Tom, this is on topic and is very important to this site so dont erase it, it will answer all of our questions as to why they are destroying historical sites in Mecca and other areas.
Saudi Arabia: Wahhabis Destroy Heritage Of Mecca
The UK Independent today published photographs from the Islamic Heritage Foundation which show clearly how the Wahhabi ideology, espoused by the House of Saud, the Saudi royal family, is destroying sites which are not only precious to Muslims, but also valuable for archeological reasons, and as part of world heritage.
The picture above shows how the Grand Mosque at Mecca (left) is becoming overshadowed by rising skyscrapers, including the Zam Zam tower, being constructed by the bin Laden family.
The religious zealots of Wahhabism do not cherish sacred sites, as they believe pilgrimage to such places encourages heretical and idolatrous worship. The Saudi religious authorities have been engaged in wholesale destruction of historical places for decades now.
In 1998, the grave of Amina bint Wahb, the prophet Mohammed's mother, was bulldozed and doused in gasoline. Irfan Ahmed al-Alawi, who chairs the Islamic Heritage Foundation, said that despite petitions from thousands within the ummah, the Saudis went ahead regardless.
The birthplace of the prophet Mohammed came under threat 50 years ago, when the House of Saud decided to build a library over the site. The architect then persuaded the authorities to allow him to preserve the remains beneath the library. Now the authorities want to concrete over the site and turn it into a car park.
The house of Khadijah, the prophet's first wife, was demolished and replaced with public lavatories. The house of Abu Bakr, the friend of Mohammed and father of AIsha who first compiled the verses of the Koran, was demolished to make way for the Hilton hotel.
Lay people, and in some cases even US senators could be forgiven for thinking that the House of Saud has been the guardian of the two holy places for time immemorial. In fact, it is only 80 years since the tribal chieftain Ibn Saud occupied Mecca and Medina. The House of Saud has been bound to Wahhabism since the 18th century religious reformer Mohamed Ibn Abdul-Wahab signed a pact with Mohammed bin Saud in 1744. Wahab's warrior zealots helped to conquer a kingdom for the tribal chieftains. The House of Saud got its wealth and power, and the clerics got the vehicle of state they needed to spread their fundamentalist ideology around the world. The ruler of this fledgling kingdom needed the legitimacy afforded by declaring himself " custodian of the two holy places".
The Independent states that as early as 1929, Wahhabists began to censor who could visit the Ka'aba, and what ceremonies could be performed. Egyptian pilgrims were prevented from visiting to carry out their Mahmal ceremonies, and at least 30 were killed in that year.
There are now less than 20 structures remaining which date from the time of the prophet Mohammed. Above is the scene of destruction when the mutawi or "religious police", visible in red headgear, supervised the demolition of the ancient Mosque of abu-Qubais. This mosque, built 1,200 years ago, stood on the site where Ali-Oraid, grandson of Mohammed, had lived. Now it is covered by the King's palace.
The picture above show all that remains of the grave of Mohammed's wife Al Baqi. Destroyed 50 years ago, the mutawi guard the site to prevent pilgrims placing flowers or praying by the ruins.
The mountain pictured is the al-Nour or "Mountain of Light". A cave is situated on this mountain, which was where Mohammed received his first "communications" which became the first verses of the Koran. The Independent states: "Hardline clerics want it destroyed to stop pilgrims visiting. At the foot of the hill there is a Wahhabi fatwa: " The Prophet Mohamed (PBUH) did not permit us to climb on to this hill, not to pray here, not to touch stones, and tie knots on trees..."
The Saudis happily spent money subsidising the Taliban in Afghanistan. When the Taliban blew up the World Heritage site of Bamiyan, home of the giant Buddhas carved into cliffs, the world was aghast. The current destruction, which is encouraged by the House of Saud is an equally disgraceful activity, and Muslims and non-Muslims alike should similarly be aghast at such wanton vandalism.
Article from
http://www.westernresistance.com/blo...es/001966.html