Makkah and Medina located within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia are undoubtedly the two holiest cities in the Islamic world. Non-Muslims are not allowed access into these two cities. When traveling towards Makkah from Jeddah, there are clearly demarcated boards along the way indicating separate routes for Non - Muslims. Many Non-Muslims always ask the question as to why they are not allowed access into these two cities. According to http://islam.about.com/ Makka and Madinah are cities of great importance in Islamic tradition -- centers of pilgrimage and prayer, sacred places where Muslims are free from the distractions of daily life. The ban on non-Muslim visitors is mentioned in the Quraan as follows: "Oh you who believe! Truly the idolaters are unclean; so let them not, after this year, approach the Sacred Mosque...." (9:28). Take not that the word "unclean" does not refer to physical cleanliness, but rather in refers to an incorrect belief system. This verse specifically refers to the Grand Mosque in Mecca; later scholars have included Madinah in this ruling as well. There are some Islamic scholars who would permit exceptions to this general rule, for trade purposes or for people who are under treaty permission. There is also some debate about the exact area and borders of the restricted area(s). The government of Saudi Arabia, which controls access to the holy sites, has decided upon a strict ban on both cities in their entirety. Restricting access to Mecca and Madinah is intended to provide a place of peace and refuge for Muslim believers and preserve the sanctity of the holy cities. Millions of Muslims visit the cities each year, and additional tourist traffic would simply add to the congestion and detract from the spirituality of the pilgrimage visit. When I posed the same question to an Islamic scholar some time back he replied that when we visit other countries throughout the world we require a visa, hence when a person wants to visit Makkah and Medina he also requires a visa and this visa is the Shahaada, proclaiming that there is none worthy of worship except Allah and that the Prophet Muhammed (saw) is the messenger of Allah.
Having said this I am sure that many of you out there will be shocked to hear that there has been cases where Non-Muslims have entered the holy cities. A few months ago I met a British lady who resides in Dammam with her Saudi husband. I was under the impression that she had reverted to Islam but through our conversation I discovered that she was in fact not even a Christian but rather a Deist. According to the Thesaurus dictionary, a deist is an individual who believes that God Almighty created the universe and then abandoned it, assuming no control over life, exerting no influence on natural phenomena, and giving no supernatural revelation. I was surprised to hear that she travels very often to Makkah to visit her husband's relatives. She did mention though that many of her in laws were not too happy with her presence in Makkah and sometimes she would pretend to be Muslim. A good friend of mine who hails from the USA and no longer resides in the Kingdom mentioned to me that he went on an Umra trip with his Saudi friend. He is of the Catholic faith and he always wished to visit the city of Makkah. He therefore accompanied his close Saudi friend throughout the entire Umra process. On completing all the rituals, they hopped over to his friend's uncles home located a few blocks away from the Grand Mosque. At first the uncle was under the impression that he was a Muslim. However, on discovering that he was not a Muslim, the uncle reprimanded his nephew and asked both gentleman to leave Makkah immediately as they were breaking the law of the country. He did mention to me though that he was dumbstruck at the sight of so many people praying all at the same time. It was totally an overwhelming experience for him. He was of the opinion that if Makkah and Medina were open to Non-Muslims, many would eventually revert to Islam by witnessing the high level of spirituality that exists within both cities.
In 2010, 1600 Chinese workers converted to Islam whilst in the Makkah region having been entrusted with the construction of the train that is now utilized during the Haj period to transport pilgrims to the relevant ritual sites. Naturally, these workers were granted permission by the Saudi government to enter the city of Makkah although many eyebrows have been raised about this as I discovered through numerous internet forums.
Whilst researching this topic it is interesting to note that according to the Hanafi school of Islam, non-Muslims are allowed to enter the city of Makkah and the grand mosque area provided that they do not perform the Hajj and Umra process. Practically this means that they are allowed to visit only. According to the Shafi school of thought, polytheists are not allowed to enter the sacred mosques of Makkah and Medina but they are allowed to enter other mosques and according to the Maliki school of thought, polytheists are not allowed to enter the Sacred mosque nor any other masjid whatsoever.
It is a well documented fact in Sikhism that Guru Nanak visited Makkah with one of his disciples. From Makkah he proceeded to Medina and then to Baghdad.Click on this link to read more about his epic journey http://www.sikhiwiki.org/
Another famous non-Muslim personality to have made his way to the cities of Makkah and Medina was Sir Richard Francis Burton in the year 1853. Burton disguised himself as a Muslim pilgrim and joined the Hajj rituals. Click on this link to read more about his illustrious journey. http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/mecca.htm
In the year 1979, Makkah was under siege by Juhayman al Otaibi who was a former member of the Saudi National Guard. He and his organization were revolting against the Saudi monarchy accusing the Saudi government of selling the country out to Western forces and also betraying the principles of Islam.The siege lasted for two weeks and caused the death of many hostages. During this period of turmoil, Prince Turki, the youngest son of King Faisal called in French commandos from the Groupe d’Intervention de la Gendarmerie Nationale (GIGN) to assess the situation. As Non-Muslims are not allowed entry into Makkah, these commandos converted to Islam in a brief formal ceremony. They then made their may to the city of Makkah. To read the full story about the Makkah siege click on this link. http://middleeast.about.com/od/terrorism/a/me081120b.htm
In my brief composition, I have cited five examples of Non-Muslims entering the holy city of Makkah. I am pretty sure that there must be many more examples out there. I guess many individuals across the globe view the cities of Makkah and Medina on television and once that high level of curiosity sets in, they become determined to fulfill their desire of actually being there in reality. After all it is human nature to acquire the forbidden fruit.
