# Roads to Mecca? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 20, 2004, 10:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roads-to-mecca/265114 "2004-09-20T10:20:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Testy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c37758/32.png) [@Testy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Testy)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2004, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roads-to-mecca/265114/21 "2004-09-22T11:59:59Z")
> [@ralph124c](#): > > Mecca appears to be situated in the middle of a desert…does it serve any commercial functions? Are there factories there? > -In between the Haaj seasons, what goes in the city? Is it known for jazz or art festivals? > -In the days before SA was an oil producer, I understand that most of the Saud familie’s revenues came from a $5.00 per head entry tax on the pilgrims…is this still in effect? > -Why is the Haaj done at a specific time? Can you go there in the “off season” and get the same benefits? No jazz or art festivals in Mecca and as far as I know the only industry is religion and the necessary civil services. It would not be a good place to go for a vacation, anything not mandatory is probably forbidden. :eek: Think of it like a pure tourist town and you will be pretty close. Aside from Haj, there are various other festivals so Haj is not the only season people go there. In mid November we will start Ramadan and at the end of Ramadan there will be a big surge in Mecca visitors. I know a few very religious people that stay there during Ramadan as well. As far as why Haj is at a specific time, it just follows the Arabic calender which is lunar. Using a lunar calender, the Arabic/Islamic years are a couple of weeks shorter than the solar years used by us infidels. The effect of this is that Islamic holidays move backwards each year. As far as gaining the same number of brownie points for visiting Mecca in the off-season, I don’t really know. My belief is that you get more bang for your buck in the hereafter if you go during Haj. There are a few other rules like that. I’m not sure about the head-tax either. For what it costs most people to go, 5 bucks would be a trivial amount. Regards Testy ---
**Author:** ![Testy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c37758/32.png) [@Testy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Testy)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2004, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roads-to-mecca/265114/22 "2004-09-22T12:02:48Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > Really? Sounds pretty primitive. I’m not aware of any other religions that would deny access to non-believers. Isn’t religion supposed to be inclusive rather than exclusive? It **is** pretty primitive. As far as the inclusive vs exclusive part, you are of course free to convert and go visit all you want. Regards Testy ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2004, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roads-to-mecca/265114/23 "2004-09-22T12:11:37Z")
Testy, you seem quite knowledgeable. Let’s say for whatever reason the Mecca hospital wanted to bring in an outside specialist for consultation, and for whatever reason the best available doctor was not a believer of Islam. Would he be able to get to the hospital reasonably hassle-free? I hope that he could just tell the patrols “I am not a believer but I’m just going to the hospital and will stay well clear of the forbidden areas.” would that work? ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2004, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roads-to-mecca/265114/24 "2004-09-22T12:36:32Z")
> [@ralph124c](#): > > -In between the Haaj seasons, what goes in the city? Is it known for jazz or art festivals? **ralph124c** –Saudi Arabia does not permit Gymnasiums, Public Libraries or Movie Theatres because they sinfully distract men from working like dogs & prayer. And art, public or private, is banned by religious prohibition against creating images of any living thing. You think they’re gonna have a Jazz Festival? :smack: ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2004, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roads-to-mecca/265114/25 "2004-09-22T12:44:50Z")
Wow! I can think of some very small groups in Mecca: -the Mecca society of bartenders -Art Critics Assn. of Mecca -The Mecca Symphony Orchestra -Playboy Club of Mecca Seriously, is Islam (in SA) an enjoyable religion? What do these people DO for fun? There must be a tremendous amount of sexual frustration in that city. ---
**Author:** ![Testy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c37758/32.png) [@Testy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Testy)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2004, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roads-to-mecca/265114/26 "2004-09-22T13:21:57Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > Testy, you seem quite knowledgeable. Let’s say for whatever reason the Mecca hospital wanted to bring in an outside specialist for consultation, and for whatever reason the best available doctor was not a believer of Islam. Would he be able to get to the hospital reasonably hassle-free? I hope that he could just tell the patrols “I am not a believer but I’m just going to the hospital and will stay well clear of the forbidden areas.” would that work? No, they wouldn’t let the guy inside the limits of the “old” city, regardless of his credentials. They are very serious about this prohibition. I suppose a direct order from the king might work but nothing at a lower