medina. The demolition has focused on Mosques, burial sites, homes and historical locations associated with the Islamic prophet, Muhammad and many of the founding personalities of early Islamic history. In Saudi Arabia, many of the demolitions have officially been part of the continued expansion of the Masjid Al-Haram at Mecca and the Prophet's Mosque in Medina and their auxiliary service facilities in order to accommodate the ever-increasing number of Hajj pilgrims. Detractors of the demolitions and expansion programs have argued that this phenomenon is part of the implementation of state-endorsed Wahhabi religious policy that emphasizes the Oneness of God (Tawhid) and entirely rejects the worship of divine proxies to God or even the practices and habits which might lead to idolatry and polytheistic association (Shirk).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Destruction_of_early_Islamic_heritage_sites

What the article goes on to say is this:

The last ten years have seen an increase in the demolition of sites in Mecca and Medina. As the annual Hajj continues to draw larger crowds year after year, the Saudi authorities have deemed it necessary to raze large tracts of formerly residential neighborhoods around the two mosques to make way for tourism-related infrastructure. Opposition to the phenomenon discussed in this stub has been limited but vocal. While many believe that the loss of the old-world character of the two cities is the inevitable result of progress and much needed modernization, others worry that the anonymous steel and concrete façade that is reshaping the sites is detracting from the cities’ spiritual purpose. With nearly 20 million pilgrims expected to visit Mecca in the coming years[SUP][[/SUP][SUP]when?[/SUP][SUP]][/SUP], developers are forecasted to spend an estimated $13 billion dollars on the largest expansion project in the city’s history.[SUP][7][/SUP] While there is widespread agreement for the need of facilities that can accommodate greater numbers of pilgrims, the development of upscale hotels and condominium towers, restaurants, shopping centers and even two luxury spas.[SUP][8][/SUP] has caused some to criticize the over-commercialization of a site which many consider to be a Divinely ordained sanctuary for humanity (the very meaning of the Arabic word “Haram” is “sanctuary”). The rapid influx of capitalist investment in Mecca and Medina leads many to believe that money and economic growth are ultimately the bottom line for Saudi authorities. A proposition which critics argue works hand in hand with Wahhabi state policy that looks to impose a massive cultural and social deletion within the Holy Cities,[SUP][9][/SUP] erasing any elements that give way to practices that go against the Wahhabi creed.

Destroyed sites

Mosques

• The mosque at the grave of Sayyid al-Shuhada’ Hamza bin Abdul Muttalib.[SUP][6][/SUP]
• The Mosque of Fatima Zahra.[SUP][6][/SUP]
• The Mosque of al-Manaratain.[SUP][6][/SUP]
• 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.[SUP][10][/SUP]
• Salman al-Farsi Mosque, in Medina.[SUP][10][/SUP]
• Raj'at ash-Shams Mosque, in Medina.[SUP][10][/SUP]

Cemeteries and tombs

• Jannat al-Baqi in Medina, completely leveled.
• Jannat al-Mu'alla, the ancient cemetery at Mecca.[SUP][10][/SUP]
• 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.[SUP][10][/SUP]
• Tombs of Hamza and other martyrs were demolished at Uhud.[SUP][10][/SUP]
• Tomb of Eve in Jeddah,[SUP][10][/SUP] sealed with concrete in 1975.
• Grave of the father of Muhammad, in Medina.[SUP][10][/SUP]

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.[SUP][11][/SUP]
• 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 Qasimwere 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.[SUP][10][/SUP]
• Dar al Arqam, the first Islamic school where Muhammad taught.[SUP][11][/SUP] 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.[SUP][6][/SUP]
• 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.[SUP][10][/SUP]
• Bayt al-Ahzan of Sayyida Fatima, in Medina.[SUP][10][/SUP]
• House of Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq, in Medina.[SUP][10][/SUP]
• Mahhalla complex of Banu Hashim, in Medina.[SUP][10][/SUP]
• House of Ali where Hasan and Husayn were born.[SUP][10][/SUP]

[SUP]And they're planning on more... I fail to see how a proper understanding into the importance of shirk related issues, armed guards and signboards would not deter people from committing shirk or vandalising places of antiquity, though. I agree with the levelling of graves, since this is from sahih... but still, The wahhabi run shariah of Saud is just not working for me. They go too far...

