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Article 12
Destruction of
historic Mecca
under Saudi
Trusteeship
By Mirza A. Beg
"Destruction of the most precious sites in Islam for fear of idolatry by
some, is akin to killing a child for fear that he may grow up to be less
than pious. Instead of fearing, the idolatry of the historic structures,
they could be used as instructional tools for the upcoming generations."
Long ago, I saw my father try to dissuade the painting of a sandstone
monument, green and white for a religious celebration. He extolled the
beauty and value of the original historic architecture, but did not
succeed before the onslaught of misperceived beautification and
progress. That was nothing compared to the demolition of the most
precious old structures in the heart of Mecca and Medina by the Saudi
government. Failure to protect them from destruction would be the
biggest tragedy for the Islamic architectural heritage.
Most rulers build monuments to themselves lest no one may remember them
once they leave this temporal realm. Islamic ethos enjoins a person,
particularly those in power to be humble and do good, without personal
aggrandizement. The best way to celebrate and understand this simple
truth is the exposition and preservation of the humble simple buildings
that the leaders of early Islam lived in.
Muslims pay homage to, and follow the tradition of the Prophet the best
they can. After the Quran, the most important source of Islamic law is
the collection of the traditions of the Prophet. Of all the Islamic
monuments, what could be more valuable than the preservation of the
structures and the setting in which the Prophet and his early followers
lived? With the modern methods of Archaeology, the bricks, mortar and
the palm fronds could speak volumes about the invaluable past.
Within 20 years after the death of the Prophet the center of power of
the Islamic empires shifted from the Arabian Peninsula, leaving Mecca
and Medina as the backwaters, only visited by pilgrims overcoming
hazardous journey once a year during the Hajj. Serendipitously this
neglect preserved the old architecture and by lanes, very close to the
original with some changes such as expansion of the courtyard around
Kaba, by the Ottoman government in the 19th century.
Flush with Petro-dollars for the last few decades, the Saudis have
embarked on building modern cities, which is not only their right, but a
duty to help their citizens towards progress, but it does not have to be
achieved by destruction of an invaluable past.
The problem is, that under the Saudi interpretation of Islam, they are
earful that some Muslims in their ignorance would be overcome with love
and awe that historic sites may invoke, leading to idolatrous thoughts.
Therefore they are opposed to the preservation of the old historic
structures. In effect, their fears overwhelm the valuable history of the
Islamic beginnings.
The Muslims, the world over, are oblivious to the drone of the
bulldozers destroying forever the most precious historical sites of
Islam. Some lone voices have been raised, but are lost in the din of
daily living of ordinary Muslims. The intellectuals are more concerned
with the struggle of modernists and medievalists. This is one issue all
can and should come to gather to save the most precious heritage.
In an article "Developers and purists erase Mecca's history", the
author, Laith Abou-Ragheb quotes, Sami Angawi, an expert on the region's
Islamic architecture, "1,400-year-old buildings from the early Islamic
period risk being demolished to make way for high rise towers for
Muslims flocking to perform the annual pilgrimage to Islam's holiest
city." He added, "Angawi estimated that over the past 50 years at least
300 historical buildings had been leveled in Mecca, and Medina, a Holy
City containing the prophet's tomb."
What was preserved for almost 1400 years, often in poverty and neglect,
is being bulldozed for a parking lot or a tall building replacing the
historic heart of the city, under the trusteeship of the Saudi
government.
Angawi’s Hajj Research Center, founded in 1975 studies Mecca and
Medina's rich history. According to Ragheb," Angawi claims to have
identified a home of the Prophet Mohammad, but is reluctant to publicize
its location fearing it would be demolished like Dar al Arqam the first
school in Islam where the prophet taught."
Civilizations rise and fall, Earthly powers come and go, at best leaving
a legacy of good deeds and responsible trusteeship of their ephemeral
jurisdiction. Early Muslim Caliphs knew this simple truth, and did not
destroy earlier structures, not only in the cities of Mecca or Medina,
but even the Churches in Jerusalem.
The need for any modern metropolis to prosper and grow is quite
understandable. Mecca is more than a Metropolis. It is the temporal
geographic heart of the Islamic world. Almost 1400 years ago, according
to Muslim belief, God in his wisdom chose Mecca as the earthly pivot, to
send the light of Islam to all the peoples of the world. Thus in a
manner of speaking the religious and historical sites in Saudi Arabia
are the heritage of not only the Muslims, but world as well.
Enlightened governments around the world have preserved the old cities,
and have benefited by the enormous tourist trade generated. To relieve
the congestion and accommodate growth, they have built gleaming
satellite towns, maintaining the cultural and emotional old city for the
generations to come.
With the modern ease of travel, Mecca is overwhelmed by about 4 million
pilgrims during the Hajj. The need for growth and new accommodations is
obvious. Though not easy but solutions can be found. One solution could
be, building satellite towns at the periphery, with proper conveyance to
the heart of the city.
For the best solutions to emerge, the first step should be an evaluation
of the historic heart of Mecca and Medina by a commission of reputable
archaeologists and historians. Based on their report a high-powered
panel of well recognized architects and town planners should study the
problem and come up with recommendations for growth.
The concern of the Saudi government to discourage the idolatrous
attitude of some Muslims towards the relics associated with the Prophet
is quite understandable. It is important to discourage it, but
destroying our precious heritage because of less than perfect
understanding of some Muslims, would be a great loss to the Islamic
civilization, ethos, history and the future generations of Muslims.
Destruction of the most precious sites in Islam for fear of idolatry by
some, is akin to killing a child for fear that he may grow up to be less
than pious. Instead of fearing, the idolatry of the historic structures,
they could be used as instructional tools for the upcoming generations.
Muslims of the world ought to strongly urge [1] the Saudi Government to
embark on a modern city planning of Mecca, Medina and other important
historical sites. While the enlightened world is engaged in unearthing
lost historical sites, the most precious Islamic sites are being
destroyed. Future generations of Muslims would forever be grateful to
the vision of those who understood the importance of preserving precious
history, or curse our generation, who kept quiet, while the temporary
custodians demolished their heritage in a few decades of their
trusteeship.
Related Petition:
"Stop the destruction of the birthplace of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) in
Makkah"
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