Note: This article is from the Guardian.
This article titled “Mecca expansion programme is a duty, says king of Saudi Arabia” was written by Riazat Butt, for The Guardian on Wednesday 28th September 2011 19.18 UTCThe king of Saudi Arabia has said it is his religious duty to expend “whatever wealth and effort” were necessary to improve facilities for Muslims going on the Islamic pilgrimage, despite growing concerns about the scale of development in Mecca.
King Abdullah, who also bears the title of custodian of the two holy mosques, told the Majlis Al-Shura, or cabinet session, at the Al-Yamamah Palace in Riyadh this week that Allah had blessed Saudi Arabia with the holy cities of Mecca and Medina and that this generosity was “a duty, prestige, an honour and a prerequisite this country and its leadership” should abide by.
Some organisations, such as the Islamic Heritage Research Foundation, have repeatedly expressed alarm over the destruction of historic sites to make way for skyscraper hotels and shopping malls.
Although Saudi authorities have never directly addressed these concerns, the king’s comments make it clear that the ambitious bn (£13bn) expansion programme – the largest in Mecca’s history – will proceed regardless.
He said: “We are proceeding on the kingdom’s religious responsibility; subsequently, we have laid down the foundation stone for expanding the Grand Mosque [and] inaugurated a number of improvement projects in the Two Holy Mosques. That also is only a duty we owe to Allah.”
Last month the king attended a stone-laying ceremony for the construction project, which covers 400,000 square metres and will accommodate an additional 1.2 million people.
Pilgrims who fail to secure a spot in the Grand Mosque or in its immediate courtyard worship in the streets and tunnels leading up to it, especially on a Friday when pilgrims will arrive in the early hours to ensure a place for the afternoon prayer.
Currently the maximum numbers performing the Hajj hover around the 4 million mark, with millions more visiting Mecca throughout the year.
The restricted capacity of Mecca means that the majority of the world’s Muslims will never be able to perform the Hajj.
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