Source: Stratfor:
Mismanaging Mecca and Medina
The two most important places are Mecca and Medina, the primary spiritual focal points for Muslims around the world. The Masjid al Haram, or the Great Mosque of Mecca, houses Islam’s central shrine, the Kaaba. The Kaaba symbolizes the first house of worship built for the One God, and it is the sacred shrine toward which Muslims pray. Over time it has been felled by fire and flood; the mosque protecting it has been rebuilt, modified and expanded time and again for the past 14 centuries. Medina is home to the second holy mosque, Al Masjid an-Nabawi, or the Prophet’s Mosque, which is built around the Prophet Mohammed’s house. It, too, has grown to accommodate an increasing number of worshippers over time. Presently, Saudi Arabia controls both cities, but this arrangement is becoming increasingly controversial among Muslims.
Categories: Asia, Hajj, ISLAM, Islam, Saudi Arabia