Re: Prophet’s birthplace up for demolition?
If what you say is true about the majority, then how come there is no uproar in the Muslim world about this? Remember the Quran descration and how people rioted? Why does that not happen? Where is the outrage? I read that the Wahabis were about to destroy Muhammad’s grave, but they were stopped because of pressure from other Muslim governments. Where are those governments now?
Re: Prophet’s birthplace up for demolition?
PCG please correct yourself. The ideology you are questioning is simply reference to Prophet (SAW) while making duas, which btw is totally encouraged.. Allah loves when we make dua to HIM. HE loves when we call him with good names.. and yes when u make dua and mention Prophet (SAW) it actually is valid to do so without encountring shirk .. I will try to look for the reference that i had read a week ago on this and its very well explained in it.
We love our Prophet and that is why he is so highly valued but remember Allah is Allah and no one can be of HIS level.
Coming back to the topic: destroying prophets house is like removing part of Islamic History.
Re: Prophet's birthplace up for demolition?
i dont think the 'idol worship' argument holds. I think mecca and medina serve as a place where muslims go and feel like they come back with a clean slate. Its a place where they connect with God and historical sites such as mecca and medina serve to in a way "moralize" people. It seems to do people good. I only see a big loss in store for muslims all over the world and their future generations that will feel a need to be able to relate to islam.
Re: Prophet's birthplace up for demolition?
It doesnt even matter if the place hold any religious significance...this is the house of our best Prophet (pbuh&up)..why would anyone destroy his place...well i love Him way too much to destroy anything associated with him
Sign and stop the demolish of Muhammads birthplace
Re: Prophet’s birthplace up for demolition?
We are not one of them. We have our own culture, our own teachings. The sole thing that will unite us, protect us, strengthen us is Tawheed, and it should be protected at all cost.
Tawheed ki amaanat seeno mein hai hamaray
Aqaa nahin mitana naam o nishaa hamara
Wahabis are nuts…
http://www.dawn.com/weekly/mazdak/mazdak.htm
Apparently, the Saudi govt is to knock down the house of the prophet…
Dont know the valifdity of this, but the question begs to be asked… Why do Muslims around the world leave their religous heritage, the control of the land which is the cradle of Muslim civilization in the hands of these nut job Wahabis?
ALTHOUGH 13 years have passed since the destruction of Babri Masjid in Ayodhya, the desecration still reverberates in both Muslim and secular Indian minds.
At the time, protestors rioted across the subcontinent; furious editorials and op-ed articles were written; and Muslim countries formally registered their protests with the Indian government. But now, a far worse act of disrespect and desecration is about to take place, and there has not been a single mention or objection from anybody that I know of, at least here in Pakistan.
It took an article in the Toronto Star, e-mailed to me by a reader, to alert me to the fact that the Saudi government plans to demolish the Prophet Mohammad’s [PBUH] 1,400-years old home in Makkah. According to the article, written by Tarek Fatah, a founding member of the Muslim Canadian Council, the house is being destroyed to make way for “a parking lot, two 50-storey hotel towers and seven 35-storey apartment blocks” as part of the Jabal Omar Scheme, just around the corner from the Grand Mosque.
I must confess that I have not made the pilgrimage to Makkah, but the idea of the religious cradle and centre of the Muslim world being dominated by a crassly commercial project is repugnant. The Saudi royal family claims to be guardians of the holy places of Islam, and profit hugely from the centuries-old traffic of believers to Makkah and Madina. And yet, they are party to this barbaric desecration of the holiest sites in the Islamic world.
In the 1920s, the Saudis levelled the graveyard in Madina that contained the graves of the family and companions of the Prophet. A few years ago, they demolished an old Ottoman fort in Makkah, in spite of the protests of the Turkish government. This disrespect for ancient monuments is a hallmark of Wahabi thought, but one would have thought the Prophet’s home would have been exempt. Clearly, the interests of property developers outweigh religious or historical considerations.
Why has there not been a single significant protest from anywhere in the Muslim world? Or, as Tarek Fatah asks, “Why is it that when the Babri mosque was demolished, hundreds of thousands of Muslims worldwide took to the streets to protest, but when Saudi authorities plan to demolish the home of our beloved Prophet, not a whisper is heard?”
The writer speculates on the reason for this silence: “Is it because Muslims have become so overwhelmed by the power of the Saudi riyal currency that we have lost all courage and self-respect? Or is it because we feel a need to cover up Muslim-on-Muslim violence; Muslim-on-Muslim terror; Muslim-on-Muslim oppression?”
