What aspects of that religious tradition does the film highlight, criticize, or explain? Does it do so effectively?
"Inside Mecca" is a documentary film that tells about a pilgrimage to Mecca by covering the stories of three Muslims from different continents. These people are the main characters of the movie: Fidelma O'Leary from Texas, Khalil Mandlasi from South Africa, and Ismael Mado who comes from Malaysia. The movie clearly shows all the rituals which are performed during the Hajj. Although the heroes of the film have different cultural backgrounds, they have the same religious goal which unites them in the holy place. This review will show that the movie does emphasize the crucial concepts of Islam such as equality, the sacred space and supporting weak by analysing different passages of the documentary and behaviour of main characters. The movie highlights the importance of the equality in Islam. According to Rahman, the goal of the Qur'an, which is the first source of Islamic law is "an ethical and egalitarian social order" (Rahman, 38). In one of the episodes, there was mentioned the term "Ihram" which was a special attire for men. Namely, "Ihram" constitutes for two pieces of cloth which are the same for everyone and men have to wear it during the pilgrimage. In this outfit wealthy and poor, literate and non-literate people do look identical. For example, Ismael holds a high job position and is very successful, but when he comes to Mecca he leaves his comfort life and wears "Ihram" which makes him similar to other Muslims. In addition, the second main hero of the documentary Khalil Mandlasi emphasizes the aspects of brotherhood and sisterhood in Islam and considers Hajj as "a chance to see an ideal world in action". Khalil comes to Mecca from South Africa and strongly believes that despite the fact that people have different races and different economic statuses, they are all equal. It could be clearly seen from the experience of another character called Fidelma. Both of these heroes are the representatives of different nationalities, however, they feel themselves the same as other Muslims. Although, Khalil and Fidelma face some discrimination in Mecca, their ideals of Islam do not change to a great extent. Especially, when Khalil was circling around the Kaaba with other Muslims he gained that brotherhood and felt the equality which was clearly seen from his emotions. Therefore, by showing the significance of "Ihram", motivation of Khalil to witness the Islamic brotherhood and depicting the stories of people with different background the movie underlines the concept of equality in Islam. The next aspect of Islam which is emphasized in the movie is the significance of the city Mecca and the most sacred site Kaaba. As it was shown in Eliade every religion had its own holy space which was a point of reference for the followers of the particular religious traditions (Eliade, 24), and Mecca is a sacred place in Islam. At the beginning of the documentary, it is pointed out that Mecca is "a year round destination for Muslims and considered to be a sacred territory where hunting and fighting were prohibited". Moreover, Mecca played an important role even in pre-Islamic Arabia when people believed in many Gods and the Kaaba was the centre of various rites and rituals (Lecture The Origins of Islam). However, the Prophet Muhammad cleared Kaaba from idols and people worshipped to one God. The movie does demonstrate that the Kaaba is a symbol of worship to one God and millions of Muslims circle the Kaaba and pray during their Hajj. Furthermore, the main characters of the documentary were highly excited to visit Mecca and the Kaaba and were very happy to feel the atmosphere which was present in that holy place. Thus, the passages which contain interviews with the main heroes and different rituals such as going around the Kaaba clearly depict the significance of these places in Islam. Apart from equality and sacred space, the documentary shows how crucial it is to help poor people in Islam. It is worth mentioning that according to the Qur'an, Muslims should support vulnerable parts of society and take care of them (Rahman, 46). In one of the episodes, Khalil Mandlasi buys products for children of immigrants who live in Mecca in the "ramshackle houses" and tells that it was not the first time when he was doing that. This example clearly demonstrates that Muslims should provide help to those who need it. In conclusion, "Inside Mecca" is an exciting documentary that demonstrates all the stages of annual pilgrimage to Mecca and tells the story of three pilgrims. So, by discussing the experiences of these people and different passages of the movie, this review shows that the film highlights the Islamic concepts of equality, importance of Mecca and Kaaba and significance of supporting vulnerable parts of society.
Reference list: Daniel Beben, "The Origins of Islam" (Lecture, Nazarbayev University). Eliade, Mircea. The Sacred and the Profane: the Nature of Religion. San Diego: Harcourt Inc., 1987. Rahman, Fazlur. Major Themes of the Qur'an. Minneapolis : Bibliotheca Islamica, 1994.
