The profane crowding out sacred in Mecca (nearing its end?)

IHT ^ | 03/08/07 | Hassan M. Fattah

[TigerLikesRooster]

Maybe folks doing palm-reading, or selling potions would be also coming soon.

[Darkwolf377]

"Mecca is becoming like Las Vegas,"

Let's not exagerrate.

Just because Rich Little is doing two weeks there doesn't mean Mecca is "becoming like Las Vegas." Although comping the visitors to Mecca IS a bit much.

[Constantine XI Palaeologus]

There's no charm right now either. All you have is a bunch of crazy, murderous, pedophile-worshipers who flock there for the haj.

[Dallas59]

Mecca is becoming like Las Vegas...

and Helen Thomas is Miss America....

[conservative in nyc]

Interesting. Mecca is becoming more Westernized, with 3-bedroom apartments selling for more than those in NYC.

One man's progress is another man's profane, I guess.

Also from the article:

Ahmed, of the Islamic Heritage Foundation, has catalogued the destruction of more than 300 antiquity sites, including cemeteries and mosques. He says that the house where the Prophet Muhammad was born was torn down to make way for a bathroom.

That's not very respectful to the Mohammad (although some non-Muslims might pay a pretty penny to visit).

[Allegra]

No, Dubai is becoming like Vegas.

Mecca is just a place in Saudi Arabia where life overall pretty much sucks by American standards.

[NurdlyPeon]

Well, I guess I'll file this one under BWAAA HAAAA HAAAA HAAAAAAAAAAAAA

[saganite]

I'm surprised the Saudi religious police (their name escapes me) would allow this if the report is factual.

[Nam Vet]

The Abraj Al Bait Shopping Center.....

Those muzzies think of everything! They've even got a bait shop.

Nam Vet

[SunkenCiv]

an amusement park ride

One ride? Billions in cash pour in, and they buy one freakin' merry go round? Why don't they stick with what they know best -- throwing stones at the carcass of a dead goat, then panicking and trampling hundreds of fellow pilgrims to death.

[Lurker]

" All you see is glass "

Would that this were true.

Trinitite is lovely I hear.

L

[Bazooka]

Bearing in mind that only muslims are allowed to enter Mecca, who are they going to blame for things going bad? Israel? The US of A?

Time for them to get a real life.

[conservative in nyc]

What is that? I thought the meteorite black stone that the Muslims all try to kiss was one of the cornerstones of the Kaaba, and the Kaaba is actually empty (or so sayeth Wikipedia - perhaps not the best source).

[Berosus]

I thought Moslems were boycotting Starbucks, because the company's Jewish owner made a speech supporting the War on Terror in 2002. I was reminded of it recently when I saw cans of Caribou Coffee, the competitor Arabs set up, in a local store.

And if people are worried about Mecca becoming too commercial, big deal. It has already happened in Cairo.

[visualops]

going to Mecca will have no feeling. There is no charm anymore. All you see is glass and cement

And this is a complaint coming from someone who worships a rock?

[SunkenCiv]

:') Of course, in Cairo, Pizza Hut doesn't offer Personal Pan Pizza because the gov't regards the name as too pagan.

Okay, I made that up...

[tupac]

It looks like the bad-evil-eye-thingy that Frodo was trying to destroy. Or a sphincter. Whatever.

Hey! Where is a picture of the Bait shop that was mentioned too? They can't be all bad if there's fishing involved.

[shove_it]

"He says that the house where the Prophet Muhammad was born was torn down to make way for a bathroom."

An example of Saudi styled eminent domain - learning from SCOTUS.

[reagan_fanatic]

"He says that the house where the Prophet Muhammad was born was torn down to make way for a bathroom."

So they increased the value the property - what's the big deal?