I suspect ‘all of the above’ is the right answer. We constantly rail against any wrongs inflicted on fellow-Muslims by non-believers, but hold our peace when Muslims kill, exploit and terrorize other Muslims. Thus, when the Americans kill Iraqis, or the Russians persecute Chechens, we are rightly indignant. But when Saddam Hussein slaughtered Kurds and Shias for years, Muslims around the world maintained a discreet silence. Ditto for other dictators in most of the Muslim world.
In his article, Fatah quotes Niaz Salimi, president of the MCC, from a letter she wrote to the Saudi envoy in Canada: “The sacred places of Islam, regardless of where they are located, belong to the Muslim community worldwide. The countries where they are located are simply trustees and have no right to destroy them.”
A Google search on the internet led me to an article by Mirza Beg, posted on the Web on August 21. Writes Beg:
“…destroying our precious heritage because of less than perfect understanding of some Muslims [read Wahabis], would be a great loss to the Islamic civilization, ethos, history and the future generations of Muslims. Destruction of the most precious sites of 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…”
Now obviously, the Saudis are free to fill their cities with tasteless buildings. But considering the size of the country, one would expect them to show some respect for our collective heritage and build their new, ostentatious plazas, hotels and shopping malls on the outskirts of ancient cities like Makkah and Madina.
But we all know the Saudi mindset, and given their recent windfall in the shape of unprecedented oil prices, it is unlikely that they will listen to reason. What concerns me more is our reluctance to criticize this uncouth behaviour. Our Islamic parties, for instance, are so eager to take up real and imaginary Muslim causes, but have not uttered a squeak in the face of this flagrant contempt for our history and the Prophet’s memory.
What explains this blatant hypocrisy? While many of our major religious politicians have long been recipients of Saudi largesse (allegedly often in the shape of visas and work permits that they sell), what explains the silence of people and parties who are not influenced by petro-dollars?
Fortunately for us, Pakistan has a (relatively) free media, but I have yet to come across any news or commentary relating to this impending horror in either the newspapers, or the private TV channels. So why this conspiracy of silence? This question brings us back to our reluctance to criticize other Muslims, while screaming threats at non-Muslims.
Thousands demonstrated against the alleged desecration of the Holy Book at Guantanamo a few months ago. Several people were killed in the accompanying violence. Where are those zealots now? Why aren’t preachers at mosques demanding that the Saudi government halt their destructive plans?
Alas, these double standards are what now define the ummah. We have become completely neutered when it comes to criticizing other Muslims. I have often received e-mails from readers, accusing me of washing our dirty linen in public when I have written of the many problems afflicting the Islamic world. But these things need to be said out loud and often.
According to Mirza Beg, if you want to protest against the destruction of historical sites in Makkah, you can log on to the following website: www.petitiononline.com/rasul/petition.html
But while I am going to do my bit, I do not plan to hold my breath…
Re: Wahabis are nuts…
Re: Prophet's (SAW) birthplace up for demolition/petition/article(s) (merged)
Why the hell is the entire Muslim world leaving their heritage in the hands of those idiot Wahabis?!?!
Re: Prophet's (SAW) birthplace up for demolition/petition/article(s) (merged)
^^ why do you care?
hallelujah to you.
Re: Prophet’s (SAW) birthplace up for demolition/petition/article(s) (merged)
Let me write it in Bold and everyone please do read it in BOLD as well:
We muslims are stupid. Simply Stupid. We destroy our own history and our own Heritage by our own hands.
:k:
Re: Prophet’s (SAW) birthplace up for demolition/petition/article(s) (merged)
i think the birthplace of the prophet :saw: should remain as it is, and not be bulldozed. jsut as the birthplace of Isa :as: … http://i-cias.com/e.o/ill/bethlehem_inside.jpg …is kept and preserved for people to come and see, it’d be nice for this building to remain itact.
some people talk about how such historical buildings stop further development in Makkah around the Masjid-al-haram becaues they can no longer cope with the ever increasing people going on Hajj… they should have thought about this earlier!
rather than building those hotels right on the masjids doorsteps, they shouldve been build further back to cater for future (todays) increase in traffic. but thats the Saudi royalty for u!:rolleyes: hereditary inbred jerks!
either way, i for one am definately against bulldozing such a special place for the sake of cramming a few thousand pilgrims/people in another ‘lego set’ hotel tower block.:mad:
Re: Prophet's (SAW) birthplace up for demolition/petition/article(s) (merged)
If there is any religious significance of the house of Prophet Muhammad (Sallallah-o-Alahe-Wassalam)according to Quran and Hadith then yes the Saudis are wrong and we should object to it. But if there is not then there is nothing to object.
