There is no doubt in the sanctity of Mecca, but a donkey won't become a Hajj pilgrim by just going through the motions.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
The hajj is one of the five essential practices of Islam; when they make the pilgrimage to Mecca, Muslims ritually act out the central principles of their faith.
There's one profound difference between secular and religious pilgrimages. It's inconceivable that a Muslim would feel a sense of anticlimax when reaching Mecca. But for a secular pilgrim, the potential for disappointment is always there.
So I went to English school, secondary English school, so forget going to Mecca for my religious education.
In the holy city of Mecca, violence of any kind was forbidden. From the moment they left home, pilgrims were not permitted to carry weapons, to swat an insect or speak an angry word, a discipline that introduced them to a new way of living.
If Jesus were here today, he wouldn't be riding around on a donkey. He'd be taking a plane, he'd be using the media.
The entrance into Jerusalem has all the elements of the theatre of the absurd: the poor king; truth comes riding on a donkey; symbolic actions - even parading without a permit!
New York is not Mecca. It just smells like it.
I have been blessed to visit the Holy City of Mecca.
It's hard for the donkeys to win the race if they're going to carry the elephants on their backs.
We must make it clear that our problem is not in Mecca but in Brussels.