Mega-Churches anyone? Saudi-Arabia plans to turn Hajj into touristic money-maker.

[DetlefK]

http://www.cracked.com/personal-experiences-2420-6-things-i-learned-my-personal-pilgrimage-to-mecca.html
https://www.rt.com/business/337135-saudi-hajj-revenues-oil/

As Mecca is in Saudi-Arabia, the House of Saud basically owns the Hajj. And it uses that for political games, for example in their rivalry with Iran.

And as Saudi-Arabia is running out of money due to the low price of oil (and as their plan to grow wheat in the desert turns out to consume too much water...), their next plan is to turn Mecca into a figurative "touristic Mecca".

No, seriously.

1. Saudi-Arabia is getting hit so hard by the low price of oil that, if the current levels of oil-price, revenue and spending are kept in place, Saudi-Arabia will be bankrupt in 5-10 years. (For example, Saudi-Arabia has recently switched from a lunar-based calendar to the Gregorian calendar, because that way it can squeeze a few more work-days per year out of its workers.)

2. Mecca looks like this nowadays:





"There's a giant hotel right across from the mosque," Omar continued. "Going inside and walking around the Kaaba (the cubic black building in Mecca where Muslims worldwide direct themselves to pray) is an incredible feeling. You feel so entwined with your religion praying with everyone while looking the same in what we wear. You leave the mosque on a religious high. When I did it, it was almost ruined because I thought there would be talk of religion everywhere or people in prayer but we left near the hotel and only heard people complaining about their rooms or why their ride to the airport was late."

The building Omar described, the Abraj Al Bait, actually has a Fairmont hotel, a giant mall, and even a Hardee's and a KFC inside - all literally steps away from the holiest site for Muslims in the world. These changes are extremely controversial, for obvious reasons: Some sites from the time of Muhammad himself have been knocked down (by family members of Osama bin Laden, no less) in favor of such luxury hotels.

And

As part of a diversification strategy, Saudi Arabia is to broaden pilgrimage services to reduce its dependence on falling oil revenue, reported the Saudi Gazette newspaper. ... The pilgrimage industry is the country’s second most important after oil and gas.





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(Also, let's ignore the permanent racism and classism happening at the one place during the one occasion where all Muslims are supposed to be equal.)

[Ilsa]

1. Oh yes, please, drift into

making money your god.

[nil desperandum]

2. Oh boy

if they can get a second Creation Museum near the Mecca Mall they'd hit both major world religions in a single destination package....