You were apalled at humans acting like humans and children acting like children? The importance of the space? Bro, any importance will be of spiritual nature not stone or wood or whatever else. So dont put so much stock into buildings with crosses on top or crosses that hang from your neck. While Im at it you can include those rosary beads Catholics are fond of. They all mean nothing. Their stance is bigotted but it dont bother me in the least. ps. I think seeing those kids playing on a stone statue and enjoying themselves would make God smile. I dont know for sure, he's never told me so, but its just a hunch.
OP's arguing for the sake of arguing are just wasting their time its not like there interested in visiting Mecca. Even for Muslims there's a long process to by go before preforming Hajj or visiting Mecca. Personally I really criticize the way the Wahhabis run mecca there have been alot of incidents where VIP's were allowed easy access or given a easier route to enter and practice religion like when Hosni Mubarak's wife and Obama's Grandma visited Mecca they created a fuss and a jam that lead to several people being injured and being unable to preform what they came for all people should be equal there no privileges
SUBMIT OR ELSE no no just kidding La illaha illal'lah There is no god but god Mohammad ur rasoolullah And Mohammed is his messenger it is known as the "Kalimah" and is one of the required recitations of faith when one converts to Islam. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalimah If you dig deeper into the whole "Islam" thing and sub branches within the religion and fights over interpretation and text etc etc you'll see that some muslims believe that the "Mohammad is his messenger" part was added on, and that only the first part is valid, since god doesn't want to be associated with anyone in the same breath. Others from the Shia branch of Islam will advocate adding "and Ali is his successor" or something of the sort (not exact on the wording, any Shi'ite muslims feel free to clear that up) to the end of the whole thing.
Huh? You can't pray without wudu/ghusl. Why would a Muslim enter without proper taharat (purification)?
If you are talking about entering the City of Makkah, then no, you don't have to perform wudu or ghusl before entering. It is just a city. People live in that city 24/7. No real rituals just to enter If you are referring to the mosque itself, then also, no, you don't HAVE to perform the cleaning rituals before entering. Just like with any mosque, you don't have to perform wudu before simply entering.
I want to be in a place of great historical significance and cultural enlightenment. I will most definitely turn a vacation trip into a sabbatical into the heart of Mecca as long as they have semi decent hotels. Any insights into accommodation there for a fake Muslim? There are plenty of muslims who selfishly care about only going there for the experience. Just like there are plenty of non-muslims who selfishly care about just the experience. It's like white guys dating black girls in the 90s, lots of guys did it just to say they did. A romantic like myself would never do such a thing, but we can't control the things that motivate humans. Society is a funny, petty thing in that aspect. Whether you like it or not, it is a site to behold. It is a massive collection of human beings united under one common belief with 6.4 million interpretations. Some evil humans may see it similar to an African safari, where bisons and gazelle gather in hoards and move in unison. But evil surrounds us. The motivations of others are beyond our control, for the most part. You cannot assume the worst simply because someone is not "one of you". Why should muslims with long beards who walk around with the Koran be allowed to walk around NYC? Because as religious as America is, Christianity is still secular for the most part. Everywhere you find large groups of Christians, you find large groups of other races. That is not the case with Islam, the religion of intolerance atm. From what I understand, and I am very well educated, Mecca is like an exclusive nightclub. Only famous or hot people can get in. Everyone else is spat at and told to keep on moving to the ugly nightclub where they are forced to dry hump each other to reggaeton at the entrance and drink watery beer (which is the rest of Saudi Arabia, LAWL). You're proud of being a hot person in this scenario, aren't you Mathloom? Feels good. Feels powerful. Feels hot. Is this what your religion teaches you? What should be done to improve the discrimination? Allow all people into Mecca. Don't capitalize on it financially and set up vending shops and photo opportunities at every corner since you're against capitalism in the first place. Beneath yourself, lie human beings who bleed the same blood as you. We are a naturally curious race, and religion shouldn't stop us from experiencing something as grand as Mecca. As it stands, Mecca is just another North Korea. Insulated from reality to maintain their delusions of grandeur and exclusiveness.
It's really not that big of a deal. You don't need a certificate or something to prove that you have converted. Just go if you really want to.
Ghusl is required only after certain situations (sex, menses, childbirth).. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghusl It is recommended before pilgrimage (Hajj, or Umrah), or on before Friday prayers. So basically if you are going to Makkah with the intention to perform pilgrimage, then yes, you would need to (or should) make ghusl. However, it isn't really required in normal situations.
