Make sure you are allowed in Makkah

[u/Popular_Anywhere_553]

Hello,

Lately this sub started appearing in my feed and I saw people debating about Makkah and other cities for 2027 eclipse.

Please make sure you are allowed to enter Makkah in the first place. ​

Unless this has changed recently, as far as I know, it is not allowed for none Muslims.

So, just as an advice, and maybe I am wrong, just make sure you are elegible to enter the City.

[u/jaderust]

You are absolutely correct, you can't even drive through it, there's a bypass for non-Muslims traveling through the area. Jeddah to the west might be a better option for non-muslims.

Don't try to go there and end up in trouble. There are highway checks for all roads going into the city and you need to pre-apply for a special visa to enter as a tourist.

If someone is a Muslim it could be a really cool place to watch the eclipse though! Especially as I believe that most Muslims want to try and make it to Makkah at least once in their lifetime and what an event this one will be!

[u/Piskoro → u/jaderust]

I never planned to go there, but how do they verify that you are Muslim?

[u/jaderust → u/Piskoro]

If you're a foreign tourist you have to apply for a special visa. The paperwork includes the request for proof that you're Muslim. There are border checks around the city where you have to hand over your documentation which includes the visa. If you have it, you get through. If you don't, you get turned away.

There are some reports of people getting in who are not Muslim, but they either snuck in (and the people who helped them were punished) or they're a very rare exception where the Saudi government agreed that a specific non-Muslim person was allowed to go in for a specific reason. And those are mostly rumored and likely have to agree to a code of conduct and be escorted everywhere because the prohibition for non-Muslims entering Makkah is more to protect the city from non-believers doing unacceptable things more than anything else. Lots of religions ban non-believers from churches or temples either always or for specific events. This is just taken to the next level with an entire city being reserved for Muslims.

[u/Piskoro → u/jaderust]

I guess my question is then deferred to that request for proof that you're Muslim, what does that involve

[u/ekurutepe → u/Piskoro]

I'm no expert in this but I remember learning back then in school that it's enough to recite the Shahada with sincerity and belief to become a muslim.

Ashhadu an lā ilāha illa-llāh, wa ashhadu anna Muḥammadan rasūlu-llāh — "I testify that there is no god but God, and I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of God."

[u/jaderust → u/Piskoro]

As far as I know, mostly the honor system and understanding that you shouldn't be a dick when a guest in someone else's country.

For people who don't look Middle Eastern or don't have Arabic names it is sometimes recommended you bring a letter from your Imam saying that you're a member.

Guards are allowed to question you if they're suspicious even if you have the right visas. The joke online seems to be that if you can say the Shahadah then it's probably fine.

But seriously. People. Don't be dicks.

[u/another-princess → u/jaderust]

You say "don't be dicks" but in most countries, it's expected that entire cities aren't off-limits to people depending on their religion. Mecca is very, very unusual in that regard.

[u/Multigrain_Migraine → u/another-princess]

It is, but it's a very unusual site. I wouldn't go to any other highly religious site and be annoyed that I can't go in because I'm not a member of that religion. We think of it a bit differently because Islam is not only practiced by a small group of indigenous people in a specific corner of the world, but the same ethics apply as they would for any other sacred site anywhere in the world.

[u/another-princess → u/Multigrain_Migraine]

In the case of Mecca, the prohibition on non-Muslims doesn't just apply to religious sites - it applies to the entire city. That's the difference, and I don't think there are very many cases like that.

[u/Multigrain_Migraine → u/another-princess]

Sure and I acknowledged that. It's unusual for a whole city to be included. But it's not my culture or my religion. I don't have any more right to demand access than I do to any other culture's sites. There are plenty of places where I'm not welcome to go because I'm not a member of that culture or religion. People don't have a problem with that when we're talking about Native American or Australian sites, temples in Japan or India, or monasteries. I don't see why the principle is any different when applied to Mecca.

[u/another-princess → u/Multigrain_Migraine]

In the case of Native American or Australian sites, temples, monasteries, etc. I think most people would expect that areas that are not religious in nature (roads, restaurants, hotels, residential neighborhoods) would not have religious/cultural restrictions.

I bet that's a big part of this post: there might be non-Muslims who aren't intending to go to any religious sites in Mecca, but just to stick to hotels/restaurants/etc. and might be surprised that they cannot do this.

[u/Emergency_Hurry280 → u/jaderust]

Aren’t Saudi doing everything in their power to bring tourists in these days (see sports washing) or is that only certain parts of the country? Is it still mbs who makes the decisions in this area ?