Date of Award
Spring 5-18-2024
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts (BA)
Advisor(s)
Aseel Sawalha
Second Advisor
Christopher Toulouse, Ph.D.
Abstract
The Islamic Hajj, one of the world's most prominent religious pilgrimages, has in recent decades faced increasing scrutiny due to its rapid and persistent commercialization under the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s government. To make way for this commercialization, researchers estimate that over 95% of Islamic heritage sites have been destroyed, the justification for which often lies in Wahhabi attempts to avoid idolatry. The few remaining sites have been renovated beyond the point of recognition. Amid the drastic transformation of both Islam’s holiest city and holiest ritual, this thesis finds that the Kingdom’s fundamentalist Islamic interpretations and extreme commercial developments have two goals. The first is to create a “Hajj commodity” that commodifies the pilgrimage’s religious value, and the second is to promote a “new state mythology” that seeks to essentialize the “Saudi Arabian” character of both Hajj and Islam itself.
Recommended Citation
Amanullah, Hanif Azam, "“Not the Mecca We Know”: Analyzing the Spiritual and Cultural Ramifications of Contemporary Commercialism in Saudi Arabia" (2024). Senior Theses. 160.
https://research.library.fordham.edu/international_senior/160
