News 4

March 29, 2013 www.easterneye.eu Like us on www.facebook.com/easterneye

by IMRAN CHOUDHURY
MUSLIM leaders and archaeol-
ogists have expressed grave
concerns over a billion-pound
expansion plan in Mecca which
they claim is destroying the
heritage of Islam.
Images obtained by the Is-
lamic Heritage Research Foun-
dation (IHRF), set up to protect
Islams holy sites, found one of
the oldest parts of the Grand
Mosque that houses the Kabah,
which Muslims face when pray-
ing, is being demolished by Sau-
di Arabian authorities.
Other areas earmarked for
demolition include the Prophet
Muhammads birth place which
is set to become a car park, ac-
cording to archaeologists.
It is part of a costly expansion
project to create more space for
the millions of pilgrims who
visit the holy site for the annual
Hajj pilgrimage.
Last year around 25,000 Brit-
ish Muslims went to Mecca to
perform the Hajj.
Dr Irfan Al Alawi, executive
director of IHRF, told Eastern
Eye that the new generation of
Muslims would not have a clue
where key events in Islamic his-
tory took place.
Columns and arches which
date back 500 years are being
demolished at the moment.
They date back to a historical
period and pinpoint the special
occasion where Prophet [Mu-
hammad] made his heavenly
journey to Jerusalem. Because
of the demolition, the new gen-
eration who go there wouldnt
have a clue where it was.
Its becoming less historical
and more of a legend. When
they wipe away these significant
sites, we would not have any
proof left, except pictures.
The King of Saudi Arabia, King
Abdullah, has argued his reli-
gious duty is to spend whatever
wealth and effort necessary to
improve facilities for Muslims
going on the pilgrimage.
The area, which used to be a
simple desert town, is now filled
with shopping malls, skyscrap-
ers and the Mecca Royal Hotel
Clock Tower, built after the
demolition of an 18th century
fortress which now overshad-
ows the Kabah.
Dr Alawi has campaigned
against the demolition of key
sites in Mecca and wants Mus-
lims to be more vocal.
My fear is most Muslims in
the West dont have a clue about
what has been removed.
When a brick is removed in
Masjid Al Aqsa in Jerusalem, the
third holiest mosque, we have
protests and we have people
writing against it.
But when the Kabah, the ho-
liest place in Islam, was taken
down brick by brick in 1986 no
one did anything about it.
He revealed the Saudi Binla-
din Group, the contruction firm
behind the expansion plans, will
be knocking down the place
where the Prophet was born
within the next two years.
They will not allow me to
excavate the area like I did at the
house of the Prophets wife
Khadija, which was turned into
public toilets. We know that if
we excavate there we will defi-
nitely find some relics.
Shaykh Ibrahim Mogra, as-
sistant secretary general of the
Muslim Council of Britain
(MCB), told EE he discussed the
issue with officials who are in-
volved with the extension.
I think we should open up
channels of communication
with the planning committee in
Saudi Arabia and register with
them our concerns and the an-
guish it is causing, he said.
As long as it (expansion) can
be done sensibly, exploring in-
novative ways of protecting our
history and heritage then it
would be a win win situation.
But to totally wipe out many
traces of such historic and im-
portant heritage is a big loss.
Dilwar Hussain, president of
the Islamic Society of Britain,
said Muslims are worried about
the expansion plans.
The pilgrimage to Mecca is
an experience that is connected
with the history of the region.
There is always a need to ex-
pand and progress. But when
progress means the eradication
of historical relics, I wonder how
progressive that really is?
In Britain and elsewhere, the
best new developments in ar-
chitecture are designed to be in
harmony with heritage and tra-
dition, Hussain explained.
Progress in the Quranic tra-
dition is about balance, and
when we eradicate important
history to build new things,
what we really show is a lack of
perspective and balance.
Londons Saudi Embassy was
not available for comment.
ETHNIC minority children are outperforming
white British students according to a thinktank,
writes Zoha Tapia.
Sri Lankan, Bangladeshi and Indian students
are above the national average in getting five A*-
C GCSE grades as opposed to white British chil-
dren, according to the Institute for Public Policy
Research (IPPR).
The figures obtained under the Freedom of
Information Act said some groups like Portu-
guese, Congolese and Yemeni students are un-
der-achieving as well.
Jill Rutter, IPPR associate, said: Many children
of migrants perform very well in school. London
has the highest proportion of migrant children in
its schools, yet secondary schools have per-
formed better and improved at a faster rate over
the last 10 years than elsewhere in the country.
But some groups are still being left behind.
She added some migrant communities were
left behind as the government had neglected in-
tegration and focussed on migration targets.
Rutter said: The question of integration has
been neglected by policy makers.
The government has failed to set out the kind
of integration policies that an increasingly di-
verse UK needs, and has instead focused on its
net migration target.
The government needs to make the citizen-
ship process more meaningful to promote inte-
gration, rather than restricting access to citizen-
ship in order to hit its net migration target.
Research shows migrant pupils are outshining British students in the classroom
UK MUSLIMS CONCERNED AT SAUDI
HOLY SITES BEING DEMOLISHED
Worry over Mecca
makeover plans
SACRED: (Clockwise from main
picture) Mecca clock tower;
Grand Mosque being re-built; and
Prophet Muhammads birth place