Word: hajj
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...Contrary to what many may believe, “Journey to Mecca” is not a documentary. Despite the note that much of its publicity has taken—emphasizing the inclusion of unprecedented footage of the modern Hajj, and invoking National Geographic as its chief patron—there is little about the film that aspires to an insightful portrayal of actual events. Instead, viewers are subjected to skeletal dramatic summary of the first voyage of Ibn Battuta, a Berber from 12th-century Tangiers, whose journal chronicles a lifetime of travel the scale of which outstrips the expeditions...
...enrich and elucidate an understanding of Islam that transcends that of the mythological. There is a long list of questions, any one of which could be investigated, that would indicate that its makers were aware of their task—or even connected to reality. What does the Hajj as an act of worship in total communion mean for the various disparate sects and nationalities of the Muslim world? What does a tradition that remains obstinate in the face of modernity say about the rapidly modernizing groups of people who still take part in it? How does the pilgrimage, understood...
...Facile storytelling can be forgiven, though—or at least forgotten. The film’s cardinal sin is in squandering the opportunity to implement footage of the Hajj in an interesting way. It’s clear that any potentially substantive use for this exclusive footage was buried while convincing the Saudis to allow the filming of the pilgrimage at all (especially of the Kaaba, where non-Muslims are forbidden). The segments of this footage are left, mostly, until the end, when Ibn’s experience is compared with that of modern pilgrims, to show the striking...
...Iraqi standards, 198 lawmakers could be considered a healthy turnout, there was much speculation that the no-shows purposely feared publicly committing to the SOFA (especially ahead of provincial polls to be held in January) and so ensured that they were conveniently in Saudi Arabia ahead of the annual Hajj pilgrimage...
...He’ll certainly be held accountable when the mechanics are incorrect. But more importantly, he is a symbol of the triumph of Hope over rusty Experience, and as a persuasive communicator, will continue to spread Hope. As Malcolm X, said long ago when he returned from the Hajj, “the true criterion of leadership is spiritual.” The spiritual Hope of Barack Obama touches not only what is deepest in Americans, but what is deepest in all mankind...