'One Day in the Haram'

Review of 'One Day in the Haram':

Leslie Felperin, Guardian, One Day in the Haram review – a fascinating glimpse inside Islam's holiest site, 6 Sep 2018

"A trip to the mosque’s social media office offers an insight into how modern technology is used to service ancient traditions, and that tension between old and new is woven throughout the movie, which is in itself an artefact representative of that duality."

I discuss the issue of social media and pilgrimage in 'Hashtag Islam'.

I'm looking forward to seeing this. As it stands in the UK, it is only available on Amazon Prime at present. I'm hoping that a DVD release is imminent.

CIC Saudi Arabia

It's been interesting to review the output of CIC Saudi Arabia on Twitter during Hajj 2018, presenting human stories within the hajj.  Some examples are below (check my @garybunt Twitter feed for more):







The following video isn't on theYouTube channel yet, but here's a Twitter link: in contemporary times, the long distance journey to hajj on foot becomes all the more remarkable #hajj CIC Saudi Arabia, [@CICSaudi], "Hajj is over but for Othman AlShahin the journey is not over yet. The man who walked 450km to Hajj (the equivalent distance of #Paris to #Geneva) is now on his way home by foot. "

Hajj: how globalisation transformed the market for pilgrimage to Mecca

Seán McLoughlin, The Conversation, Hajj: how globalisation transformed the market for pilgrimage to Mecca, 15 Aug 2018

#hajj

The Times, Pilgrims make progress with haj app "This year the authorities have been determined to clean up the image of the haj, the annual pilgrimage of millions of Muslims to Saudi Arabia’s holy cities. In an attempt to bring it up to date, this week’s haj was, the government insists, “green, healthy and high-tech”." [pay walled article]

Hajj Pod

Guardian, Hajj 'nap pods' being introduced for pilgrims to Saudi Arabia "A Saudi charity, the Haji and Mutamer Gift Charitable Association, is offering between 18 and 24 capsules for pilgrims to nap in for free in the coming days."

Hajj Tech

The National, Hajj 2018: bringing technology to the millennia-old pilgrimage " "The Saudi government is using technological advances to ease the pilgrimage for millions."

'Mecca Journeys'

Murat Cem Menguc, Hyperallergic, Documenting Experiences of Mecca Both Sacred and Irreverent "Ahmed Mater: Mecca Journeys at the Brooklyn Museum is an exhibition that examines the confrontation between the authentic and imagined Mecca, and of pilgrims with the tourism industry." Exhibition detail here: Brooklyn Museum, Ahmed Mater: Mecca Journeys

The Contradictions of Hajj, Through the Lens of a Smartphone

Wajahat Ali, NYT, The Contradictions of Hajj, Through the Lens of a Smartphone, 11 Sep 2017 "Awe-struck by the privilege of participating in this tradition while often agitated by the contradictions that surround it today, I made sense of the experience by sharing it — filtering the pilgrimage through the lens of my smartphone."

A Prayer for Mecca: the city that many hajj pilgrims don't see

From The Guardian, A Prayer for Mecca: the city that many hajj pilgrims don't see – video "As the hajj begins once again, Saudi artist Ahmed Mater has revealed unprecedented changes to the holy city – from flashy new hotels to the loss of priceless neighbourhoods. In the third episode of Crossing the Line, our series connecting the US and Middle East, he takes us inside Islam’s urban heart"

Smart Udhiyah Goes Online In Dubai

aboutislam.net, Smart Udhiyah Goes Online In Dubai

"In a bid to avoid long lines before `Eid Al-Adha, the Dubai Municipality has launched a smart app to provide users a chance to order their Udhiyah online, and be delivered at their doors."  

'Hajbit'

DailyMail, Pilgrims to Hajj to be given bracelets containing personal information "The bracelets are water resistant, connected to a GPS location system, and store each pilgrim's personal information including address and medical records, the Arab News and Saudi Gazette reported."Also see Arab News, 
E-bracelets a 'must' for pilgrims this Haj, 30 June 2016 and aljazeera.com, Hajj 2016: Saudi Arabia introduces bracelets for safety. It sounds like a good idea...

