In an effort that is sure to warrant a fatwa calling for my death, FrontPage is headlining today my article, Happy Hajj! You're Not Invited!. Or at best, it will prompt some really creative hate mail. Lest anyone think that the Saudis aren't serious about preventing non-Muslims from entering Mecca or Media - or even approaching either city - be sure to read this article published yesterday regarding an Indian citizen traveling to see his wife who works near Medina who lost his way, was stopped by Saudi authorities and was sentenced to death by beheading earlier this week. No one can accuse the Wahhabis about being soft on crime! As the article reports, it was only through the intervention high-ranking Indian government officials with the Saudis that the man's life was spared. I would have included that information in my own article, but I didn't see that piece until I had already turned it in to my editors.Also of interest is another article from 2003 by Jonathan Last in the Wall Street Journal that discusses the incongruity of Muslims building mosques in the heart of Christian Europe (in this case, right near St. Peter's Square in Rome), versus the prohibition of non-Muslims from entering Mecca.
And just to prove that I'm an equal opportunity critic, read an old article of mine (from Dec. 1997, as I recall), Happy Kwanzaa! (note: the original location of the article is no longer in service, and this site republished it without permission, but it is the only place I can find it; so don't hold me responsible for anything else there that might offend, because I haven't scoped it out.)
For anyone who might still be skeptical of the treatment of non-Muslims around Mecca, here's some visual evidence:
Happy Hajj! Happy Kwanzaa! Happy Hanukkah! And a Merry Christmas to all!
3 comments:
I won’t disagree on anything that you wrote, as a lot of it is all true. Just like how there use to be separate bathrooms for blacks and whites in America till a few years back but the people of America grew out of that mindset and brought a mental revolution. The same way Muslims must also experience their own renaissance.
and by the way, Happy Hajj! Happy Hanukkah! And a Merry Christmas to you and your family and to all! May we learn to understand eachother a litte more.
Imran,
I hope that proves true. Muslims, Christians and Jews are going to have to learn to live together somehow. It's just that the entire burden is placed entirely on Jews and Christians by the self-proclaimed spokesmen for Muslims in America (who I don't believe actually speak for all Muslims). And that's the only message that non-Muslims hear today.
Thanks for stopping by.
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