hajj

December 18th, 2007
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Discussion (20)¬

  2. Admittedly I know next to nothing about the muslim religion, only the bare bones of it… but where does the meteorite come into this?

  5. Alright, I don’t get it. What is so funny about circumambulating a square box like zombies with a big stone which was originaly was called Allah, the largest black stone god?

  6. Oh, they worship as one, all right. Carefully separated as to Sunni or Shi’ite sects.

    Occasionally the devil doesn’t get stoned, when someone gets between a thrown rock and a hard symbol. Strangely, the affronted will often retaliate by throwing a rock back in the general direction of their assailant, with no hope of hitting him. Mayhem follows.

    If that really were the Devil In Petra, he probably would be enjoying himself immensely.

  7. I dunno, doesn’t seem any more or less reasonable than any of the other superstitious rituals any religion has. Which is to say they all seem pretty darn silly to me.

  8. well that explains alot… the whole religion is stoned…

    seems like a kinda rocky basis for a religion which has risen into meteoric prominence in the region…

  10. Let’s praise Allah that there were no deaths like the years before by stampedes…
    Oh actually no! If they die there, they go straight to Heaven for a fast meeting with the virgins!

  11. Yes, dont forget that the ladies don’t get to worship a large lump of rock sticking up into the air..perhaps in case it gives them any funny ideas?
    It’s long overdue for us to sort out whether someone’s beliefs demand respect just by virtue of them having them sincerely and strongly or because of their actual content.
    If the former then the inhabitants of the local psychiatric hospital (many of whom also think that they are prophets) need to be afforded the same respect.
    If the latter then this bunch of bronze-age idiots might be treated with fear but that is not really the same as respect now, is it?

  12. Been watching ‘Make Me A Muslim’ on C4 this week, thinking about this column. The best bit had to be when they got in a muslim stand-up ‘comedian’. Proof, if proof were needed, that unless someone is actually poking fun at religion (J&M and their readers) believers ain’t the greatest of wits.

  13. “believers ain’t the greatest of wits”

    I once asked a hindu whats the difference bettween hinduism and christianity. He said we worship shiva not shava (shava = corpse in sanskrit).

  18. The stone is a carryover from the previous polytheistic religion–it’s used as a signifier of continuation and power over the old gods.

  19. Hobbes, why can’t someone who know a lot make different decisions on different days? Even if “a lot” means “everything that can be known and a littley bit more”?
    I know what is in my fridge. I decide I want to eat a curry. On opening the door and seeing the contents I decide that a sausage in a bun is an easier bet as I’m feeling lazier by the second.
    Decisions are not always based on strict logical processes, or on any processes and knowledge of facts. They can be based on impulse of the moment.
    The Old Testes tells us that Jehovah has poor impulse control, whether he knows everything or not.
    That and he’s testy, inconsistent and slightly pouty.
    All good qualities for an ancient god.

  20. Ooops, I really should not leave proof-reading up to the auto-corrector. Either that or I should clean up the dictionary my spelling checker uses.
    Sorry.

    On the subject of that black brick in a box, isn’t that roughly the equivalent of the Christians making a pilgrimage to Delphi or Stonehenge or touching wood for god luck?
    Isn’t it haram? Anti-Islam? Worshipping false gods? Or is it made okay just because the real Mo’ did it?
    If that last, could Islam suddenly decide that the real Mo’ liked bacon sandwiches and real ales and respected the age of consent?

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