Inside Mecca (2003 TV Movie) User Reviews

True to life stories of Muslims about hajj

[naurimas-1 · 8/10 · 15 August 2005]

This documentary made by National Geographic is interesting, true to life and informative. The plot is based on the stories of 3 people traveling to Mecca to perform hajj. Preparations, troubles and religious insights of the Muslim professor from the States, black journalist from South Africa, and the businessman from Indonesia are disclosed during their journey to Mecca and their actions in Mecca. It was interesting to find some facts about the city, religious rituals. Racial problem. In one episode the black man even in Mecca suffers because of his color in Mecca in the tent of his countrymen, therefore he decides to leave it. Also it was interesting to see satellite photos, religious Western paintings associated with famous religious figures associated with Mecca, also comments by the religious which were used in this movie.

film worth watching

[hveley · 8/10 · 17 April 2006]

Before watching the documentary I had little education and experience with the Muslim culture. After having the chance to view the film i was amazed at the way you were immersed into the lives of the Muslims that were being followed. You are given the opportunity to see and travel the road just like you would if you were in fact participating. The film also does a good job at explaining the biblical theories behind the rituals that are being performed as well. Without this I think that many people would have a harder time relating to the experiences. Both people of no or different religious backgrounds can watch this film and just learn. The only thing that I saw wrong with the video was the fact that there was no Arib. I would have found it interesting to have seen the pilgrimage from their point of view as well. They did a good job at showing a woman's point of view as well as two men of different economical stages in their lives. On a side note the makers did not only just focus on the religious aspects of the hajj but also the racial and gender issues that come into play. All in all though I think that this film could be used to broaden the horizons of those with only the stereotypes to base fact on.

Inside Mecca - a great look into one of the most spiritual journeys in the world

[swissfamily6 · 8/10 · 4 June 2012]

When looking for a religious film to watch I knew that I wanted to watch one about Islam because I wanted to be more informed. After watching "Inside Mecca" I am extremely glad with my choice of film because it provided me with a much brighter and more knowledgeable outlook on Islamic beliefs and rituals. This movie explains and depicts Islam's hajj, which is a pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia that is one of the five pillars of Islam. One of my favorite aspects of this movie was that it showed the journey of hajj from the perspectives of three people who broke the mold of Muslim stereotypes. There is a white Texan female, a black South African man and a Malaysian man. Before watching this documentary I ignorantly presumed the majority of Muslims to be Arab this movie taught me that only about 20% of Muslims are Arab. I thought that these three characters all had beautiful stories and reasons for being Muslim, especially the man from South Africa who adores how Islam accepts all genders, races and social statuses because he has seen so much racism throughout his country that he is now looking for peace through hajj. This movie does not only give the audience insight into who actually worships Islam but it also gives history to why they travel on hajj and it gives specific reasons for why Muslims partake in the numerous days of rituals. From this movie I have learned that Mecca is not simply going to visit the Kabba, but instead it is a spiritual journey that people choose to join in order to strengthen their relationship with Allah. This movie did get slightly boring at times but seeing how much emotion people feel when experiencing hajj and simply seeing the masses that attend was certainly incredible and gives perspective to those like myself who know very little about the Muslim faith.

Fascinating throughout.

[planktonrules · 9/10 · 3 July 2013]

As I watched this documentary, I was struck by how difficult it must have been to make this film. After all, the religious authorities in Mecca would not allow non-Muslims to film there and I am pretty sure there must have been TONS of logistical difficulties getting this thing made. So, I really appreciate all the hard work that went into making this one.

This film is about the Hajj--the Islamic pilgrimage that Muslims do in Mecca each year. However, before arriving in this Arabian city, the film begins in three different countries--and follows three different believers (from the US, South Africa and Malaysia) throughout their journey. As the journey progresses, the narrator does an excellent job of explaining each step and its significance. Overall, a one of a kind experience--one that is really well made and fascinating throughout. A must for anyone--not just if they are Muslim.

Moview review

[alibekbolat · 8/10 · 12 April 2020]

A documentary movie by the National Geographic, Inside Mecca, directed in 2003, illustrate the story of the Hajj, the Holy pilgrimage to Mecca, which is one of the five obligations of every Muslim believer. The film is shown from the side of three different Muslim believers from different parts of the world: from preparation for the Hajj to its completion. To the positive aspect of the film can be included a detailed explanation of all the stages of the Hajj. The film tells you what type of clothes is required to be selected, what routes there are to Mecca, where to live and so on. In addition, it shows the significance of each stage of the Hajj, their historical and religious interpretations, meanings and importance. Consequently, the movie can be considered as the small preparation for the Hajj and see what is worth doing and what is not, what difficulties you will have to face. Personally, I am glad to see that the film showed the Hajj from all sides, illustrating both advantages and disadvantages, not as a religious film showing the greatness of one religion. For myself, I was left with a not very pleasant impression from the movie about the Hajj and seeing some of the disadvantages of the Holy pilgrimage pushed me to study the process even more. It is common knowledge that the Hajj is the commitment of every Muslim believer, traveling to the Holy Mecca and see the Kaaba, the house of God, in what direction Muslims pray 5 times every single day, for these true believers to see this place with their own eyes is magnificent, astonishing and breathtaking. However, despite the sanctity, pilgrimage is also a place of business, a place where money is made through the Muslims believers, a Holy place where people who position themselves as true believers, despite the rules and laws of Islam, can allow discrimination based on race, nation or material condition. Hajj is for the rich. According to Islamic laws, only wealthy Muslims can go to the Hajj, which should not be financially difficult for them, and all other ways such as loans and debts are not considered as an acceptable. In every country where pilgrims go to Mecca, there are travel companies controlled by religious institutions, which is considered as significantly profitable. There is no single common price for all Muslims, because depending on the thickness of the purse, pilgrims can afford not only a pilgrimage, but almost a luxury trip. Upon arrival, in addition to the group depending on the country, the financial component also divides people into different subgroups: it is obvious that the rich will stay in the best luxury hotels, and others in tents. But even there, not everything is so smooth: referring to the film, the guide admits that they have different conditions depending on the payment and even have VIP pilgrims. They have the best conditions, a pleasant, cool and quiet atmosphere, with delicious food and so on. While others are left into overcrowded tents. In addition, near the place of pilgrimage unfold markets where sell all sorts of religious things and not only. This can be carpets for prayer, souvenirs with the symbols of the Kaaba or Mecca, and even parts of the wardrobe that even do not relate to religion: ordinary leather bags and clothes, which indicates an ideal time and place for business. Probably another costly event during the Hajj is the sacrificing. Each pilgrim has to make a sacrifice or join in groups of 7 people to make it cheaper. However, this number of sacrifices for 2-3 million each year certainly brings profits for the livestock business of the country. Being a citizen of a country where there are not many pilgrims is relatively more difficult. Consequently, the heroine of the film from Texas has a harder period, because for the sake of faith in Islam, and later because of the pilgrimage, which led to conflicts in the family. According to Islamic law, only Muslims have the right to go to the Hajj, but the unawareness of some people makes itself felt: after all, the heroine often had to catch glances at herself, as well as stupid questions in the form of whether she is a Muslim or not. Khalil, a South African citizen, impressed me the most, as a positive and strong Muslim who truly believes in Islam, for whom the Hajj is probably the most important event in his entire life. However, even in such a Holy place and in a Holy time, racism was not canceled: Khalil had to leave the South African group because of racial discrimination, and in the future will join the black African group of Malawians. Probably, it is painful for a Muslim to be judged and treated according to the color of his skin, rather than for his faith, actions, and pure heart. In the conclusion, it worth mentioning that the pilgrimage is the most important event for a Muslim, it is required by his religion. Pilgrimage, a kind of imitation of the actions of past Holy people: running of Abraham's wife searching for water between the hills of Safa and Marwa, and eventually drinking the sacred water of Zamzam, stoning the Devil like Abraham itself and walking around the Kaaba 7 times as the prophet Muhammad did it before. Seeing the most sacred places with your own eyes, visiting them, and performing one of the five duties certainly strengthen Muslims' spirit and faith. However, modern Hajj, looking at the film, I see more as a commercial project of Saudi Arabia, which dramatically increase its budget through the Hajj as through tourism each year. With site the two most Holy cities of Mecca and Medina, the house of God Kaaba, this country is able to exert pressure on all Islamic countries if wishes, forbidding the pilgrimage for the conflicting countries. Moreover, there is a universal difference between the poor and the rich: with having money, pilgrims can perform the Hajj without the same difficulties, be in a cool place when it is 50 degrees outside, eat the best food and live in the best room, have workers who will carry all your heavy things, and sometimes even you. After all, the Hajj, in addition to duty, is a test of strength and faith, when a person goes for the sake of faith suffers all difficulties, some travel on foot all the way to Mecca, which is now very rare. I am really sorry that I obtained more negative impressions during the really good documentary film, and that my entire review is focused on the criticism of the current pilgrimage.

