Riyadh mockery – abuse of the Kaaba in the open and in plain sight

Alameen Templeton

Saudi Arabian officials are mocking “backward” Muslims who are outraged that an image of the Kaaba was displayed at a concert in Riyadh with idols and dancers cavorting around it.
Yes, it looks like the Kaaba. Yes, the Kaaba is located in Saudi Arabia. Yes, the kingdom does market itself to tourists as the “defender of the two haramayn”. And, yes, Muslims (and non-Muslims) could easily interpret the display as an insult to Islam.
But that is not important. Silly Muslims.
The “anti-rumour authority” (which might be an “authority” or an NGO speaking through its hat) said on social media that the cube-like structure was four mirrors attached to the ceiling, with images, models and idols digitally processed to appear on them.
Hmmmmm.
It noted sarcastically “it is interesting that there are many cube structures which are well-known around the world, such as the wonderful Apple store in New York and the Berlin Cube in Germany, but it does not cross anyone’s mind that it looks like the Kaaba, as people are saying today about the Kingdom”.
But Berlin is 5 370,4km from Mecca. New York is 10 299km from Mecca. Germany has no association with the Kaaba. America could conceivably be seen as having a connection because it guarantees the kingdom’s existence with mutual defence treaties and “normalisation”.
But most Muslims don’t associate the US with as an upholder of a pillar of Islam, the Hajj.
Arabia is the home of Hajj and the kingdom is seen as the protector of the two haramayn and that is a responsibility that is clearly not high on the kingdom’s list of priorities.
Nabie Karim salAllahu alayi wasallm was known for, and emphasised the importance of clear communication. He ensured his words were understood easily by everyone. He especially avoided communication, in words or actions, that could confuse or be misinterpreted. The result was his divine message resonated deeply with all types of listeners, regardless of their backgrounds, education or exposure to modern iconography.
Modern marketing theory says the message isn’t what the originator intends, but that the receiver understands. This “Communication 101” lesson that first-year university marketing students learn has clearly flown over the heads of the kingdom’s “sophisticated modern marketers”.
Or has it?
It’s difficult to see this affront as anything other than a deliberate provocation, a sly, cowardly, underhand insult to the Ummah. It is obscene and, like the Gazan genocide, it being committed openly and in plain sight.
And it is being done without apology.
The final message is Islamic considerations must take a back seat to modern Apple-store iconography, in Saudi Arabia at least.