Though I was born a Muslim and have a strong respect for many of Islam's values, I have been quite puzzled at the way most Muslims engage in clear idol worship.
Love for the prophet and for Islam's holy shrines are so great, when Islam forbids anything more sacred than God.
Muslims frequently claim the worship of statues and other objects as 'idol worship' or making any physical object sacred as 'idol worship' too, yet we engage in these practices ourselves.
Imagine if the Kabbah was destroyed in an Earthquake, where would we worship? I find this nothing more than idol worship.
Then there's the part of spending money on going there and coming back. Money that could be donated to supporting the environment or education. I often wonder if a person who performs haj can expect to be forgiven for his/her sins than one who contributes to his/her society.
The worship of God should be put above any religious monument or anything holy. The other point is, the performance of Haj seems to me as too 'ritualistic.'
Circling around a black building several times because it is a command to do so.
Instead of making simple prayers asking for the best of all, so much ritualistic and a pattern of praying. The lines recited are the same, mostly in Arabic which most non-Arab Muslims don't even understand.
The whole Haj and Umrah visits have become nothing more than a money making industry, with airlines and the Saudi government making profits out of them.
Would Islam or any similar religion advocate such kind of exploitation of religious sites for profits?
Would it even endorse the use of precious money that many Muslim countries could make proper use of such as raising educational and living standards. Had Muslims countries met these basic needs we wouldn't be so dependent on Western countries for education or sophisticated products.
Many might argue against me and my opinions claiming it's customary in Islam. But then Islam has so many interpretations. And at times one has to use reason to come across the right answer.
No true prophet or religious leader would endorse the way religious pilgrims are being run today. How moral is it? Morality makes up the core of religion.
Many corrupt politicians from other Muslim countries make Haj or Umrah trips at the expense of the tax payer, even when the payment for the transport should be covered by one's own income.
Knowing all this and the way even the worst sinners make these trips, I would not go for Haj. Instead I would prefer to spend my profits on charities and other good causes.
