Vandalism In The Name of Allah

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Vandalism In The Name of Allah​

In 1924, the Wahhabis had begun a campaign of destruction of graves of Muslim saints and imams. Even the tomb of Mohammed's daughter Fatima, from whose lineage the Mahdi (Messiah) will be born, was destroyed. The Ikhwan had even tried to desecrate the tomb of Mohammed, but had been restrained by the Al Saud chief. Under the rule of King Abdul Aziz and his descendants, the destruction of religious sites has been accelerating up to the present day. Over the past two decades, according to the Gulf Institute, 95% of the ancient buildings of Mecca have been demolished. Dr Sami Angawi, a Saudi architect, claims that now there are only 20 buildings which remain from the time of Mohammed.


The tomb of Mohammed is in Medina. In the 1950s, the Saudi establishment decided to build a library over the grave site. The architect gained a compromise, by allowing the tomb to remain beneath the library. The authorities intend the tomb to be concreted over and made into a car park. In 1998, the tomb of Mohammed's mother, Amina bint Wahb, was bulldozed and razed to the ground. The house of Khadija, Mohammed's wife, is no longer standing. It has been replaced with public toilets. The house of Abu Bakr, the first Caliph and father of Mohammed's last wife Aisha, has vanished under the foundations of a Hilton hotel.

Even the cave where Mohammed is said to have received his first revelations, at the Al Nour Mountain, is being considered for demolition. Prince Turki al-Faisal wrote in response to a 2005 newspaper article condemning such destruction that Saudi Arabia was spending more than $19 billion preserving the heritage of Mecca and Medina: "[We are aware] how important the preservation of this heritage is, not just to us but to the millions of Muslims from around the world who visit the two holy mosques every year. It is hardly something we are going to allow to be destroyed."



The Grand Mosque of Mecca is now becoming dwarfed by high-rise construction projects, including the Zam Zam tower, being built by the Bin Laden family. A religious ideology that can render its own heritage obsolete, in case pilgrimage (classed as "shirk" or "polytheism") takes place, is destructive and anti-cultural. The tribe of Al Saud spreads this ideology around the world, funding madrassas and schools. The human beings who live under the intransigent rule of Wahhabism are denied some of the basic rights we take for granted in the West.

Grand Mosque​

There is a growing shadow being cast over Islam’s holiest site. Only a few metres from the walls of the Grand Mosque in Mecca skyscrapers are reaching further into the sky, slowly blocking out the light. These enormous and garish newcomers now dwarf the elegant black granite of the Kaaba, the focal point of the four million Muslims’ annual Haj pilgrimage.


The UK Independent 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 companion 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.

Demolition of Mecca​

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 muttawa or “religious police”, visible in red headgear, supervised the demolition of the ancient Mosque of Imam Al Uraidh. This mosque, built 1,200 years ago, stood on the site where Ali-Oraid, grandson of Mohammed, had lived. Now it is covered by rubble.

Prophet's wives tombs​

The picture above show all that remains of the grave of Mohammed’s wife Al Baqi. Destroyed 50 years ago, the muttawa guard the site to prevent pilgrims placing flowers or praying by the ruins.

al-nur-mountain​

The mountain pictured is the al-Nur 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.