... I'd like to say that Islam is not bland and tasteless, we have a rich tapestry of history that is fascinating and inspiring. To see the last standing testaments to the buildings and sites of antiquity in Islam, systematically eradicated for a supposed expansion project which covers a darker and more sinister aim - is something very obvious to me, at least.

With the best architects at their disposal, could the house of Saud with their ridiculous budgets not specify that the expansions respect the sites and buildings of antiquity? Even make access to them in clearly coloured zones, letting pilgrims know that these are not sites of worship, but historical testaments with true stories attached - a chance to learn more of early Islam's history?... No?


Scimi

[/SUP]

 

[cuezed]

That place is only for the rich

 

[A-Believer-25]

Why do they feel the need to do this??? :raging:

 

[~ Sabr ~]

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".

I don't think this will happen. As that was stated in 2007, and it has been 5 years and no action has taken place.

 

[Scimitar]

Salaam Said_Soussi,

You from WUP too, right?

Come on bro - we both know what they are up to. Preparation: Dajjal thread in WUP got locked for review due to some over zealous and uneducated morons trolling it... needs a good clean. But yeah, everything is in that thread - and you and I both know what is "really" happening.

My posts keep disappearing from this thread so I won't say much.

Scimi

 

[Said_Soussi]

Salaam Said_Soussi,

You from WUP too, right?

Come on bro - we both know what they are up to. Preparation: Dajjal thread in WUP got locked for review due to some over zealous and uneducated morons trolling it... needs a good clean. But yeah, everything is in that thread - and you and I both know what is "really" happening.

My posts keep disappearing from this thread so I won't say much.

Scimi

Aleykoum sallaam Scimitar,
yes i am.

 

[Said_Soussi]

It's a big shame what those 'people' are doing to the Haramein and yet the Ummah keeps on sleeping ??


ps I have a feeling i know brothers Scimitar and Jedi_Mindset from somewhere

 

[Said_Soussi]

a good thing to be angry about... :raging: O Allah may you punish those hypocrites who are ruining the image of islam and are ruining the land of Arabia, the land where 70 Prophets (Peace be upon them) have walked upon. Ameen

can't wait till mahdi(As) arrives, hopefully it will be soon..

:raging:

:muslimah:AMEEN!:beard:

 

[Scimitar]

Assalamu-alaikum,

This article should bring tears to our eyes - at just the thought of:

All the heritage sites that have been lost over the years........
the montrosity that over-hangs the Kaaba......
the 5 Star hotels that surround the Harem, fit for kings and the super-rich, complete with satellite TV and its filth - right outside the House of Allah!

Ya SubhanAllah!

This ummah should be hanging their heads in shame and grief at just this thought!


HOW is it possible for some hearts not to grow heavy...... not to feel mournful of what has become of the holy land?

It is the hearts that are so tied to this dunya, that they have grown blind to the fitnah created at OUR hands - not the Zionists, not the Americans, not the British - but our very own brothers whose responsibility it has been, and is, to secure OUR deen!

Save for the Kaaba and what remains of the foot-prints of the prophet (sallalahu alaihi wasalam), his sahaba, and those before him......today, there is very little that sets Makkah apart from every other city in this dunya.



