A few more questions about Islam - women in mosques; Mecca; and the cyber Koran

[elmwood]

Since the “Ask the Muslim Guy” thread has rolled off into the depths of the SDMB MySQL database, I’m starting a new thread to inquire about a few things regarding Islam. Google provided no answers, so here I go.

1. Whenever there’s stock footage of the inside of a mosque shown on a newscast, there’s never any women in attendance. Same thing with the crowds circling the Ka’bah – all men. Are women prohibited from attending religious services or making the Hajj?

2. Mecca and Medina are off-limits to those who aren’t Muslim. I know there’s a checkpoint outside those cities; thing is, how can they tell that you’re not an infidel?

A stupid aside – let’s say a planeload of Aramco engineers, most U.S. citizens, needed to make an emergency landing, and if they doidn’t do it at Mecca International the passengers and crew would be doomed. What happens?

3. Obligatory Opal reference. Whatever.

4. Muslims apparently shun treating a physical Koran with any sort of disrespect or negligence. What about a virtual version? If a viewed the text from the Koran online, would it be considered a sin if they left the page, since the displayed Koran would be destroyed? If I get a digital version of the Koran, would it be considered disrespectful if I had to format the hard drive it was located on?

[MEBuckner]

1. From the CNN.com article At the pilgrimage, men, women pray side by side:

At the Hajj, men and women walk together and pray together. Mosques around the world are generally segregated into sections keeping the sexes apart. To some degree that would present a major problem at the pilgrimage. It’s easy enough to get lost in the huge crowds. The last thing the gathering needs is thousands of men and women trying to find their spouses and children after prayers. There are groups from some countries that prefer to remain apart in the Great Mosque, although not straying too far from each other. The atmosphere is relaxed. No one is tense that the segregation rules they follow at home are put aside in Islam’s most holy mosque.

2b.) From Britannica.com:

Mecca has no airport nor water or rail services. It is well served, however, by the Jidda seaport and airport and by intercity truck, bus, and taxi services. A local bus system was established in 1979. Asphalt roads link Mecca with the main cities of Saudi Arabia and neighbouring countries.

So the old “engine trouble” ploy’s not going to fly.

3.) As-Salaam Alaikum, Opal.

[Diceman]

2. My WAG is that they use racial profiling. If you look like a Westerner, you’ll probably have to do alot more to prove your religion than someone who looks like an Arab. Maybe they’d make you recite some prayers from the Koran or something.

BTW, if they wind up the questioning by saying “You speak very good Arabic” in Hebrew, don’t say “thanks,” or you’re fucked

[istara]

I was looking for a thread (or column?) that mentioned non-Muslims going to Mecca, because I just heard about someone who did. I found this, so it’ll do.

1. Whenever there’s stock footage of the inside of a mosque shown on a newscast, there’s never any women in attendance. Same thing with the crowds circling the Ka’bah – all men. Are women prohibited from attending religious services or making the Hajj?

Women can go to mosque, but only if there’s a ladies’ room. And they can’t go if they are menstruating. (Though who would check?!) If there’s no ladies’ room, they pray at home.

2. Mecca and Medina are off-limits to those who aren’t Muslim. I know there’s a checkpoint outside those cities; thing is, how can they tell that you’re not an infidel?

Following on from the earlier reply, as well as a post about the explorer Thesiger(sp?) visiting in disguise, I recently heard about another Westerner who did. He was the senior engineer helping Saudi install its mobile phone network. Then arose the problem of him not being able to get into Mecca.

It was pointed that he was the only person in the whole country who was going to be able to do this (given the time/contractual arrangements, whatever - I’m sure there are plenty of skilled Muslim telecoms engineers around) or Mecca wasn’t going to get a mobile network.

So they smuggled him in.