Muslim against music

[KichigaiNeko]

I'm afraid he is right Rayaan...from an outsider's perspective muslims virtually 'worship' the ground muhammad walked on aka Mecca. And the edict to make the "pilgrimage" (sorry I don't know the correct term for it) to Mecca just reinforces it. It really isn't that different to xtians making the pilgrimage to Jerusalem's' "holy sites" or a jews pilgrimage to "the wailing wall"

It cracks me up when I read about these idiots making their pilgrimage (which involves stupidity like throwing pebbles at a post to symbolize their rejection of "Satan") and invariably there is a stampede that kills dozens of people at one of their shrines. Yeah, you take your family to a "holy" place and you have to worry about getting stomped to death by people rushing to the next attraction. It's like Disney World in reverse.

Well basically it is like that Thor...or so it seems to me. The comercialism from the hajj alone and the $$$ of revenue snaped up by the Saudi Government..... bit like Disneyland for muslims in a way.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mecca

In its modern period, Mecca has seen tremendous expansion in size and infrastructure. However, most of its historic buildings have been demolished in recent years because of the Saudi government's religious views and disapproval of undue reverence being given to such buildings.

---

The modern day city is the capital of Saudi Arabia's Makkah Province, in the historic Hejaz region. With a population of 1.7 million (2008), the city is located 73 km (45 mi) inland from Jeddah in a narrow valley at a height of 277 m (909 ft) above sea level.

---

Every year, millions of Muslims perform the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca walking seven times around the Kaaba. More than 13 million people visit Mecca annually.[6] Similarly to Medina, entrance to Mecca is restricted to Muslims only; non-Muslims are neither permitted to enter nor travel through the city

EconomyThe Meccan economy has been heavily dependent on the annual pilgrimage. As one academic put it, "[Meccans] have no means of earning a living but by serving the hajjis."

---

Economy generated from the Hajj, in fact, not only powers the Meccan economy but has historically had far reaching effects on the economy of the entire Hijaz and Najd regions. The income was generated in a number of ways. One method was taxing the pilgrims. Taxes especially increased during the Great Depression, and many of these taxes existed as late as 1972. Another way the Hajj generates income is through services to pilgrims. For example, the Saudi national airline, Saudi Arabian Airlines, generates 12% of its income from the pilgrimage. Fares paid by pilgrims to reach Mecca by land also generate income; as do the hotels and lodging companies that house them.[34]

---

The city takes in more than $100 million, while the Saudi government spends about $50 million on services for the Hajj. There are some industries and factories in the city, but Mecca no longer plays a major role in Saudi Arabia's economy, which is mainly based on oil exports.[46] The few industries operating in Mecca include textiles, furniture, and utensils. The majority of the economy is service oriented.