I had a thought a while ago that going on a Haj (for a Caucasian American) would be quite an adventure. I will try and stop some flames by stipulating that it would be imoral to insincerely convert to Islam just to go on a Haj, but how would it work?
How does one apply to go on the Haj? I have asked some people this and IIRC, you have to send some kind of documentation to the Saudi Arabian consulate in your country to get a visa to fly there for the Haj.
Am I correct that Islam does not have a formal clergy/officers? If so, who would give you certification as a Muslim acceptable to go on a Haj?
What is the conversion process like to become a Muslim?
I’m not sure why you would think there’s no clergy in Islam. It may not be as formal as other churches, but it’s there. The Islamic church building is usually called a mosque. The equivalent of a priest/preacher/pastor in Christianity is known as an imam. Try and find a local mosque (look in the phone book) to get more on this if you are sincere.
And if you aren’t sincere about it, why not simply make a pilgramage, either to Mecca, (or some other place if there’s difficult entering Arabia) without converting?
I don’t believe you can go to Mecca unless you are a Muslim. They Saudi government checks on this rather carefully if you start to head there. Traveling to Saudi Arabia is not particularly easy to do on a whim.
I believe there are travel agencies in other countries that handle all the paperwork required for those wishing to make a haj.
Sir Richard Francis Burton went on a pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina disguised as a Muslim. He had the advantage of speaking fluent Arabic, however. You can read about it in the book Personal Narrative of a Pilgrimage to Al Madinah and Mecca.
Burton’s is one of my favorite books – I’ve read it three times. Burton disguised himself as an Egyptian doctor. He was also a whi a languages, and could pull it off. I suspect that if his non-believer status had been discovered, some zealot might have taken it into his own hands to teach him a permanent lesson.
Burton wasn’t the only one to do this. He cites a number of books written by non-believers who have made th Pilgrimage, and even reproduces one in full in his book.
I don’t think it would be wise to attempt it yurself, unless you are serious and sincere about converting. If you just want to see what it looks like, there are picture books on it. Or rent Spike Lee’s film “X”. I’ll bet there’s even a website.
True story: years later, Burton proposed to his future wife. While waiting for a reply, he made a pilgrimage to Salt Lake City to investigate accounts of Momon polygamy, and compare it to Middle Eastern polygamy. During the curse of his travels, he met with Brigham Young. There is a story (not confirmed by Burton’s own book about the trip – “The City of the Saints”)that Young greeted him th the words “I understand you’ve done something like this before.” One of those stories that probably isn’t true, bt should be.
There are indeed Muslim leaders, although there isn’t one grand Islamic headquarters equivalent to the Vatican or some such. Islam is a very complex religion that, like Christianity, has split into many forms, some of which do not recognize the beliefs of the others. If you are sincerely interested in converting to Islam, call your local mosque, I am certain that someone there will be able to help you authenticate your conversion.
As for the official conversion process itself, Islam has probably the easiest of all religions. All that is technically required is to repeat the shahaada three times. The shahaada, the Muslim statement of faith is as follows: La illah/illa Allah/wa Muhammed rasul allah, the literal translation of which is “there is no god but Allah and Muhammed is his prophet”. In the Olden Days, enemies of the early Muslims would memorize the shahaada so if they were about to be killed in battle, they would quickly recite it three times, and switch sides.
Good luck on your conversion :), and keep us updated on your haj. I’d love to go to Mecca and Medina someday, but I doubt it’ll ever happen.
Any righteous man may act as an iman, but in practice, there are folks who typically do the job. Of course, there’s also a world of debate on just what constitutes a “righteous man”.
I’m pretty sure, too, that ordinary non-Muslim tourists are allowed to visit Mecca, too, nowadays, but I could be mistaken.
“Travel to Makkah (Mecca) and Medina, the cities where the two holiest mosques of Islam are located, is forbidden to non-Muslims.” – Saudi Arabia - Consular Information Sheet (U.S. Department of State)
There is, however, a (presumably Muslims-only-staffed) Hyatt Regency hotel conveniently located in “the heart of the Holy City”. I’m betting that’s one Hyatt Regency hotel which does not have Gideon Bibles in all the rooms.
You don’t need to take a test to make a haj, and no one said you have to be able to speak Arabic. You just have to be a Muslim. I’m not exactly certain how they prove it, but I’m not gonna be the one who tests the Saudis’ resolution…