:wa:

No Music Version - please don't delete this one:

 

[Signor]

[SIZE=+4]The Destruction Of Mecca
[SIZE=+2]Saudi Hardliners Wiping Out Their Own Heritage [/SIZE][SIZE=+1]
By Daniel Howden
The Independent - UK
8-5-5[/SIZE]

[SIZE=+1]Historic Mecca, the cradle of Islam, is being buried in an unprecedented onslaught by religious zealots.[/SIZE] [SIZE=+1]Almost all of the rich and multi-layered history of the holy city is gone. The Washington-based Gulf Institute estimates that 95 per cent of millennium-old buildings have been demolished in the past two decades.[/SIZE] [SIZE=+1]Now the actual birthplace of the Prophet Mohamed is facing the bulldozers, with the connivance of Saudi religious authorities whose hardline interpretation of Islam is compelling them to wipe out their own heritage.[/SIZE] [SIZE=+1]It is the same oil-rich orthodoxy that pumped money into the Taliban as they prepared to detonate the Bamiyan buddhas in 2000. And the same doctrine - violently opposed to all forms of idolatry - that this week decreed that the Saudis' own king be buried in an unmarked desert grave.[/SIZE] [SIZE=+1]A Saudi architect, Sami Angawi, who is an acknowledged specialist on the region's Islamic architecture, told The Independent that the final farewell to Mecca is imminent: "What we are witnessing are the last days of Mecca and Medina."[/SIZE] [SIZE=+1]According to Dr Angawi - who has dedicated his life to preserving Islam's two holiest cities - as few as 20 structures are left that date back to the lifetime of the Prophet 1,400 years ago and those that remain could be bulldozed at any time. "This is the end of history in Mecca and Medina and the end of their future," said Dr Angawi.[/SIZE] [SIZE=+1]Mecca is the most visited pilgrimage site in the world. It is home to the Grand Mosque and, along with the nearby city of Medina which houses the Prophet's tomb, receives four million people annually as they undertake the Islamic duty of the Haj and Umra pilgrimages.[/SIZE] [SIZE=+1]The driving force behind the demolition campaign that has transformed these cities is Wahhabism. This, the austere state faith of Saudi Arabia, was imported by the al-Saud tribal chieftains when they conquered the region in the 1920s.[/SIZE] [SIZE=+1]The motive behind the destruction is the Wahhabists' fanatical fear that places of historical and religious interest could give rise to idolatry or polytheism, the worship of multiple and potentially equal gods.[/SIZE] [SIZE=+1]The practice of idolatry in Saudi Arabia remains, in principle at least, punishable by beheading. This same literalism mandates that advertising posters can and need to be altered. The walls of Jeddah are adorned with ads featuring people deliberately missing an eye or with a foot painted over. These contrived imperfections are the most glaring sign of an orthodoxy that tolerates nothing which fosters adulation of the graven image. Nothing can, or can be seen to, interfere with a person's devotion to Allah.[/SIZE] [SIZE=+1]"At the root of the problem is Wahhabism," says Dr Angawi. "They have a big complex about idolatry and anything that relates to the Prophet."[/SIZE] [SIZE=+1]The Wahhabists now have the birthplace of the Prophet in their sights. The site survived redevelopment early in the reign of King Abdul al-Aziz ibn Saud 50 years ago when the architect for a library there persuaded the absolute ruler to allow him to keep the remains under the new structure. That concession is under threat after Saudi authorities approved plans to "update" the library with a new structure that would concrete over the existing foundations and their priceless remains.[/SIZE] [SIZE=+1]Dr Angawi is the descendant of a respected merchant family in Jeddah and a leading figure in the Hijaz - a swath of the kingdom that includes the holy cities and runs from the mountains bordering Yemen in the south to the northern shores of the Red Sea and the frontier with Jordan. He established the Haj Research Centre two decades ago to preserve the rich history of Mecca and Medina. Yet it has largely been a doomed effort. He says that the bulldozers could come "at any time" and the Prophet's birthplace would be gone in a single night.[/SIZE] [SIZE=+1]He is not alone in his concerns. The Gulf Institute, an independent news-gathering group, has publicised what it says is a fatwa, issued by the senior Saudi council of religious scholars in 1994, stating that preserving historical sites "could lead to polytheism and idolatry".