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The Reconstruction of Mecca’s Grand Mosque Involves Extensive Damage to Major Historical Features

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Construction cranes are seen as Muslims circle the Kaaba at the Grand Mosque in Mecca on January 6, 2013. (Amr Dalsh/Reuters)

In a move that is controversial among both heritage professionals and Muslim groups outside of the extremist Wahabi government of Saudi Arabia, the rulers of Islam’s birthplace have begun construction on the Grand Mosque of Mecca in order to expand its capacity for visitors to the city on Hajj, but in the process are intending to destroy most of the remaining structures in the Mosque that date to the early years of Islam.  Moreover, there are plans to increase the opportunities for shopping near this Mosque, in order to enhance the degree to which the great number of pilgrims to Mecca can contribute to economic growth of the region.  Pilgrimage destinations have long taken advantage of the potential income that religiously motivated travelers provide to such a destination, with examples of this process having been documented all around the world and throughout history.  What is different about this case, though, is that Wahabi leaders are not just promoting tourist-style attractions and accommodations for the pilgrimage sites under their control, but they are also prioritizing such development over the protection of some features that contribute to the sacredness of the destination, which poses a threat to both the preservation of Islam’s material history and the narrative of significance for Mecca.

And Wahabi leaders are justifying this destruction not only economically but also ideologically: They fear that the prophet Muhammad’s association with this Mosque encourages idolatry, one of the sins they most denounce.  The politically correct sensitivity  that often comes with both political and religious sovereignty complicates the international community’s reaction to this destruction, in a comparable fashion to what has happened in Bamiyan and Timbuktu.  

But in this case as in those, I expect that the motivations and logistics for this intentional destruction are much more complicated than the international media has yet uncovered.  We shall have to see how Muslim communities outside the Saudi government respond to these acts, given that some are already speaking up against the development of the Grand Mosque and will likely continue to do so.

For two related but more extensive commentaries already published about what’s happening in Mecca, check out these articles:

McMecca: The Strange Alliance of Clerics and Businessmen in Saudi Arabia | Zvika Krieger – The Atlantic.

The photos Saudi Arabia doesn’t want seen – and proof Islam’s most holy relics are being demolished in Mecca – Middle East – World – The Independent.


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