|
Tuesday, 03 April 2007 15:39 |
 If you think Asheville is suffering from overdevelopment, consider for a moment the condition of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, home of Islamís most sacred site.
The townís significance to Islam is indisputable. Five times a day, every Muslim is required to face Mecca and pray. And at least once in their lives, all adherents to the faith must make a hajj, or pilgrimage, to the town.
At the core of Meccaís significance is the Grand Mosque, home to the Kaaba ó a granite structure that, according to legend, houses the stone upon which Abraham and his son Ishmael built a shrine to God.
In
fact, the siteís significance predates Islam and was long considered
one of the holiest places in the Arabian Peninsula, long before
Mohammed experienced his revelation.
Today, however,
it is overshadowed by shrines to a more modern divinity ó consumerism.
Looming over the ancient site stands the Abraj al Bait Mall ó the
largest shopping center in Saudi Arabia.
Home to such
western icons as Starbucks and Cartier and Tiffany, the mall hopes to
cater to the four million people who visit Mecca for the pilgrimage
each year ó pilgrims with money to spend.
The mall even
houses a lingerie shop ó a great irony for a country where the most
extreme religious rules are used to enforce womenís modesty and females
are forbidden from driving cars.
But the mall is
not the only encroachment of consumerism on the holy city. Nearby, a
mountain has been razed to make way for gated communities, a theme all
too familiar to Buncombe County residents.
Needless to say,
many Muslims are outraged. When Mecca itself is not impervious to the
march of materialistic capitalism, they ask, what is still sacred?
So ó one might ask ó is this a sacrilege or just the march of progress?
Neither, we
would argue. If Islam is to remain relevant in the 21st century, it
must come to terms with its long opposition to modernity. Maybe some
lingerie shops and Internet cafes are just what Islam needs to bring it
out of its fixation on medieval value systems.
At the same
time, letís not be too hasty to equate development, consumerism and
free markets with progress. These things do have positive aspects, but
they also come at great prices.
Yes, Islam needs
an infusion of modern values. But the modern world could also greatly
benefit from some of the traditional values that the Qurían espouses ó
such as charity, respect for family and community and a sense of the
holiness of all life.
At any rate, if
the modern world has anything to offer Islam, it is not so much our
gadgetry and glamour as it is our nobler values ó such as womenís
equality, free speech and respect for human rights.
And for that
matter, a more sex-positive attitude would do wonders for Islam (and
its evangelical counterparts here in the West).
|
