Interesting facts about Non-Muslims visiting Mecca :: Reader comments at Daniel Pipes

Submitted by Debanjan Banerjee (India), May 17, 2009 at 03:54

Dr. Pipes ,
In relation to non-Muslims prevented from visiting Mecca , I believe there is a special chapter in the Quran which forbids non-Muslims into Mecca.

Having said that I believe certain Western intellectuals have visited Mecca i.e. Richard Burton who wrote the "Perfumed Garden" (english translation of "Arabian Nights"). As well as a French group of commandos also visited Mecca in the early 1980-s on a special request of the Saudi Monarch.

Dr. Pipes , can you kindly tell why the above mentioned Westerners(i.e. Non-Muslims) were allowed to visit Mecca by the authorities ?

Like (2) Dislike (3)

Submitting....

Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome but not comments that are scurrilous, off-topic, commercial, disparaging religions, or otherwise inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the "Guidelines for Reader Comments".

Submit a comment on this item

<< Previous Comment Next Comment >>

Reader comments (55) on this item

	Title	Commenter	Date	Thread
	Right of Muslims [60 words]	Chris	Nov 27, 2011 15:03	191226
2	Christians bar Muslims, where? [52 words]	sara	Nov 28, 2011 15:25	191226
	Mecca the muslim equivalent of the jewish holy of holies [21 words]	Ali Lawal	Sep 5, 2011 18:31	189123
2	The Jews would agree [98 words]	Peter Hall	Sep 6, 2011 13:13	189123
	dear brothers [103 words]	ahmed musthafa	Nov 17, 2012 08:06	189123
1	I am not your brother [64 words]	Melissa	Jan 11, 2016 12:20	189123
1	Mecca Visit by non-Muslims [208 words]	Ramesh	Mar 19, 2011 18:43	183493
2	MATTER OF PRIVACY let muslims decide [138 words]	salman	Sep 19, 2010 13:15	178427
1	Do we know anything now ? [41 words]	M.	Nov 9, 2009 15:57	164283
1	Forced to convert most likely... [12 words]	Tziona	May 24, 2009 10:20	156095
1	Matter of reciprocity [92 words] w/response from Daniel Pipes	Debanjan Banerjee	May 25, 2009 12:27	156095
	Re: Forced to convert most likely... [54 words]	Aymenn Jawad	May 26, 2009 10:26	156095
	GIGN [43 words]	AlbertE.	Jan 20, 2015 13:31	156095
1	Re: Fate of Nirosh Kamanda [116 words]	Aymenn Jawad	May 20, 2009 07:37	155842
1	The Universal declaration of Human Rights, and some ways that it applies to Islamic countries. [749 words]	Canadian Chris	Nov 7, 2009 11:50	155842
7	Visa to enter Makkah and Madinah [198 words]	m.mohsen	May 13, 2009 18:33	155380
1	ROTFL and teaching the Arabic language to one tablighee at a time [143 words]	dhimmi no more	May 17, 2009 17:30	155380
	islam is a global religion [244 words]	m.mohsen	May 19, 2009 10:54	155380
2	Islam approves owning, and selling slaves [52 words]	sam	May 20, 2009 14:31	155380
3	is there any discrimination in Islam? [389 words]	the Grand Infidel of Kaffiristan	May 22, 2009 20:15	155380
2	Islam is really the religion of the Arabs only and you ain't no Arab [578 words]	dhimmi no more	May 23, 2009 07:33	155380
	Blaming the dog [269 words]	dhimmi no more	May 24, 2009 10:43	155380
	there is adifference , what distinction [494 words]	m mohsen	May 25, 2009 20:48	155380
1	I am not following what you are saying [127 words]	Peter Hall	Sep 6, 2011 13:07	155380
	Foreigners should abide the law of Kingdom [28 words]	Waheed Ahmed	Oct 26, 2008 06:48	141031
1	12th Century Delusions [41 words]	A. Blinken	Dec 7, 2008 10:20	141031
	No doubt... [28 words]	Pinstripe	Dec 22, 2008 03:44	141031
2	Who wants to go there anyway? [89 words]	Timothy	Mar 5, 2009 20:30	141031
	Delusion [24 words]	The last prophet	May 17, 2009 01:59	141031
1	we wont go there if you PROMISE not to come here... [115 words]	TM	May 18, 2009 11:15	141031
	These two laws do not reconcile. [85 words]	Abhi	May 22, 2009 00:14	141031
	WHO WANTS TO GO THERE ANYWAY ? [108 words]	Mohamed Adham	Aug 8, 2009 07:14	141031
	Reader comment: Who wants to go there anyway? [166 words]	Aminah	Mar 5, 2010 01:03	141031
2	Not allowed in Makkah [104 words]	Ali	Aug 21, 2008 17:36	137115
	Ali, may I then suggest.. [42 words]	Pinstripe	Dec 22, 2008 03:39	137115
	hypocrisy [93 words]	Ali	Dec 22, 2008 19:29	137115
	Muslims should keep away from democratic countries. [51 words]	Pinstripe	Dec 26, 2008 09:11	137115
	Re: Not allowed in Makkah [154 words]	William East	Feb 16, 2009 22:06	137115
	it is logic at first time to disagree, but let's taken an example [179 words]	m.mohsen	May 13, 2009 18:29	137115
	In reply [252 words]	William East	May 16, 2009 11:42	137115
	Hypocrisy indeed [47 words]	The last prophet	May 17, 2009 02:10	137115
	M MOSHEN [53 words]	btilly	May 17, 2009 17:37	137115
	Why cannot Jewish people visit their ancestral places ? [59 words]	Harry	May 19, 2009 18:47	137115
5	NOT ALLOWED IN MAKKAH [38 words]	Mohamed Adham	Aug 9, 2009 08:40	137115
2	You would still be in rags, if it hadn't been for the americans and the western world.. [280 words]	Pinstripe	Aug 9, 2009 19:23	137115
3	Didnt Muslims fly a plane into the Pentagon? [62 words]	Peter Hall	Sep 6, 2011 13:33	137115
	caught in a web [200 words]	Rebecca Moulds	Dec 18, 2007 10:13	116452
2	Interesting facts about Non-Muslims visiting Mecca [95 words]	Debanjan Banerjee	May 17, 2009 03:54	116452
	You are bad until I need you and will become bad again after my need is over [19 words]	abhi	May 22, 2009 20:24	116452
	NO WORRIES ! [66 words]	Bill Corr	Dec 18, 2007 04:52	116430
	It has to begin somewhere & somehow [35 words]	David W. Lincoln	Dec 17, 2007 23:20	116414
	IT HAS TO BEGIN SOMEWHERE [26 words]	Mohamed Adham	Aug 9, 2009 08:43	116414
	A Christian Caught in Mecca; What Fate Awaits Him? [109 words]	David W. Lincoln	Aug 9, 2009 21:04	116414
	A CHRISTIAN CAUGHT IN MAKKAH [55 words]	Mohamed Adham	Aug 10, 2009 02:01	116414
	Mecca? [28 words]	Seth Ginsburg	Dec 17, 2007 14:38	116360