VIEW : A whiff of Misoneism towards history and heritage — Ali Salman Alvi
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2012\11\10\story_10-11-2012_pg3_5&goback=.gde_3298975_member_184340770
It is about the Saudis' adoption of Salafism, an austere and uncompromising elucidation of Islamic teachings that is in vehement antipathy towards mounted graves and shrines
Places of pilgrimage are not the property of the country they are situated in; they belong to the entire community of the people of the same faith. Therefore the demolition of revered sites should be done only when the entire community gives its endorsement to it. In the case of Saudi Arabia, where the richest heritage of Islamic history is located, the demolition of such sites has been carried out dictatorially, merely keeping the teachings of one school of thought — Salafism — in mind. There is not a thought about the sentiments of millions of Muslims all over the world who hold these places in profound reverence for their religious significance.
The Saudi monarchy is all set to raze at least three of the world's oldest mosques and the green dome over Prophet Muhammad's (PBUH) grave as a multi-billion expansion project of the Masjid-e-Nabvi is initiated. The current expansion plan is a continuity of the Salafi agenda pursued by the Saudi monarchy that kicked off in 1925 when the first monarch Ibn-e-Saud demolished the cemetery al-Baqi that contained the graves of many of the Prophet's (PBUH) relatives and companions. In the same year, the monarch also demolished the tombs at Janna-ul-Mualla in Makkah where one of the Prophet's (PBUH) wives, grandfather, and other ancestors are buried. All this happened despite protests by the international Islamic community.
Read on . . .
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2012\11\10\story_10-11-2012_pg3_5&goback=.gde_3298975_member_184340770
It is about the Saudis' adoption of Salafism, an austere and uncompromising elucidation of Islamic teachings that is in vehement antipathy towards mounted graves and shrines
Places of pilgrimage are not the property of the country they are situated in; they belong to the entire community of the people of the same faith. Therefore the demolition of revered sites should be done only when the entire community gives its endorsement to it. In the case of Saudi Arabia, where the richest heritage of Islamic history is located, the demolition of such sites has been carried out dictatorially, merely keeping the teachings of one school of thought — Salafism — in mind. There is not a thought about the sentiments of millions of Muslims all over the world who hold these places in profound reverence for their religious significance.
The Saudi monarchy is all set to raze at least three of the world's oldest mosques and the green dome over Prophet Muhammad's (PBUH) grave as a multi-billion expansion project of the Masjid-e-Nabvi is initiated. The current expansion plan is a continuity of the Salafi agenda pursued by the Saudi monarchy that kicked off in 1925 when the first monarch Ibn-e-Saud demolished the cemetery al-Baqi that contained the graves of many of the Prophet's (PBUH) relatives and companions. In the same year, the monarch also demolished the tombs at Janna-ul-Mualla in Makkah where one of the Prophet's (PBUH) wives, grandfather, and other ancestors are buried. All this happened despite protests by the international Islamic community.
Read on . . .
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