Film review

[aizhanrakhmetova · 10/10 · 19 April 2020]

In this film review, I will be writing a review of the awe-inspiring film called Inside Mecca. This film is about the Hadj which is an annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca. The Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam, and all Muslims wish to do that in their life. The film represents what happens during Hajj including its seven stages. Importantly, the film tries to show not only physical actions that people do during Hajj, but it represents the reasons for every stage, the feelings of people, and their motivation to do those actions. The review will be about the importance of Hajj for the characters in the movie. Inside Mecca displays the story of three Muslims making their Hajj by emphasizing their feelings from the time of preparation to Hajj at their home till the end of their pilgrimage. Those three Muslims are Ismail Mahbob, Khalil Mandhlazi, and Fidelma O'Leary who are from Malaysia, South Africa, and America. Even though those people are from different parts of the world, their aim and reasons for performing Hajj were the same. All three of them like all Muslims decided to perform Hajj that tests both the body and soul because of their true belief in Islam. As Fidelma said during the movie: "I don't know why anyone would wanna go spend a week with three million sweaty people in the heat of the desert unless they really were doing this for the love of God", Muslims perform Hajj to revive their relationship with God which plays a crucial role in their life. In the beginning, all three people were very happy and motivated during the preparation for Hajj. At that moment, the film shows various backgrounds of those people which clearly emphasizes that the Muslim population is very widespread all over the world. Even though they live in very different places with different cultures, their love and belief to only one God are the same. It shows the powerful side of Islam which is equality. Every person who wants it can become a Muslim, and I think it is a true representation that Islam is a religion for all mankind. The film talks about the background and everyday lifestyle of those three Muslims separately. The story of Fidelma O'Leary is very unique and it is not possible to watch it without feeling her sincerity. Although she was not from a Muslim family and did not have any Muslim friends, she could find spiritual peace in Islam and "just embraced it and loved it". One of the reasons for her conversion to Islam was that she does not understand why Jesus worship God if he is God in terms of Christianity. As it is given in the film, Muslims don't worship the Kaaba, but they believe in one powerful God. Additionally, in the book called Cambridge Companion to the Quran, it is written that Jesus is God's servant and His Prophet while for Christians Jesus is God. It seems to me that the abidance of the idea of one God and the actions that confirm Muslims' belief in this idea was the big reasons why she decided to convert to Islam. God is one, but people may recognize Him and come to Him in different ways. The story of this brave woman who did not refuse the religion even though her relationship with her family was almost breaking down shows unbelievable support from God that Muslims are able to feel. In addition, the film tells the story of Khalil Mandhlazi who is from South Africa. He was talking about equality and the primary importance of the pure heart in his religion all over the film. It is very important to mention that the concept of racial equality in Islam is fascinating. However, the film has the fragment where Khalil was upset about the situation in which some people were served differently because they had more money. He said: "it is very painful to see this condition happening during the Hajj since we are here always in one community not looking to the color and not looking to the rest or whether you are rich or poor". Importantly, he showed true patience that every Muslim should have in spite of that situation. Another character was Ismail Mahbob. His personal story was about motivation to live better. After finishing his Hajj, he said: "I want to be a better father, a better worker, better leader, better subordinate I want to play a better role". This is a clear representation of that the Hajj and the religion itself motivate people to live better, and it is very good. Finally, I believe every person deserves to live an ideal life for him. The film represents the Hajj as "an ideal world of Islam in action", and it is amazing to see true happiness in the face of people having their ideal world during performing the Hajj.

Insight into the Hajj

[aruzhann · 9/10 · 8 November 2020]

"Inside Mecca" is a National Geographic documentary that invites viewers to accompany three pilgrims on their Hajj journey and explore the intricacies of pilgrimage and religion from the inside. During the film, three characters go through seven stages of the Hajj, each of which reflects a historical event and has a symbolic meaning. In this review, I will analyze the key elements of their journey and argue that the movie effectively elucidates the key doctrines of Islam such as equality, unity, piety, purity; and emphasizes the importance of following the right path.

The film begins by introducing the main characters - an American woman with a Christian background, a black South African man and a wealthy Malaysian. These people of different socio-economic status are united by a common faith and goal to make a pilgrimage to Mecca, or Hajj. Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam, rooted in the pre-Islamic traditions of Arabia. Transformed by the Prophet Muhammad into a monotheistic tradition, Hajj is the duty of any Muslim who can afford it physically and financially. The rites and rituals of the Hajj are centered around the "house of Allah" - the Kaaba and have a symbolic meaning (lecture "Early Islam"). It is important to note that although "Mecca is a God's holy house" and the Kaaba is the most sacred site, Muslims do not worship them (Ishaq, p.86). They worship what they represent - the symbol of the Oneness of God. Thus, every year in the last month of the Islamic calendar, millions of Muslims perform the Hajj as a tribute to God. As it is shown in the movie, the pilgrims are of different ethnicity, age, marital and economic status, but they follow the same spiritual path and believe in One God. They are one and equal before Him and, as it was mentioned by Rahman (1994): "The essence of all human rights is the equality of the entire human race, which the Qur'an assumed, affirmed, and confirmed. It obliterated all distinctions among men except goodness and virtue (taqwa)" (p. 45). These aspects of Islam - unity and equality - are especially emphasized in the film.

