My aunt and uncle had returned to Riyadh after having completed the Umrah, or lesser pilgrimage, in Makkah last week. It had been a while since they had been and I inquired as to what it was like and whether there were any differences as recently I had noticed some changes myself. My last visit had resulted in some confusion as the black line of marble on the floor that signifies the start of the circumambulation had been removed altogether.
“For the first time in years,” began my aunt, “I managed to kiss the black stone which was something I had never imagined I would be able to do again.” I knew what she meant as I had not performed this particular rite for over 10 years.
“How come?” I asked wondering if there was a reduction in the huge crowds that had made such a feat possible.
“They have a system in place now that allows a section of the women to go up followed by a similar number of the men.”
“I never imagined that we could be that systematic as to follow a basic queuing principle and that too in the Grand Mosque,” I commented.
“But you didn’t tell her what happened,” interrupted my uncle.
“Well, I had to line up for the longest time,” she began exasperatedly, “and of course there were people forever pushing me out of the way and barging in front of me, so my turn never came. Then your uncle came along and warned me that I had to be more assertive if I didn’t want to stand there forever. So when someone attempted to break the line ahead of me I just stood my ground and went ahead of her and then I heard a voice that ordered me to go to the back of the line. ‘But I have been standing here for over an hour,’ I informed him, ‘and this woman is the one who broke the line, not me.’ Well, the official just shouted at me in the most degrading manner: ‘Woman! You woman! Get to the back of the line.’ I refused and persisted in my stance as I hadn’t done anything wrong. He then made it his mission in life to belittle and berate me in front of the assembled throng. ‘Get to the back!’ he thundered. I tried to explain to him that I had been waiting patiently, had not broken the line and should deserve a chance like everybody else. ‘You will see,’ he shouted in my face. ‘I will make sure that you never kiss the black stone. Now get out of here!”
“She didn’t want to kiss the black stone, but I told her not to allow this man’s behavior to spoil her Umrah and made her line up again,” said my uncle.
“As it came to almost my turn, the same official caught sight of me again,” narrated my aunt, “and went crazy. ‘I will call the police,’ he threatened menacingly.”
“What happened then?” I asked sensing the palpable humiliation that stung her as she spoke. I was disgusted by what I heard but I can’t say that I was shocked.
“At that point your uncle intervened and told the man to be patient. ‘I will get both of you to leave!’ was the reply to that plea. I was crying and really was at the point of giving up. ‘Who are you to ask us to leave God’s house?’ I asked. ‘Call the police! Let them come. What will they do exactly? Take us to prison? For what crime? Coming to worship in Makkah? You have no right to try to evict us from the sanctity of the Haram,’ I said while he boiled with anger and rage spewing insults at me as I spoke. There was another official who tried to calm him down and asked him to leave us alone. I felt devastated and prayed to God to give me the strength to carry on my pilgrimage, although to be honest I felt no inclination to do so.”
This last statement of hers made me feel very sad. I too have experienced the uncouth behavior of some of these officials and wonder what it is that gives them the right to pronounce such verdicts upon worshippers who come to the holy sites for the sole purpose of exercising their right of devotion to God. Who are these people to question what is in our hearts and freely and casually pass such sentences upon us? What authority do they have to make such false accusations? What must such insults feel like to foreigners who don’t understand Arabic?
Islam is a faith of compassion and righteousness. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was known never to raise his voice in spite of extreme provocation. He was characterized by his patience, integrity and honesty. Surely these are the qualities that those in our religious establishments should be trying to emulate and yet, judging by what we see of some, they are far removed from this sterling example. Whereas the inherent beauty that exists within the tenets of Islam is what has attracted so many people to this great faith, it is the misguided actions of a few that misrepresent it.
(Lubna Hussain is a Saudi writer. She is based in Riyadh.)