level would fly. If the poor doc managed to get inside he would be in serious (physical) danger from the religous loons inside. Odd that you should mention a doc. Mecca and Medina have problems every year or so with fires and the ensuing stampede. There are never enough police and ambulances to take care of the victims. The other problem is disease. People from all over the third world are showing up, bringing their pet diseases with them. Menengitis is a very popular choice, followed by cholera and just about anything communicable you can imagine. Frankly I can’t imagine anyone wanting to go if they didn’t have to. Regards Testy ---
**Author:** ![Testy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c37758/32.png) [@Testy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Testy)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2004, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roads-to-mecca/265114/27 "2004-09-22T13:46:33Z")
> [@ralph124c](#): > > Wow! I can think of some very small groups in Mecca: > -the Mecca society of bartenders > -Art Critics Assn. of Mecca > -The Mecca Symphony Orchestra > -Playboy Club of Mecca > Seriously, is Islam (in SA) an enjoyable religion? What do these people DO for fun? > There must be a tremendous amount of sexual frustration in that city. Well, the Saudis claim to practice the purest form of Islam and I’ve got to say that there is very little joy in it. It is like the old saying about everything not mandatory being forbidden. Islam is a damned grim religion. Shops and restaurants close at noon, mid-afternoon, sundown, and around 8 o’clock at night. This is all calculated on solar time so the actual clock time varies a bit. Restaurants have special sections for families. Single women aren’t allowed at all in many places. Of course, women can neither drive nor work outside certain specialties. (Nursing and primary school teachers.) As far as what the Saudis do for fun, the answer is “very little.” ☹ If they take their religious requirements seriously they are forbidden to have anything to do with the opposite sex unless they are a close blood relative and even then there a lot of restrictions. Obviously, no bars or discos. Local TV is two channels, really old western/Egyptian movies on one while the other shows 24 X 7 prayers in mosques all over the place, especially the Mecca/Medina area. Satellite receivers are widely available but officially illegal. The penalty is confiscation of the equipment plus a US $26,000 fine for a first offense. To be fair, this is rarely enforced. Enforcing all the rules are the Mutawwa, the religious police. These guys wander around in GMC trucks or on foot, harrasing women who are insufficiently veiled or who otherwise seem too “western.” The mutawwa are technically only able to bother someone if they have the civil police with them but in practice they exceed their authority on a regular basis. They tend to carry sticks with them and will prod people with them if they aren’t moving fast enough. They force people to go pray, they can drag people off and incarcarate them, all kinds of things. To top it all off, the mutawwa are butt-ugly. They tend to have an OBL sort of beard and a short thobe. (robe) They are ugly and smelly and generally a nasty bunch. Obeying the religious rules is generally not a choice, the mutawwa will come down on someone very heavily for insufficient Islamic correctness. OK, I’ll just hop down off this soapbox here. 😃 Regards Testy ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2004, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roads-to-mecca/265114/28 "2004-09-22T13:57:25Z")
I guess CLUB MED won’t be opening a resort in Mecca! Would a Saudi woman wearing a bikini be stoned instantly? :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Testy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c37758/32.png) [@Testy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Testy)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2004, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roads-to-mecca/265114/29 "2004-09-22T14:04:03Z")
> [@ralph124c](#): > > I guess CLUB MED won’t be opening a resort in Mecca! Would a Saudi woman wearing a bikini be stoned instantly? :smack: No, more likely dragged off to jail by the religious cops or maybe beaten with those crappy little sticks they carry around. If she was caught engaging in sex the penalties can be severe. Seriously, this place needs a few good bars and a red-light district to lighten-up a bit. :eek: Regards Testy ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2004, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roads-to-mecca/265114/30 "2004-09-22T14:11:17Z")
I see the thread title, I keep hearing Bing Crosby & Bob Hope… > [@](#): > > We’re off on the road to Morocco > This camel is tough on the spine (hit me with a band-aid, Dad) > Where they’re goin’, why we’re goin’, how can we be sure > I’ll lay you eight to five that we’ll meet Dorothy Lamour (yeah, get in line) > > Off on the road to Morocco > Hang on till the end of the line (I like your jockey. Quiet) > I hear this country’s where they do the dance of the seven veils > We’d tell you more (uh-ah) but we would have the censor on our tails (good boy) > > We certainly do get around > Like Webster’s Dictionary we’re Morocco bound > > We’re off on the road to Morocco > Well look out, well clear the way, 'cause here we come > Stand by for a concussion > The men eat fire, sleep on nails and saw their wives in half > It seems to me there should be easier ways to get a laugh :eek: 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roads-to-mecca/265114.md?page=1)