The next part of the documentary depicts the stages of the Hajj: circulating the Kaaba seven times, praying on mount Arafat, staying overnight in Muzdalifah, running seven times between al-Safa and al-Marwa, stoning of the devil in Mina and farewell tawaf. All these rites need to be performed in a state of Ihram - spiritual purity that requires patience, curtesy and respect. This is a great challenge for both body and soul that the pilgrim's faith must meet. Moreover, these rituals take place in historical sites and imitate the journey of Abraham and the Prophet Muhammad, thereby strengthening the connection with history and God. The example we see in the film is the ritual of running seven times between the hills of al-Safa and al-Marwa, as a tribute to Hagar's despair. According to the narration, Abraham left Hagar and Ishmael in the desert, and when they ran out of supplies, Hagar began to run desperately between the hills in search of water. In response to her struggle, God sent the Angel Gabriel to help her and a spring of water appeared in that place. Another ritual from the movie associated with Abraham is the stoning of the devil. It is believed that when God commanded Abraham to sacrifice his son, the devil tempted him to disobey the will of God, but Abraham resisted and stoned the devil. The ritual performed by the pilgrims symbolizes the importance of following the right path and resisting evil. Similarly, the rest of the rituals and the pilgrimage itself emphasize the necessity of being pious. In its turn, piety is considered the most crucial trait of a religious man. As Rahman (1994) noted, "It (piety) denotes the fully integrated and whole personality of man, the kind of "stability" which is formed after all the positive elements are drawn in" (p.28).

Throughout the journey depicted in the documentary, the main characters make every effort to follow the right path. For instance, although Khalil Mandhlazi from South Africa, was discriminated and unwelcomed because of his skin color, he managed to let go pain and anger and did not violate the state of Ihram. Also, he donated food to local poor families, which seemed to me an especially beautiful gesture, because the Hajj does not require it - it comes from the heart.

It is believed that no pilgrim returns home the same person. The Hajj is intended to deepen the faith of Muslims and strengthen their connection with God. However, the Hajj, like so much else in everyday life, can challenge patience and force people to choose between good and evil. The mission of a religious man is always to choose the good, the right, the just - to choose God.

Inside Mecca - goals

[aigerimzholdas · 7/10 · 7 November 2020]

Inside Mecca is the National Geographic documentary directed by Anisa Mehdi in 2003. It depicts the journey of different people around the world to Mecca. It introduces the intimate experience of pilgrimage that thousands of people do every year. The documentary is primarily focused on three people who intended to perform Hajj. This performance of Hajj is one of the pillars of Islam religion and as devoted Muslims, they spent several days imitating the journey of Prophet Muhammed. They follow the frustration, excitement, and struggle of a journalist from South Africa, a professor from the United States, and a businessman from Malaysia. The documentary successfully portrays the main goal of Hajj yet it perhaps intentionally distorts the rituals that Hajj consists of. The documentary effectively depicted the main idea of Hajj - clearing sins and strengthening the faith. In Islam religion, the purpose of the pilgrimage is to connect with God and deepen the faith by tracing the footsteps of Ibrahim and Ismael and Prophet Muhammed. It also involves imitating Hagar's search for water. It requires a state of pureness (ihram) and abstains from bodily pleasures, anger, and arguments. In this way, these practices give Muslim connection to the divine, so that now they entered this state of profane, they cannot sin or get angry. This film depicted these practices very well because they managed to show the intimate experience of each person. They also feel connected to the divine through Kaaba. The film claimed that if you have a glimpse of Kaaba, you are already lucky enough. According to Islam religion, they do not worship Kaaba, they worship what it represents - the house of God. That is why it is quite understandable why those people in the film got overwhelmed. For example, there was a scene when the professor from the USA starts crying and saying that she waited for so long to be there. She was vulnerable because perhaps she felt the most connected to God, which is one of the ultimate goals of Hajj. This connection is very important because it helps to resist human nature who tends to sin and fail the tests of Satan (Rahman, 1994) Moreover, the cloth they have to wear during Hajj is white. As the documentary states, it is done to show equality regardless of your social status, nationality, or ethnicity. This idea of Islam religion is depicted effectively by showing these people from different continents are in the end blended with other thousands of people who are also in white. Perhaps this white color also symbolizes that after Hajj people are reborn, and in Islam people are born pure, without any sins (Lecture materials). Lastly, perhaps one of the most important aims of Hajj is to make people better. Thus, the final day is dedicated to coming from ihram, and distributing livestock to the poor. Even the idea to chase out the evil from their lives is a good representation to sin less and become a better person. For example, the businessman from Malaysia stated that he wants to be "a better father, a better worker, better leader, and better subordinate". As a result, these core Islamic ideas that inspire people to be better and strengthen their faith after pilgrimage are captured quite well in this film. This is ultimately what Rahman (1994) states in explanation of the Quran, that a person is the only one responsible for their acts of good and bad. By doing this Hajj, our characters in the film are showing their human agency since it is in human nature to know the difference between good and bad and to choose. However, upon closer examination, I can notice some intentional choices that were made to perhaps hinder the perception of Islam. Even though I appreciate that the film chose three people with a completely different background, it also seems that they wanted to emphasize that conventional Muslims are not welcoming towards "outsiders". For example, the professor talked about her experience that sometimes "true" Muslims questioned the authenticity of her faith. During the Hajj, we can see the way the radio host is discriminated against because of his skin color. This forms the perception that traditional Muslims even in the Hajj have these biases and judgemental prejudice as if these rituals are done superficially instead of fully committing to the experience with the whole heart. Also, the tents that were built by the government completely contradict the idea of equality. People wear ihram to erase any differences among people, but the tents offer VIP surfaces for those who are willing to pay more. This highlights the social inequality by offering the rich more comfortable conditions during Hajj. Lastly, In the documentary, the ritual of casting stones in Mina to throw them at Satan, who comes to seduce people to do bad actions is ridiculized. They depict how some people throw away their belongings as well hinting that perhaps the Muslims take the ritual in a literal meaning. Thus, instead of working on themselves, they are willing to complete these rituals in an extreme way hoping that it might help. Overall, I think the documentary is a good insight into the Islamic world of performing Hajj. It successfully depicts the motivations, expectations of Muslims who decided to go to Mecca. I would recommend this film to those who have prior knowledge about Islam to notice some details that were distorted. It is important to mention that this was filmed in 2003. Maybe the experience of Hajj completely changed in 2020.