[/SIZE] [SIZE=+1]Ali al-Ahmed, the head of the organisation, formerly known as the Saudi Institute, said: "The destruction of Islamic landmarks in Hijaz is the largest in history, and worse than the desecration of the Koran."[/SIZE] [SIZE=+1]Most of the buildings have suffered the same fate as the house of Ali-Oraid, the grandson of the Prophet, which was identified and excavated by Dr Angawi. After its discovery, King Fahd ordered that it be bulldozed before it could become a pilgrimage site.[/SIZE] [SIZE=+1]"The bulldozer is there and they take only two hours to destroy everything. It has no sensitivity to history. It digs down to the bedrock and then the concrete is poured in," he said.[/SIZE] [SIZE=+1]Similarly, finds by a Lebanese professor, Kamal Salibi, which indicated that once-Jewish villages in what is now Saudi Arabia might have been the location of scenes from the Bible, prompted the bulldozers to be sent in. All traces were destroyed.[/SIZE] [SIZE=+1]This depressing pattern of excavation and demolition has led Dr Angawi and his colleagues to keep secret a number of locations in the holy cities that could date back as far as the time of Abraham.[/SIZE] [SIZE=+1]The ruling House of Saud has been bound to Wahhabism since the religious reformer Mohamed Ibn abdul-Wahab signed a pact with Mohammed bin Saud in 1744. The combination of the al-Saud clan and Wahhab's warrior zealots became the foundation of the modern state. The House of Saud received its wealth and power and the hardline clerics got the state backing that would enable them in the decades to come to promote their Wahhabist ideology across the globe.[/SIZE] [SIZE=+1]On the tailcoats of the religious zealots have come commercial developers keen to fill the historic void left by demolitions with lucrative high-rises.[/SIZE] [SIZE=+1]"The man-made history of Mecca has gone and now the Mecca that God made is going as well." Says Dr Angawi. "The projects that are coming up are going to finish them historically, architecturally and environmentally," he said.[/SIZE] [SIZE=+1]With the annual pilgrimage expected to increase five-fold to 20 million in the coming years as Saudi authorities relax entry controls, estate agencies are seeing a chance to cash in on huge demand for accommodation.[/SIZE] [SIZE=+1]"The infrastructure at the moment cannot cope. New hotels, apartments and services are badly needed," the director of a leading Saudi estate agency told Reuters.[/SIZE] [SIZE=+1]Despite an estimated $13bn in development cash currently washing around Mecca, Saudi sceptics dismiss the developers' argument. "The service of pilgrims is not the goal really," says Mr Ahmed. "If they were concerned for the pilgrims, they would have built a railroad between Mecca and Jeddah, and Mecca and Medina. They are removing any historical landmark that is not Saudi-Wahhabi, and using the prime location to make money," he says.[/SIZE] [SIZE=+1]Dominating these new developments is the Jabal Omar scheme which will feature two 50-storey hotel towers and seven 35-storey apartment blocks - all within a stone's throw of the Grand Mosque.[/SIZE] [SIZE=+1]Dr Angawi said: "Mecca should be the reflection of the multicultural Muslim world, not a concrete parking lot."[/SIZE] [SIZE=+1]Whereas proposals for high-rise developments in Jerusalem have prompted a worldwide outcry and the Taliban's demolition of the Bamiyan buddhas was condemned by Unicef, Mecca's busy bulldozers have barely raised a whisper of protest.[/SIZE] [SIZE=+1]"The house where the Prophet received the word of God is gone and nobody cares," says Dr Angawi. "I don't want trouble. I just want this to stop."[/SIZE]

Source:http://www.rense.com/general67/mecca.htm

(Original Link No Longer Exists)[/SIZE]

 

[Imaduddin]

Maybe it's rude of me to say this, but I am amazed how people know of this and everyone is waiting on someone else to come and take care of our troubles. Go ahead call the US and NATO, it's not like 1.6 billion Muslims are worth anything. All we know is 5 daily prayers and telling Allah what to do. For some reason it is his duty to obey us because we are too attached to the dunya and we fear death.

I have been reading upon things of this nature and the comments of people have always been "O Allah send us a Salahud-din", "Send us a Khalid bin Walid". Why doesn't anyone say "O Allah make me like the Sahaba and to love death more than the dunya"?

A scholar has said that when the people will become corrupt they will have the worst leaders. I think that rings quite a few bells doesn't it.