Woohoo: Hajj selfies

At the beginning of October, over 1.4 million Muslim pilgrims made the Hajj to Mecca, a journey which comprises one of Islam’s five pillars. This year, pictures of the religious observance exploded across the internet thanks to a new phenomenon: Hajj selfies.

From the Tawaf — the circling of the holy Kaaba structure — to prayers atop Mount Al-Noor, to the stoning of the ‘devil’ in Mina, the key stages of the Hajj have been mass-recorded for the world to see. Although the phenomenon sparked controversy over social media, with some observers criticizing the photo trend for being flippant, the flood of photos has exposed an entirely new audience to this major religious event.

This week, news buffs could click on BBC World and be greeted not by news of air strikes or jihadist rebels in the Middle East, but by the faces of millions of individuals participating in an exceptionally important global event.

Boohoo: Hajj construction

While some pilgrims were upset by the Hajj selfie storm, many more were outraged by the major development that dominated Mecca’s skyline to accommodate for the increased number of visitors. Historic neighbourhoods, domes, and pillars dating back to the Ottoman Empire have been bulldozed to make room for hotels, shopping malls, and other buildings.

For example, the 12-mile radius around the Kaaba, which houses the Black Stone — the spiritual focal point towards which all Muslims pray — used to be a restricted and holy space. Today, the area is littered with cranes.

This new ‘Mecca-hattan’ has archaeologists and religious authorities concerned that development is stripping the holy city of its spirituality. Far more dangerous than a couple of selfie snaps, this trend has the potential to transform one of the most beautiful sites of the modern and ancient worlds into a monstrosity of petrodollar-fueled capitalism.