Documentary movie about the Hajj

[gauharanuar · 10/10 · 4 November 2018]

The movie "Inside Mecca" produced by National Geographic Television is a documentary film about the Arabian city Mecca which is regarded as a sacred place for Muslim people. Not only for local Muslim people but believers of Islam all around the globe are also coming to this city to make one of the holiest things in their religion to make pilgrimage or in Arabic termed as to make Hajj. The making of pilgrimage is one of the five pillars for Muslim people. In other words if believers of Islam can physically and financially can afford making Hajj they will be obliged to do that at least once in their life. This tradition was done by the Prophet Muhammad and his followers and further continuing until our times. This movie professionally describes and shows the most important doings of Muslim people in the period of Hajj. In other words, by showing each step of making Hajj, we can see the major details which are made by Muslim people to fully and accurately complete their pilgrimage. In addition, the movie seemed to me to be describing not only positive sides of making pilgrimage but focused also on difficulties occurring during Hajj facing each Muslim and showing that it needs big patience for Muslims to complete their Hajj and therefore, this action can be counted as one of the ascetic actions for the sake of the God rather than just traveling to another city. The movie chooses three Muslim people who are interviewed in their preparation to Hajj, their emotions and reactions to different cases were shot during Hajj and after that. These actors are selected from different countries and nationalities. What is interesting and catches my attention is that all of these people before the Hajj were showing their desire to make pilgrimage and they also showed they are not doing it because they are obliged to do but by the movie we can see their true love to their religion and the God. We can also see it firstly from their long preparation to Hajj. Firstly, as we understand by the movie there is required permission to go to Hajj for women from any man within their relatives or husband. And our American actress asks permission from her son which idea she does not like however she accepts it as a part of rule of making Hajj and obeys it. In the movie appeared other problems which were not easy to accept for them but they tried their best to tolerate and solve all faced problems. This movie was produced in 2003 which is 15 years before from now. It is not so early from now and the movie is also very qualitative with good voice and well acted actors. The movie is also bright and instantly catches attention with interesting moments. However, even though the tradition of pilgrimage and its stages are not changing significantly, there could be added some changes of making Hajj due to constantly changing unstable world. For example, the documents required for making pilgrimage could be changed such as the requirement of the permission for woman from husband or any man within relatives which is nowadays sounds weird because if your husband or relatives are unbelievers or they might be unhappy with your pilgrimage. This may be left from ancient tradition and now could be criticized and turned into preferable status however it could also left unchanged which is unknown. Such kind of rules and laws for making Hajj could be changed due to time. In addition, the city of Mecca and other places for making pilgrimage could be changed to comfort the process of making Hajj for Muslim people which was described as difficulties for Muslim people in this movie. Therefore, updated movies should be produced about the Hajj for Muslim people and may be for non Muslims also to be involved in the process of contemporary situation of the Hajj. In conclusion, overall this movie very well describes the details for making Hajj and shows how it is exciting to make pilgrimage and at the same time how it is hard to be patient for difficulties in the way of the making Hajj for Muslims people. However, as it is older movie compared to this time and more changes could be occurred after the movie was produced, it will be more accurate if updated movies about making the Hajj will be produced. Overall, I liked the movie how it is shortly shot and have described the significant facts about the Hajj and Mecca. Interesting moments and qualitative pictures with professional actors were catching the eyes of audience and made more interesting about the history of the Islam. My recommendation for further development of movie if it is thought of gaining more audience might be to document film not only from three people's sides but to include other Muslim people too with different cultural and social backgrounds which might turn movie into level of more entertaining and appealing to audience.

Revelation Movie

[arnayeleuova · 7/10 · 17 April 2020]

Inside Mecca filmed by National Geographic reveals the hajj stories of three Muslims coming from different backgrounds with each experience being very unique, but united under one faith of Islam. The documentary introduces us to the hajj journeys of Muslims coming from South Africa, Asia and America. Hajj is a way for them and for every other Muslim to express their religious solidarity and faith in one God. This pilgrimage is one of the five pillars of Islam and it is an obligation for every Muslim to perform it at least once in their lives. It takes from five to six days to perform the hajj in the city of Mecca and its surroundings. All the Muslims from different backgrounds endeavor to visit the holy city of Mecca and replicate the sacred rituals performed by and associated with the holy prophets Ibrahim, Ismail and Muhammad. Performing hajj needs a vast preparation and dedication from the pilgrims due to the spiritual prominence of the event. For many pilgrims it takes a great effort to prove their commitment to Islam and be able to actually enter the Saudi Arabia. Once in Mecca, the pilgrims enter a state of "ihram", which symbolizes the spiritual purity and makes Muslims abstain from materialistic pleasures and focus on their faith and inner selves. In the state of "ihram" pilgrims ought to dress in white cloth, which would equalize everyone under one faith of Islam, because before God everyone is equal and no one could be either differentiated or discriminated. However, the movie sheds the light on manifestations of discrimination faced by the pilgrims that represent the minorities in Mecca. Racial and gender discrimination are often present even in the holy city and some of the pilgrims face physical hardships due to their appearance. Nevertheless, the challenges are incomparable to the spiritual and emotional changes that occur during the holy journey of hajj. The movie clearly illustrates how religion and faith are meaningful to every pilgrim, but at the same time it reveals unforseen discrimination faced by the minority groups. The pilgrim from South Africa represents the Muslim minority at his homeland, and he is very eager to be united with the vast Muslim community united under one faith and one aim of fulfilling their religious duty. He has been assured that he will finally acquire both inner peace and spiritual unity with the outer world of like-minded people. For him, nothing matters more than his affiliation to Islam when he is in Mecca. However, because dark-skinned Africans represent minority in the Muslim world, the hero happens to face racial discrimination in Mecca, his spiritual capital. The pilgrim from USA had a very similar experience, because she was raised in a Catholic family in a very conservative environment of Texas. Her experience of conversion to Islam was to an extent unprecedented for her community, hence she failed to gain support even from her closest ones. Taking into account all the hardships she faced on her religious path, she always remained very purposeful in visiting Mecca and performing the hajj. She understood that white American, not accompanied by a men, would be a very rare case even among the three millions of pilgrims. However, she is hurt every time someone asks if she is Muslim, even though non-Muslims are not even allowed to visit Mecca. For both of the pilgrims who faced discrimination it was very upsetting not to connect with the outer world during their hajj experience. However, those obstacles were clearly negligible in comparison with the spiritual enrichment they gained. They try to step back from all the challenges and keep their temper, because everyone has to remain in the state of "ihram" while in holy city of Mecca. As they focus on their inner selves and the prayers, the pilgrims connect to the religious rituals, events and locations on every step of their journey. Ultimately, hajj becomes spiritually enriching for each individual despite all the challenges faced. The movie provides us with a great perspective on the hajj. The event is often seen by non-Muslims as a mere pilgrimage, so it makes a great deal in revealing all the challenges and importance of the event for a Muslim. It gives an insight into the preparation processes, because Mecca welcomes several million people in duration of a week. Henceforth, it takes government to be very inventive in accommodating all the pilgrims and maintaining the order. The perspective on the hajj chosen by the screenwriter and the director, Anisa Mehdi, opened up many important angles of Islam's central event. The movie image illustrated the density of the crowd and the dedication of the people to the rituals very clearly. All the concepts and deeds were well-explained for a broad audience, providing just enough details and insights to get an understanding. However, there is definitely a room to work on the sound and musical accompaniment, as it often distracted rather than complimented the image. Nevertheless, Inside Mecca is a great movie to get acquainted with some of the central concepts of Islam and get historical insights into the holy hajj pilgrimage.