"Inside Mecca" is a documentary film that tells about a pilgrimage to Mecca by covering the stories of three Muslims from different continents. These people are the main characters of the movie: Fidelma O'Leary from Texas, Khalil Mandlasi from South Africa, and Ismael Mado who comes from Malaysia. The movie clearly shows all the rituals which are performed during the Hajj. Although the heroes of the film have different cultural backgrounds, they have the same religious goal which unites them in the holy place. This review will show that the movie does emphasize the crucial concepts of Islam such as equality, the sacred space and supporting weak by analysing different passages of the documentary and behaviour of main characters. The movie highlights the importance of the equality in Islam. According to Rahman, the goal of the Qur'an, which is the first source of Islamic law is "an ethical and egalitarian social order" (Rahman, 38). In one of the episodes, there was mentioned the term "Ihram" which was a special attire for men. Namely, "Ihram" constitutes for two pieces of cloth which are the same for everyone and men have to wear it during the pilgrimage. In this outfit wealthy and poor, literate and non-literate people do look identical. For example, Ismael holds a high job position and is very successful, but when he comes to Mecca he leaves his comfort life and wears "Ihram" which makes him similar to other Muslims. In addition, the second main hero of the documentary Khalil Mandlasi emphasizes the aspects of brotherhood and sisterhood in Islam and considers Hajj as "a chance to see an ideal world in action". Khalil comes to Mecca from South Africa and strongly believes that despite the fact that people have different races and different economic statuses, they are all equal. It could be clearly seen from the experience of another character called Fidelma. Both of these heroes are the representatives of different nationalities, however, they feel themselves the same as other Muslims. Although, Khalil and Fidelma face some discrimination in Mecca, their ideals of Islam do not change to a great extent. Especially, when Khalil was circling around the Kaaba with other Muslims he gained that brotherhood and felt the equality which was clearly seen from his emotions. Therefore, by showing the significance of "Ihram", motivation of Khalil to witness the Islamic brotherhood and depicting the stories of people with different background the movie underlines the concept of equality in Islam. The next aspect of Islam which is emphasized in the movie is the significance of the city Mecca and the most sacred site Kaaba. As it was shown in Eliade every religion had its own holy space which was a point of reference for the followers of the particular religious traditions (Eliade, 24), and Mecca is a sacred place in Islam. At the beginning of the documentary, it is pointed out that Mecca is "a year round destination for Muslims and considered to be a sacred territory where hunting and fighting were prohibited". Moreover, Mecca played an important role even in pre-Islamic Arabia when people believed in many Gods and the Kaaba was the centre of various rites and rituals (Lecture The Origins of Islam). However, the Prophet Muhammad cleared Kaaba from idols and people worshipped to one God. The movie does demonstrate that the Kaaba is a symbol of worship to one God and millions of Muslims circle the Kaaba and pray during their Hajj. Furthermore, the main characters of the documentary were highly excited to visit Mecca and the Kaaba and were very happy to feel the atmosphere which was present in that holy place. Thus, the passages which contain interviews with the main heroes and different rituals such as going around the Kaaba clearly depict the significance of these places in Islam. Apart from equality and sacred space, the documentary shows how crucial it is to help poor people in Islam. It is worth mentioning that according to the Qur'an, Muslims should support vulnerable parts of society and take care of them (Rahman, 46). In one of the episodes, Khalil Mandlasi buys products for children of immigrants who live in Mecca in the "ramshackle houses" and tells that it was not the first time when he was doing that. This example clearly demonstrates that Muslims should provide help to those who need it. In conclusion, "Inside Mecca" is an exciting documentary that demonstrates all the stages of annual pilgrimage to Mecca and tells the story of three pilgrims. So, by discussing the experiences of these people and different passages of the movie, this review shows that the film highlights the Islamic concepts of equality, importance of Mecca and Kaaba and significance of supporting vulnerable parts of society.
Reference list: Daniel Beben, "The Origins of Islam" (Lecture, Nazarbayev University). Eliade, Mircea. The Sacred and the Profane: the Nature of Religion. San Diego: Harcourt Inc., 1987. Rahman, Fazlur. Major Themes of the Qur'an. Minneapolis : Bibliotheca Islamica, 1994.