Birmingham charity labels suggestion as “absurd”
MUSLIMS in Birmingham have condemned plans to replicate Mecca’s holy Kabah in Egypt.
A report in the Qatari newspaper Al Raya said the plan was announced by controversial Egyptian writer Sayyed Al-Qimni as a way of attracting pilgrims to Egypt and boosting its economy.
The one and only Kabah, in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, is the most sacred site in Islam.
Each year millions of Muslims from across the world travel to Mecca to perform the annual Hajj pilgrimage.
The Association of British Hujjaj, a charity based in Birmingham, slammed the plans as “audacious” and “absurd”.
A spokesperson from the group said: “Al-Qimni’s proposal which is against the fundamental beliefs of Islam will cause extreme outrage amongst the Muslims from all over the world.
“We strongly urge the authorities in Egypt to make every effort to protect the sanctity of the House of God in Mecca and to take appropriate action against those who are responsible for making such absurd suggestions.”
Last year Egypt’s decision to award Al-Qimni with the Egyptian Culture Ministry’s 2009 prize for achievement in the social sciences was met with anger with many accusing the writer of harming Islam through his writings.