Very interesting

[zhanerkebatyrbayeva · 10/10 · 7 November 2020]

Inside Mecca is a documentary film by National Geographic. The film illustrates a pilgrimage to Mecca, embark on hajj. It explains the religious rules of Islamic Hajj pilgrimage. The main characters of the film are Ismail Mahboob, Khalil Mandhlazi, and Fidelma O'Leary. All of them are different, they came from different countries, have a different ethnicity, speak different languages, have different social status. But there is one thing that unites them. It is their religion "Islam". All three of them went to embark on Hajj. The film shows and explains different aspects of religious traditions as the rules of Muslim communities and rules of pilgrimage through different perspectives. This review will discuss how the religious traditions such as the meaning of equality in the Islam community and some arguments about the rules of the religion were highlighted in this documentary movie. There is an emphasis on being equal before God in Islam. This means that God does not separate people by their color, race, or wealth. Thus, being patient, toleranta and supporting each other is essential, especially during the embark on Hajj. This was highlighted in the movie, too. Before Hajj, all pilgrims wear a special cloth called Ihram. They walk 5 miles together, pray together and embark on Hajj together. Despite the fact that Ismail was a wealthy man, he left all his belongings and wear only Ihram as everybody did. He prayed and embark as everybody on the Hajj pilgrimage. Also, the movie showed an assistance during the Hajj. Fidelma says that there was a happy moment for her when the African man helped her to find a space and said: "Alhamdulillah and praise be to God." "I really was welcomed," she says. This exactly shows support in the Islamic community. Thus, the equality is very important during the Hajj in Muslim community. On the other hand, despite the fact that there is a rule of equality in Islam, the movie shows that it is not always the case. For example, people can get a VIP buffet, upgraded buses, and better tents with fewer people for extra money. It is explained that "even if it is important to be equal before God, there is no prohibition on comfort as long as pilgrim can pay for it". Hence, it is unclear what equality mean exactly in Islam. Also, there is still a stereotype concerning Muslims. Fidelma is an American woman with blue eyes and Irish ethnicity. She faced some inequality during the Hajj as people were staring at her. "Strangers tried to tell me what is like to be a Muslim and ask me if I am really a Muslim. I think they forgot for a moment that you can only be here if you are Muslim. It can be upsetting," she says. Khalil also felt uncomfortable as he wasn't treated as others due to his skin color. He complains: "It is very painful to see this condition during the Hajj since we are here always in one community." Thus, the movie demonstrated that the Islamic religious tradition of equality is not always met as was expected. The movie also shows a pack of rules for doing Hajj, but also it mentions that there are still some misunderstandings regarding the religious rules. For example, in order to get a visa in order to enter holy places of Muslim, a person has to provide a certificate from the Mosque proving that he/she is a Muslim. Likewise, the Saudi Embassy requires male relative permission for a female to travel. As she was divorced, she asked her son to give her an official agreement. "I have never read any restriction in the holy Quran. But I don't mind, because in Roman you do what all Romans do" says Fidelma. Thus, even if there is nothing written in the Quran about those rules, there are still existing rules of the government regarding religion. Another misunderstanding happened during the ritual called the Jamarat, throwing stones at the walls. It was unclear how many stones should a pilgrim throw to Satan. While Fidelma mentioned that 47 stones are needed to be thrown, while another person said that there should be 49 stones. "There is a confusion about how much punishment Satan should get," states the speaker in the movie. Hence, the amount of pebbles is conroversial. Those misunderstandings show the arguments on the rules of Islam still occur nowadays. In conclusion, the documentary movie "Inside Mecca" effectively showed and explained the Islamic tradition of pilgrimage from different perspectives of three different people. The movie also explained the term equality in Islam and some stereotypical vision concerning other races and ethnicity. Also it demonstrated some disputes in religious traditions as rules to get a visa to embark on Hajj or the amount of stones needed for Jamarat ritual.

the raw and personal behind the Hajj

[adiyaaldebekova · 7/10 · 13 April 2020]

The National Geographic documentary "Inside Mecca" does a great job of introudcing its viewers to Islam, and to the sacred tradition of the pilgrimage - or the Hajj. The movie is very well structured, as it begins with the very basics - it explains what Hajj is, thus acquainting the viewer with the concept that may have been foreign to them previously. Then, it dives "inside Mecca," and follows three different people who are on their pilgrimage, in order to tell their stories, and help the viewer understand what the Hajj means not only on a social, but also on a personal level.

The Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam and it is mandatory for anyone who is in the right health to do it. However, what goes beyond this is often left unknown - and for many people outside of Islam, the Hajj is simply this - a pilgrimage. What often goes unnoticed is all of the work and preparation, all of the individual stories and experiences that go into the Hajj journey; and this movie does a great job at portraying the realities of the Hajj, rather than keeping it an abstract idea. Another important aspect of the movie, is that it shows all of the preparations that happen not only on a personal level for each individual pilgrim, but also on the societal level - it shows how people that live in Mecca work as a community to provide for the Hajj.

Furthermore, the movie does a great job of showing the diversity of Muslims, and shows how three completely different people can be connected with one another. How three people from different backgrounds can share something so sacred to them; thus hinting that perhaps, we, as people, are not so different after all.

The movie, however, is not limited to just the Hajj - it also shows how and why the three pilgrims came to Islam; and what the religion means for them. In today's world, we often dismiss religion, and ignore its followers. However, this film does a wonderful job of reminding us how sacred faith can be to a person. It introduces the viewer to the concept of equality, and that in Islam - in front of Allah, everyone is equal, not matter their cultural, racial or economical background.

However, the movie also shows the other side of the coin. It shows all of the difficulties that go into the Hajj. It shows how the pilgrims struggle, and how the journey can be physically exhausting. Furthermore, it sheds light on all of the discrimination that happens on the Hajj; and this shows that even religious people are still people, and not all follow the right moral principles, even on a sacred journey like such. It was heartbreaking to see how something that is supposed to be so holy and so sacred can be so full with hate and discrimination. Fidelma and Khalil were the pilgrims that had to face racial discirmination, and were mistreated simply for the way that they look; even though in faith, everyone is supposed to be equal. The Hajj is supposed to be the journey that unites muslims, because they all gather there for the same reason, for the same end goal - even if each and every single one of their journeys is personal and, therefore, different. But, just like anything in life, it is not perfect, and does put its pilgrims through many (sometimes unnecessary) challenges. The movie does highlight, however, the importance of the pilgrimage, and the effect that it has on everyone who follows through with it. People on the pilgrimage go there with an open heart; they all are at their most vulnerable, and this emotional state unites them all.

Furthermore, the film also introduced us to the practical part of the pilgrimage - the rituals and the procedures that need to be carried out when one enters the holy city. The pilgrims have to be cleansed and have to declare that they are spiritually ready; they have to be dressed modestly and all have similar clothes. All this is done in order to appear equal before God, and even this ritual highlights the theme of equality, that is supposed to be present in Islam.

