Can Non Muslims visit Mecca and Medina? If not, why?

Question

Muslims are not prohibited from visiting other religions holy sites..St Peter's, Rome, Jerusalem, and others.

Also, lets not start resorting to 'Allah, or God' decreed it. That is nonsensical. It would almost be like saying those poor French Citizens were shot in a prohibited zone because they were breaking God's law. If you believe THAT then I guess our deities are quite different. If that were the case then Non Muslims would be prohibited from visiting the 'Dome of the Rock'.

Answer 1

Of course they are prohibited. It was the Prophet Mohammed himself who attempted to negate the positive image of the Jew that had been prevalent earlier. According to historian Bernard Lewis, the Prophet Mohammed's original plan had been to induce the Jews to adopt Islam; when Mohammed began his rule at Medina in AD 622 he counted few supporters, so he adopted several Jewish practices-including daily prayer facing toward Jerusalem and the fast of Yom Kippur-in the hope of wooing the Jews. But the Jewish community rejected the Prophet Mohammed's religion, preferring to adhere to its own beliefs, whereupon Mohammed subsequently substituted Mecca for Jerusalem, and dropped many of the Jewish practices.

Jews faced the danger of incurring the wrath of a Muslim, in which case the Muslim could charge, however falsely, that the Jew had cursed Islam, an accusation against which the Jew could not defend himself. Islamic religious law decreed that, although murder of one Muslim by another Muslim was punishable by death, a Muslim who murdered a non-Muslim was given not the death penalty, but only the obligation to pay "blood money" to the family of the slain infidel. Even this punishment was unlikely, however, because the law held the testimony of a Jew or a Christian invalid against a Muslim, and the penalty could only be exacted under improbable conditions--when two Muslims were willing to testify against a brother Muslim for the sake of an infidel.

Answer 2

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Actually that's a very good question, I'm a muslim and my christian asked me if he could visit mecca, he wanted to visit it and see the muslim culture. And then I found it wasn't allowed, I was pretty shocked. Oh by the way, I never heard the thing that non muslims aren't allowed to touch the quran or go into mosques, My christian friend the english translated quran and I took him to mosques several times...he also took me to churches. I don't see why not, I think people should have a choice to see the other side. Its my opinion though...

Answer 3

Non Muslims can not visit Mecca and Medina because one the Saudi government wouldn't allow them in there and two they are holy cities and Muhammad(PBUH*) prohibited non Muslims from entering there because they almost destroyed the cities the last time they tried entering there. We don't want our cities being destroyed and they're not touring places either. If a non Muslim somehow got past the guards(yes there are guards posted to all entrances leading to Makkah) the non Muslim would be deported back to his or her home country immediately.

Answer 4

1. To start with, the restriction on entry to Makkah and Madinah is not made by any political or human authority. Thus it cannot be questioned as though it is something that a government or a leader has put it in place. Nor can the argument hold that an equal treatment be given. Moreover, Muslims have not asked the authorities of any religious place to make that place open to them. They decide to invite visitors or prevent them. Suppose, for argument’s sake, that the Vatican authorities decide to ban non-Catholic people from visiting their city. Will anyone have the right to question them? It is their city and they do in it what they like.
Having said that, we may add that the prohibition gives a clear indication that God wants to keep Makkah a city for worship and security. As such it cannot be transformed into a tourist resort. That is totally unacceptable. The same applies to Madinah, which has been restricted to non-Muslims by none other than the Prophet, himself. When God and His Messenger decree something, the only thing open to us is to obey their decree.

Answer 5

Apparently, Saudi Arabia (where Mecca and Medina are,) prohibits non-Muslims from visiting sites that are for religious faith. Although Muslims are not prohibited from visiting Christian sites, it depends on the law of the country in which the religious-or non-religious- sites are in, and they (the gov. for a specific country,) decide.

Answer 6

My guess is that the Muslim elders don't want Mecca to become a tourist trap full of shorts, flip-flops, and cameras, with nearby postcard and t-shirt vendors.

Those who would like to change the status quo should begin with allowing Muslim women into Mecca.

Answer 7

Thank you Lolly for your explanation, it makes very good sense. I do wish that non-Muslims can see Mecca and Medina, but if that's what God and the Prophet have decreed, then so be it.

Christians - if the same were written in the Bible about Calvary, would you agree ir disagree? Same principle.

Answer 8

I don't see a reason to NOT allow non-muslims from visiting Mecca.

Answer 9

Nope. Saudi law prohibits it.

Answer 10

In the Quran, its forbids Idol Worshippers from entering the Kabbah. But Christians (non-Catholics) and Jews are not Idol worshippers. Still studying, don't know.