Jazaak Allah Khair
Saad
Filthy Saudi’s Destroying Home of the Prophet SAW
http://www.petitiononline.com/rasul/petition.html
By Yvonne Ridley [email protected]
The Milli Gazette (online edition)
One day during my detention by the Taliban I was asked about where I was born and, out to impress my captors, I said I came from the tribal areas of England near the Scottish Border. I was desperate to get them to sympathise and identify with me, in the hope this would make it difficult for them to kill me.
So, clutching at this latest straw I told them I was not really English but a Geordie … a tribal dweller from the north. Since most of them were Pashtuns, they nodded in approval and were quite amused to discover that the UK had its own tribal areas and its own version of Pashtun-like people. That is basically where the favourable comparisons ended because their beautiful, dramatic Afghan countryside is nothing like my home town Stanley, in County Durham … a bleak little backwater in the boondocks of Britain.
Quite what they would have made of the ramshackle pit village where I was born I am really not sure but during a recent trip north I discovered that the local government authority had set about landscaping and improving Stanley. The urban facelift removed some ugly carbuncles and I suppose it was an improvement although we are not talking silk purses and sows’ ears here. But I am all in favour of urban renewal and improvement.
I doubt if any tourists will ever flock to Stanley although they might happen upon it by accident. But if you drive about eight miles to the west of the town you will happen across one of Britain’s best kept secrets – Durham City. It is an archaeologist’s dream not to mention an architectural vision mainly because the city has been preserved and no one is allowed to build anything that would detract from Durham Cathedral, once voted the most beautiful building in the world ahead of the breath-taking Taj Mahal.
Now I can almost hear you shouting: “Get to the point, sis. What on earth is this article about?” Well it is all about Makkah. Yes, that’s what I said. I know it is a long haul from Durham City not to mention a giant leap from Stanley, but you will just have to display some “Sabr” here.
As most of you know I visited Makkah earlier this year and to tell the truth I found it far more endearing and captivating than Medina, the burial place of The Prophet (greetings, peace and blessings be upon him and his family). This did irk some of the residents of the latter who remarked to me enthusiastically: “All the Makkans have got is a stone but we have the Prophet (greetings, peace and blessings be upon him and his family).”
Now while the residents of Medina are far nicer in character than the Makkans, their city has been ruined by giant hotels, monster tower blocks and endless slabs of marble piazzas and shopping areas. By comparison, Makkah had clung on to some of its old charm with winding streets, death-defying steps and cobbled paths. And if you look closely you can see some old homes with unique architectural features.
Now I am told that the bulldozers are going to move in … with the blessing of the Saudi authorities.
Please, please help join in the campaign to stop this vandalism. I know as Muslims we are not supposed to place anything on a pedestal or worship anyone but Allah (swt) and quite right too. But can the hardliners just remove their blinkers for a second. They will rip out the last vestiges of original charm if they let anymore bulldozers loose in Makkah. The latest target is the home of the Prophet Muhammad (greetings, peace and blessings be upon him and his family). I really cannot understand why the authorities want to wipe out their own heritage?!
Canadian broadcaster and activist, Toronto-based Tarek Fatah said last week: “In January 2002, Turkey accused Saudi Arabia of a ‘cultural massacre’ following the demolition of an historic Ottoman castle near the holy city of Makkah. “The spat between Turkey and Saudi Arabia barely caused a stir anywhere in the Muslim world, let alone international circles. The Ottoman fort’s destruction is not the only massacre of culture that the Saudis have done in the name of money and Islam. In the 1980s, they demolished part of the two hills of Safaa and Marwah to build a palace for the late King Khaled. “These historic hills were where Abraham left Hagar, and where Muslims during Hajj run between the two hills to commemorate Hagar’s search for water for her infant son. Not one Imam or Muslim leader protested. After all millions of dollars have the power of silencing even the most “pious”. But that is not all. The Saudis are now planning to destroy the very house of Prophet Muhammad (greetings, peace and blessings be upon him and his family).”
Another critic is Saudi architect Sami Angawi who reckons that we are witnessing the “last days of Mecca and Medina.” Dr Angawi - who has dedicated his life to preserving Islam’s two holiest cities – reckons that as few as 20 structures are left that date back to the lifetime of the Prophet 1400 years ago and those that remain could be bulldozed at any time. “This is the end of history in Mecca and Medina and the end of their future,” said Dr Angawi.