However, despite being very profound contentually, it is not as advanced technologically. One of the things that have stood out to me was the quality of sound. Whenever there was a soundtrack, it was overpowering and it was very hard to focus on the words of the people in the movie. Furthermore, the quality of the movie is very poor - the lighting and the shots not only do not flatter the people and the settings, but they are also very awkward to the eye and not aesthetically pleasing. Many may argue that small details like such do not matter. However, if a person feels negative emotions towards the technical aspects of the film, they may subconsciously translate this dislike and direct it at the content. Therefore, the technical moment is very important, and I think it struggled in this movie.

immature !!!

[darweech · 1/10 · 23 January 2014]

Very disappointing by National Geographic, very low quality from all perspectives as a movie. can't you at least choose a music that is more related to the context? why in such a crowded context we hear only the voice of 3 people? can't you reflect and give more time to the event as a total? you are calling the movie "Inside Mecca", so reflect it all and not only the personal story of 3 people.

it's also obvious you brought all the negative connotations in Mecca and emphasized them. did you make the movie to criticize the whole thing? then why not telling it clearly and name the movie something like "errors of hajj"?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7q_LcqbvKI This short film in the link, made by a normal person using a home video camera reflect it to me better that National Geographic, congratulations!!!

Muslim dream

[anelkairbekova · 10/10 · 12 April 2020]

"Inside Mecca" is a documentary produced by National Geographic in 2003 by Anisa Mehdi, which shows us the annual event of pilgrimage to Mecca. As Mecca is a birthplace of prophet Muhammad and a place where the House of Lord Kaaba is located it is considered as the center of Islam religion and sacred place. Every Muslim who truly believe in God want to visit Mecca to make a pilgrimage, which is in Arabic Hajj. This is because Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam, which is five duties expected from Muslims. If a Muslim has a good health and financial opportunity to make Hajj, then he is obligated to do so at least for one time during his or her life. The prophet Muhammad had done the pilgrimage to Mecca, but it is believed that it was practiced by many people before the origin of Islam. The documentary illustrates step by step procedure of Hajj so that viewers could get an appropriate vision and understanding of the pilgrimage and idea of Islam itself. Although it is believed that during Hajj people should all be treated in the same way and not discriminate against each other, this review will argue that sometimes people can feel uncomfortable during Hajj because their nationalities and ethnicities are rare (unusual) among Muslims. However, despite this people try to be tolerant of each other and help their "brothers" and "sisters." To make viewers feel the whole importance of the Hajj the documentary narrates us the stories of three people with absolutely different backgrounds, nationalities, ethnicities and social status but with a similar vision of life and the same faith. These are Fidelma O'Leary from Texas, Khalil from South Africa and Ishmael from Malaysia. The documentary shows us how Hajj of these people was different from each other and similar at the same time. The DIfference in their journey starts from the moment they left their homes, as a police escort gets Ishmael and his wife straight to the plain, while Khalil does not have such a safe journey and he has to take a public bus. In addition, the vivid difference in acceptance by other Muslims can be noticed before the stoning of the satan ritual when all pilgrims stopped to rest in Minna. Here we see that Khalil was not treated the same as other South African pilgrims for the reason his skin color is black and this was quite painful for him to see this condition happening during the Hajj. He says: "We are here always in one community not looking to the color and not looking to the rest or whether you are rich or you're poor". This situation slightly had shaken his vision of brotherhood among Muslims. So, Halil then joined up with another group from Malawi. In the same manner, Fidelma was an object of attention for other pilgrims in Minna,because it was unusual for people to see a woman with a European appearance to be Muslim. We can notice that she catches the eye of many people. Fidelma says that most of the women in her group and even those who were strangers to her were trying to tell her what it is like to be a Muslim and asked her whether she is a Muslim or not. She says: "I think they forgot for a moment that you can only be here if you are Mulsim." So this was not pleasant for Fidelma as people had a prejudice regarding just because she had another ethnicity. Also, going back to Ishamel it can be seen that his Hajj was different in a way that he has better services. Even though Hajj emphasizes the importance of being equal before God there is no prohibition on comfort as long as a pilgrim can pay for it. Accommodation varies from tent to tent so that all-inclusive economy packages start from around 2500 dollars. As the movie goes on it can be seen that eventually, Muslim people are tolerant and quite friendly. For example, one North African man found a tent for Fidelma and other men helped her with the collection of stones so that she could collect the right quantity of stones for stoning ritual. Similarly, when Khalil felt uncomfortable in his tent among South Africans, Malawi pilgrims were friendly with him and accepted him. Moving to the quality of the movie, I particularly liked the way different sounds and music were used for each scene. For example, when Muslims were praying, hearing the prayer was bewitching, or when pilgrims were doing shopping, cheerful music in the background made viewers feel that Hajj could also be fascinating. Also, I noticed that particularly the most significant moments of Hajj were filmed. By showing the scene when all the pilgrims were praying on the plane Arafat and asking God to forgive them I even started to cry because I could feel all the pain and other emotions of people. So, I believe the fact that the movie could touch the hearts of viewers means that it succeeded.

"Inside Mecca" film review

[ademianzhan · 9/10 · 19 April 2020]

"Inside Mecca" is a documentary film about Muslim pilgrimage, the hajj. It was directed by Anisa Mehdi and describes how three pilgrims from Malaysia, the United States, and South Africa travel to Mecca. The hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam and every Muslim must perform it at least once in life. The film shows in detail every part of a pilgrimage, its rituals and where did they come from. In addition, it reveals the inner life of Mecca as a city, showing both dark and bright sides. The film succeeded in showing what it is like to make the hajj and how Muslims feel about the holy place of Islam. One of the crucial points of the film is that Islam is available and open for every person and that everyone is indifferent when it comes to religion. It shows the viewer how three people perform hajj, Muslim pilgrimage tradition. It is worth mentioning, how profoundly directors captured the personal aspect of stories of all main characters. Every single of them has something that touches the viewer. Ismail Mahbob's line is about human's demand for spiritual fulfillment. It shows how people realize that materialistic attainments cannot provide complete satisfaction and how they start to care about the spiritual dimension of their lives. Another line is about South African radio commentator, Khalil Mandhalzi, who at some point experiences discrimination due to his race. And the last, Fidelma O'Leary's story tells how even being from a family that practices different religion people still may convert to Islam and be truly devoted despite all the resistance they meet. All of them are of different nationalities, different races, coming from different parts of the world and having drastically different backgrounds. There are millions of other people who have disparate lives. And one thing that unites all of them is their faith and goal to step up on a higher spiritual level. The film messages ironical contrast of equality and inequality, when first we introduced to ihram clothing that makes all people look the same, puts the body to basics and then see different service levels and discrimination towards black people. However, when it comes to the truly holy core of hajj, everyone is indifferent. Another noteworthy point film makes is that pilgrimage to Mecca goes beyond Islam. It starts with lines about the creation of the Kaaba: it was created even before everything else did. Then, according to film, Adam and Eva meet each other at the mountain Arafat, near Mecca, and Adam built the first building of Kaaba. Hundreds of years passed and Abraham rebuilt the Kaaba as we know it nowadays. Abraham presented as founder of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam and the one, who with his family established pilgrimage rituals and traditions. Based on this, we can assume Mecca as the center not only of Islam but of all Abrahamic religions in general and even the Universe. Film notes that besides monotheistic traditions, Mecca was the major pilgrimage point of polytheism too. The Kaaba was full of idols and people were coming there long before the prophet Muhammad lived. By all of these, the film points out the historical importance of Mecca. This brings us to the concept of sacred space. For a religious man, it is a space of high significance, as opposed to unfamiliar, inhomogeneous profane space. It establishes orientation and stability to the religious man's world (Eliade n. d.). According to this, Mecca serves as a sacred space and origin for the Muslim world. The film conveys this deep feeling of connection to divine experienced by millions of pilgrims coming year-round. It shows how everyday life, infrastructure and business in Mecca are all based on the pilgrimage. Every part of the city is influenced and formed by this phenomenon. People strive to perform hajj despite all difficulties they experience. We see how the main characters and other people surrounding them struggle financially, physically, but still, do it with a great feeling of redemption and spiritual fulfillment. The film shows genuine emotions of people when they visit places, where centuries ago prophets Muhammad and Abraham stood, when they perform practices that the Quran characters did, and most remarkably when they feel meeting almighty God one-to-one. People all over the world perform this challenging and at some point dangerous journey lasting five days to attain forgiveness and intangible rebirth at the end. The film "Inside Mecca" satisfactorily shows the process of performing the hajj, Muslim pilgrimage. Its advantage is that it tells this from the point of view of three different pilgrims, thanks to this it felt like I went on a journey with them. The film also provided some historical background of the city and rituals. Most remarkably for my review, it created a space for deeper analysis of the concepts of religious practices and sacred space. In conclusion, the film showed the indifference of people in spiritual aspect and how deep feeling of devotion and seeking for sacred origin brings millions of people the holy city of Mecca.