عيد مبارك

A couple of interesting hajj related online resources:

 aljazeera.com, Hajj 360 "Walk with Al Jazeera’s Basma Atassi in Mecca, as she takes you on a tour to see the major landmarks that millions of Muslims visit during the period of Hajj, the annual Islamic pilgrimage."



Also see:

alarabiya.net, Interactive: Kaaba over the years

Tawaf on Segway board: Opinions differ on whether it is Islamic

arabnews.com, Tawaf on Segway board: Opinions differ on whether it is Islamic, 1 Sep 2015 "A short video showing a pilgrim, draped in the two pieces of seamless cloth called ihram, circumambulating the Kaaba in Makkah using a Segway board, has gone viral on social media." This is an interesting issue in relation to technology and pilgrimage.

Virtual Hajj

Slate, The Controversy Over a Virtual Hajj for Muslims " "Technology is changing how the faithful engage with the tradition, too. Preparing for hajj used to just be a course full of texts and lectures, but now YouTube videos and online forums make lessons livelier. The prototype for a new app, Mecca 3D, was released this summer, and lets users explore a true-to-scale digital rendition of the Mosque at Mecca. It has been downloaded about 80,000 times on Android, according to its creator, Bilal Chbib. He hopes to add interactive lessons and to integrate the program with Oculus Rift, a virtual reality simulator."

My chapter on this subject comes out later in the year. Details to follow

Hajj Selfie

Buzzfeed, Muslim Pilgrims Are Taking “Hajj Selfies” And Clerics Are Not Happy also see Arab News, Say no to Haj selfie!

Hajj and medical treatment via internet

Saudi Gazette - Pilgrims all praises for healthcare services "The British national said, “I believed it would be difficult to find dialysis machines in the holy sites, especially in Mina. I dialed the numbers given on the Internet. When I felt reassured, I decided to perform Haj this year despite the fact that I have been suffering from kidney failure for the past 14 years.”

"Al-Islam added, “The services here excel over those in British hospitals in terms of quality, free treatment and the diversity of the medical staff. I was astonished by the international standard services that helped me complete the Haj rites due to the availability of the machines at the hospitals in the holy sites.”"

Hajj app

Economist, The smart way to Mecca, 13 Feb 2012 "The app, currently available only for iPhone, though an Android version is in the works, is called Amir, which means “guide” in Arabic (among other things). It offers a check-list to ensure the pilgrim is fully prepared before setting off to Saudi Arabia. It also includes interactive tutorials, for instance on what to do while walking seven times counter-clockwise around the Kabah, the Black Stone, or how properly to stone the Devil. Once they arrive, pilgrims can use Amir to check where they are and to locate their tent. On top of that, the app has a built-in emergency button so people in need can easily be located by an ambulance or the police." Tip:(dbreunig) 

Details: iTunes, AMIR Personal Hajj Assistant for Men

Here's a related article I wrote some time back on apps. I am writing more about apps for a forthcoming chapter (work in progress):

Gary R. Bunt, Surfing the App Souq: Islamic Applications for Mobile Devices, CyberOrient, Vol. 4, Iss. 1, 2010

Hajj exhibition

Guardian, Hajj: Journey to the Heart of Islam – review I look forward to seeing this exhibition in due course (sounds like it might be difficult to get a ticket!). Also see the British Museums Hajj exhibition page

Wired on the hajj

The new print edition of Wired (UK edition) has an interesting article on crowd-control for the hajj. I don't recall very much coverage on Islam-related issues in Wired (I've been reading it since the early days).

Unfortunately, the article is not online yet - Wired UK's print edition is ahead of its online equivalent. I'll link into it when it becomes available.

Hajj sermon

asianews.it, Grand Mufti condemns extremism and violence in sermon, experts discuss it, 29 Nov 2010 "The Hajj sermon delivered by the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia, Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al-Sheikh, at the Nmira Mosque in Makkah has raised interest levels among specialists because of its harsh condemnation of terrorism. Excerpts from the sermon, which condemns terrorism and urges moderation, were reprinted in hundreds of newspapers in the Arab and Islamic worlds. Some clips with English subtitles have appeared on the internet, posted on YouTube."