Entry into the cities of Mecca and Medina is prohibited for all non Muslims. Can someone tell me when this came into effect? Has it been like this ever since the birth of Islam or is it a later development?
The holy scripture of the Muslims, the Koran, does not mention this restriction. Why then is it like this?
(taken from this article)
Since the rise of Wahhabism
See also the flawed but good book The Two Faces of Islam.
I think there is a hadith (sayings of Mohammed) which says:
“No two religions shall exist together in Arabia”
As I recall, Mohammed said this on his death bed. It was the last thing he ever said and is the reason why islam is the only religion allowed in Saudi. I’m not sure whether this hadith fully accounts for the Mecca thing though, but it seems possible that it is at least a contributory factor.
I have checked the Koran and there does not appear to be any sura or verse in it that says anything like Mecca and its surroundings are only for Muslims. There is of course a hadith, which as Jojo mentions, says that no other religion can co-exist along with Islam in the land of the Arabian peninsula. I can understand that being the reason why practice of other religions is not permitted in Saudi Arabia. But I am more interested in learning the source of the law that prohibits anyone else other than Muslims from entering Mecca or Medina, and since when has it been in practice.
How would you prove yourself a Muslim? Do Muslims have ID cards, or secret handshakes or some other criteria that would allow the exclusion of non-muslims?
Richard Francis Burton, the explorer and linguist, disguised himself and snuck into Mecca. (Or so he claimed.)
Non-muslims get into Mecca every year, often journos sneaking in for Haj. Also, despite the fact that this would never be officially admitted, western technology and telco experts have also been to Mecca to set up and supervise major infrastructure problems. I would also bet they’ve had plenty of non-Muslim senior medical staff working there too.
Non-muslims haven’t always been banned from Mecca, and there are a number of muslim religious leaders - including Saudis - who believe they should be allowed back there for cultural visits, to open up better understanding, etc etc.
I am not sure when exactly the ban started, but a Pakistani muslim friend of mine made me crease up with laughter when he explained - in all seriousness - that it was because of “the Jews.”
“It was because of the Jews - they found them trying to dig a tunnel to get under the Qaba[sp? black cube thing],” he told me. I can’t remember when or where this legendary burrowing was supposed to have occured, but images of rabbis with shovels eagerly tunnelling away for no apparent reason at all always makes me laugh.
I’d get sooooo busted if I did this and someone snuck a peek at my stuff in the men’s room…TMI. Sorry. 
He “claimed” this at great length, with great detail, the usual copious side notes, and undoubted veracity. His claims included an operation to take care of the (ahem) stuff.
Burton was not the first to do so, not the last.
Darned - I’m not a Muslim - now I’ll have to change my travel plans for Summer Vacation.
Note well that plenty of non-Muslims and non-Jews have been circumsized, and I’m not talking about mutilated African women. My tallywhacker was cut and I was raised Protestant by rather areligious parents.
Of course, I don’t speak Arabic or have any reason on Earth to go to Mecca.
August “Plus, I likes me some pigmeat.” Derleth
I believe you might recite the shahada, the declaration of faith. Very short, very simple: “There is no god but God, and Muhammad is the prophet of God”. It’d have to be in Arabic.
How do you prove yourself Christian/Jew etc??
I am sorry but my original question still remains unanswered! I am still waiting to hear some “straightdope” to my question - Since when have non muslims been prohibited from entering Mecca?? I am aware that Richard Burton visited Mecca incognto and also wrote about it. So must have several others. After all, there is not much that the authorities can check to confirm that you are a Muslim other than the circumcised penis. And that raises another question - when and how did this practice of circumcision start?? As I understand, one fine day Abraham had this peculiar desire to snip off the tip of his skin on the penis…and he went ahead and did it…and since then all his progeny have been following great grandad!! What does Yahweh or Allah do with those pieces of skins anyway??
So, will someone please tell me when did the prohibition of entry to Mecca start for the non muslims?? I am sure there must be some muslims on the membership of this board…are they too ignorant??
Maybe 2 years ago, there was a thread on this subject, but I can’t seem to find the darn thing…maybe someone else will have better luck?
I’m sorry. Did you what the exact day?
…the Wahhabis, having seized Mecca and Medina in 1924…
Pinning the exact date is left as a search engine exercise for the OP.
Found the old thread…
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=138033&highlight=Mecca
Too bad it got so contentious and got locked; it was interesting.
That was interesting, Eva Luna. Very. And it had Collounsbury, as usual, displaying both his best and worst in the same post. AND a link to a Cecil column on Burton that I’d never seen. Cool.