Inside Mecca film review

[alinasaktaganova · 10/10 · 4 April 2021]

"Inside Mecca" is a documentary filmed by National Geographics that shows and explains the process of Hajj, which is the Islamic pilgrimage made to the Kaaba - the sacred space also known as "House of God", which is located in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. In this review, I want to focus attention on how well the director of the film, Anisa Mehdi, illustrated the social and cultural divergence between people who do Hajj, as well as the experience behind this process for each of them. Even though the movie perfectly describes in detail all the procedures for males and females and explains the process of Hajj both historically and practically, it still lacks the general knowledge about Islam and its basic concepts. That is why, I would recommend watching this film to someone, who already has a general background in Islam and wants to go deeper into it. This movie would also be perfect for anyone who plans to visit Mecca and do Hajj, because it provides the view from the inside behind all the processes of the sacred space, as well as helps to build an image of what to expect in this journey and be ready for it. Furthermore, concerning the overall delivery, as the movie was published in 2003, it doesn't have high image quality, nevertheless, due to the scarcity of the filmed material in the following field, it's very valuable in terms of content and understanding of the Islamic religion.

Firstly, I would like to provide a brief summary of the plot. It starts by describing the holy place, the celestial house of God - Kaaba, located in the center of Mecca, which symbolizes the worship of the one God. According to Islam, completing the Hajj is the mandatory duty of every Muslim. Thus, it becomes the place that unites many people of different cultures and backgrounds under the common faith, through several processes they do together as walking seven circles around Kaaba and praying towards it. The movie also summarizes the historical overview by explaining the sacredness of the location. According to Dr. Umar F. Abd-Allah, a scholar of Islam represented in the documentary, he said that all religious faiths have a center of sacredness and spirituality, and the Kaaba represents this center in Islam ("Inside Mecca", 2003). Moreover, they provide the history behind the rituals, for example, the reason behind walking seven times around Kaaba in one direction, explained as the representation of the heroic effort of Hajar when she was searching for the water for her son, Ishmael; when they were left behind by Abraham in the desert valley by the God's order ("Inside Mecca", 2003). Such explanations behind each religious act represented in the film help to gain a good understanding of the aim of the Hajj for the audience and its role in Islam.

The next part of the movie is the most interesting one as it reveals the personal experience of the Hajj of three different Muslim representers and shows the important social diversity and the challenges each of them has to overcome to successfully complete the pilgrimage. The first main character is Fidelma O'Leary, a professor of neuroscience in Texas, USA. She was born in a Christian family and faced such challenges as misunderstanding and criticism from her relatives. However, she didn't step back in her faith. Instead, she accepted the circumstances as they are and moved forward in her religious journey by committing the process of Hajj. Moreover, we could have seen from the movie that she was worried that Muslim society wouldn't accept her because of her appearance (race), as she doesn't look like most Muslim women do. She faced challenges due to her gender, as for women, she needed permission from her son (male relative). As well as find the group of other women who planned to go for the same journey of Hajj, as it's required by rules in Islam. Furthermore, to visit Mecca, she also needed the verification that she's actually Muslim. Fidelma demonstrated the true state of Ihram, which stands for a sacred state which a Muslim must enter to successfully perform the pilgrimage ("Inside Mecca", 2003). The second and third main characters of the movie are Khalil Mandhlazi and Ismail Mahboob. In my opinion, they perfectly represent the issue behind the socio-economic status as Khalil is from South Africa and wasn't as economically successful as Ismail from Malaysia. Nevertheless, both of them, under the religious traditions wore the same clothes and completed the same procedures, representing equality in religious terms.

To conclude, the film provides a deep insight into the process of Islamic pilgrimage also known as Hajj; by illustrating the personal experience of three Muslim pilgrims following by the short background history behind the knowshions of the religion. The practical knowledge contributed by each of the characters helps to go deeply into the details and understand the importance of the Hajj as well as the image of the Islamic religion overall.

Important lessons

[nuraikenzhebekova · 8/10 · 8 November 2020]