Saudi critics say the real driving force behind this vandalism is Wahhaabism in reference to Sheikh Muhammad ibn Abd al Wahhaab ibn Sulaiman ibn Ali ibn Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Rashid al Tamimi who was born in the year 1115 A.H.(1703 C.E.).
Now this is going to seem really ironic but I went to visit his birthplace during my trip to Saudi but when I rolled up to Uyaynah to the north of Riyadh, I couldn’t find it. Guess what? The Saudi Government had demolished it. The motive behind the destruction is the irrational fear that places of historical and religious interest could give rise to idolatry or polytheism, the worship of multiple and potentially equal gods.
Oh for goodness sake! I just wanted to see where the brother was born. I didn’t want to throw myself onto the dirt beneath my feet to begin worshipping the ground he had walked on. Now this same mentality is being used to lay the very foundations of the Prophet’s home to waste. That particular site survived redevelopment 50 years ago when the architect for a library there persuaded the king to allow him to keep the remains under the new structure. That concession is under threat after Saudi authorities approved plans to ‘update’ the library with a new structure that would concrete over the existing foundations.
Ali al-Ahmad, the head of the Gulf Institute said last week: “The destruction of Islamic landmarks in Hijaz is the largest in history, and worse than the desecration of the Qur’an.”. Well that might be a little over-dramatic but can we have some commonsense brought into play here, please?
Makkah and Medina have already been vandalised, in my opinion, historically, architecturally and environmentally much to the disappointment of millions of pilgrims who visit the two holy cities every year, I wager.
Trying to defend the indefensible, the authorities argue that the total demolition is necessary to incorporate more apartments and hotels into Makkah and Medina to cope with the deluge of pilgrims. Rubbish, rubbish, rubbish and utter piffle. Erm, anyone heard of railways, ring roads, or public transport shuttle services?
The home of our beloved Prophet (greetings, peace and blessings be upon him and his family) is to make way for a parking lot, two 50-storey hotel towers and seven 35-storey apartment blocks.
The vandalism even has a name … the Jabal Omar Scheme, and it is all within a stone’s throw of the Grand Mosque.
Now can someone please tell me why there is not a single stirring from any Muslim countries, religious leaders or other Islamic clerics and scholars?
The reality is this is all about dollars – or Rials to be more precise. Well I am not going to let Dr Sami Angawi stand alone as he sticks his head above the parapet. I am going to stand shoulder to shoulder with this great architect, who is showing great courage and determination in his one-man campaign to protect the home of our dear Prophet (greetings, peace and blessings be upon him and his family). He bluntly told the London newspaper, The Independent: “The house where the Prophet received the word of God is gone and nobody cares … this is the end of history in Makkah and Medina and the end of their future.”
Let’s all rise up to fight this cultural vandalism. I am urging everyone to check out and sign this petition:
http://www.petitiononline.com/rasul/petition.html
By signing your name electronically you will be protesting against the potential destruction and desecration of the birth place of the Prophet Muhammad (greetings, peace and blessings be upon him and his family). Surely this is a worthy jihad … well, what are you waiting for? And while you’re on with it – let’s have a little bit of integration here and get your non-Muslim friends to sign the petition as well. This petition isn’t designed to protect a site of worship, it is purely to protect a site which should be a historic landmark and place of international interest.
Shame on the Saudi government for putting profit before our beloved noble Prophet Muhammad (greetings, peace and blessings be upon him and his family): The final Messenger of God, the carrier of the Banner of Praise and owner of the Ultimate Intercession!
Re: Filthy Saudi’s Destroying Home of the Prophet SAW
To read more on this subject…
http://usa.mediamonitors.net/content/view/full/18123
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/article304029.ece
Re: Filthy Saudi's Destroying Home of the Prophet SAW
I say we nuke the saudis, them petro dollar flaunting saudis.
Re: Filthy Saudi's Destroying Home of the Prophet SAW
why do they wish to demolish it????
Re: Filthy Saudi's Destroying Home of the Prophet SAW
Idiots, simply.
Re: Filthy Saudi's Destroying Home of the Prophet SAW
This is what happens when you leave your religous heritage in the hands of one country... Especially those Wahabi morons!
Re: Prophet's (SAW) birthplace up for demolition/petition/article(s) (merged)
Prophet birth place must not be demolish....it is a part of history and it must be preserved