Islam is one of the most rapidly growing religions in the modern world. Of course, there is Christianity, which has the largest number of followers; there is Confucianism, where the religion successfully transformed into the lifestyle. However, Islam, undoubtedly, deserves the right to be taught and demonstrated since so many people turn to Islam every single day. Today, in the era of digital technology, people can not only follow the religion but, also, with the help of media, play an important role in the expansion of religions. One of the examples of media informing people about Islam, more specifically, about the pilgrimage to Mecca, is a documentary "Inside Mecca", directed by Anisa Mehdi. By the time, a person finishes watching "Inside Mecca", he or she learns the experience from the trip to Capital in Islamic traditions. Throughout the movie, we see how pilgrimage to Mecca becomes an important, life-changing lesson in Muslim's life on the example of three different people. It demonstrates that worshippers of Islam are submitted to one God, value equality with tolerance, and strive for patience. This essay would expand on these three aspects, but it is worth to mention that there are other observations a spectator of "Inside Mecca" could have highlighted. One of the obvious characteristics of Islam we may learn from the movie: God in Islam is the absolute one, strictly singular. In fact, it is like Christianity and Judaism, where people believe in one God, as well, God of Abraham. Historically, some Christians and Jews converted to Islam, when the prophet Muhammad established the new religion ("How Islam Began", Fred Donner). Anyway, the movie clearly highlights the fact that Muslims are submitted to one God, but it does not explain the roots of such a belief. Thus, to explain, Adam was created by God to "establish 'a vicegerent on earth'", which means creating the social moral order (Rahman, p.17-18). Muslim believe in the story of Adam and Eve, which is well known among Christians and Jews, yet the main contribution of Islam regarding that story is that Adam's religion was monotheistic: there is only one God. In the movie, we see that pilgrimage to Mecca includes a ritual when Muslims circle the Kaaba 7 times. Here, Kaaba is a representation of one God, since it is 'House of God' and Muslims worship not the Kaaba, but the idea behind it. Another ritual from the movie that highlights the all-powerful ruler and creator of the universe is "The standing at Arafat". Pilgrims pray and ask for forgiveness at the place, where Prophet Mohammed delivered his last sermon. This realm of forgiveness is shown as an extremely emotional experience, where people connect with God. I believe that the physical meaning of the place plays an important psychological role. Since the God does not have human-like nature or representation, it is impossible to convey the connection with God to a specific place, except Kaaba. However, Muslims worship Prophet Mohammad because he attracted people's trust ("Authority in Islam"), thus stepping on the ground where Prophet once walked is a solid experience, which allows Muslims to physically connect with the God, thus boosting the mind connection. Apart from the demonstrating total submission to one God, Muslims, who come to Mecca in the Hajj period, challenge their tolerance. In Islam, God's mercy "comprehends everything", one implication of which is tolerance towards every other religion. When Leo Byzantine Emperor, for instance, commanded to destroy all icons repeating after Islamic traditions, ironically, Muslims protected defender of iconography, demonstrating the teachings of tolerance of other faith ("Eastern Orthodoxy"). Apart from tolerance between religions, Muslims should be tolerant within themselves. One of the main characters in "Inside Mecca" is a female neurosurgeon from US, another one is an African-American man from South Africa named Khalil. While watching the documentary, the idea of diversity among Islam worshippers is shown. There are women and men, elderlies and children; as in "The Life of Muhammad': "a man ... stood up and prayed. Then a woman ... stood up and prayed. Then out came a youth ... stood up and prayed" (p. 113). It is important to mention that women can enter Mecca only if provide the legal permission from male member of the family. Despite that, women are equal during the Hajj; in fact, women played an important role in collecting Hadith, which is the source of law in Islam ("Formation of Islamic Law and Hadith"). There are, also, rich, and poor, yellow, black, and white skinned people but everyone is equal in the face of God because He looks at the heart only. "God can ensure the essential unity of the human race as His creation", meaning that everyone is equal (Rahman, p. 38). During Hajj, 2 million different people from different countries gather to share the experience, which requires philosophic tolerance. However, fair attitude towards everyone is not as difficult as inside struggles of pilgrims during the Hajj. The journey, shown in the documentary, tests both body and soul of pilgrims. The ritual that physically represents the mind struggle Muslims experience is 'The Stoning of the Devil'. In "The Formation of Islam", Berkey defined jihad as the 'holy war', which means struggle against evil. In Islam, jihad refers to any striving in the path of God and stoning the devil represent how people fight temptations and expel Satan from their lives. While the ritual is great in helping pilgrims to physically fight the evil, the whole journey tests their patience. In Q 48 'Victory' of Qur'an, a win of good over evil is said to be attained through courage, devotion, faith, and patience (McAuliffe, p. 168). Muslims struggle between wrong and right but with the help of God they stay on the 'middle way', the right path. Thus, failing to demonstrate respect, patience, and courtesy, will make the Hajj not count for a pilgrim, since they are highly valued abilities in Islam. All in all, the documentary "'Inside Mecca" excellently showed the process of pilgrimage to Mecca by highlighting the important aspects of Islam. It should be suggested to both believers of other religions, atheists, and Muslims. Apart from worshipping one God, tolerance, and patience, we learn that Islam do not value material wealth, instead values necessities, such as water. Of course, spectators of the movie make their own conclusions and focus on different things but, overall, the documentary transfers the basic spirit of Islam.

Inside the plurality of Muslim identity...

[danelakhmetova · 6/10 · 2 April 2020]

The director of "Inside Mecca", Anisa Mehdi, is of half-Iraqi and half-Canadian descent. It is perhaps not surprising that someone like Mehdi would wish to explore issues of identity, which are at the core of this movie, in more depth in their own professional work. In this review, I will argue that this documentary film's main purpose was to expand the borders of what being a Muslim means in the understanding of people both inside and outside the religion, although perhaps for the latter group to a greater extent. This was done through the choice of main participants and the demonstration of historical facts behind the rituals of the hajj amidst a number of cinematographic techniques to support it. The 2003 National Geographic documentary follows three individuals on their way to the journey that every Muslim dreams upon doing at least once in a lifetime - the hajj to Mecca. It gives us an insight into the participants' different backgrounds, preparations for the road, and eventually the struggles and the bliss that they have to go through to be able to call themselves Hajji or Hajja. Another exploration that this film pursues is the historic significance of Mecca to both Islam and non-Islamic religions. First, the participants of this documentary had been chosen to represent various racial, national, and even religious past and backgrounds. This was to show, for both Muslim and non-Muslim populations, the diversity of those individuals that might be committed to Islam, especially since completing the hajj is considered the most valid proof of one's dedication to this religion. These individuals come from Malaysia, South Africa, and the United States and all of them speak English, bringing them closer to an English-speaking audience watching the documentary. As the documentary rightly pointed out, there are currently more than a billion Muslims (with the majority of non-Arab background) in the world growing their numbers each year around all continents and nations, including the United States and Europe, where Muslims have been for long undoubtedly marginalized and discriminated. The shots from afar of Kaaba and other places around Mecca help people to see the uncountable number of people that practice and dedicate themselves to Islam before we even take into account that people at Mecca replace each other all the time with new people coming and leaving throughout the whole year and also that many Muslims would never be able to accomplish such journey. Even for some members of Islamic faith, as was shown in the documentary, and more definitely so for non-Muslims, it might be strange to stumble upon someone from a different background than what is generally assumed to represent a Muslim person. For example, Khalil Mandhlazi, a black South African male pilgrim to Mecca, was not so much accepted allegedly due to the color of his skin, even in the circles representing his own country. Similarly, Fidelma O'Leary, a white American having a while ago converted from Catholicism, also voiced problems of needing secondary confirmation of her being an actual Muslim from the mosque that she attends in order to be able to obtain a visa, along with the fact that she has surprised many individuals she met in Mecca who inquired where she was from and if she was, indeed, Muslim. However, eventually, Khalil managed to find a group of Malawi pilgrims to pray with, with whom he felt more accepted, and Fidelma felt that she was "welcome" after a brief encounter with a man who greeted her nicely. This was to show for the non-Muslims (and probably to encourage those within the Muslim faith to do the same) that Muslims can be accepting of each other despite the differences and are not as exclusivist or nationally/ethnically/racially isolated as one might think. Second, the rituals were, in my view, successfully explained to the general non-Muslim audience of other Abrahamic religions, for instance Christians or Jews of the United States, who might be to various degrees struggling to understand what the significance of them was. The specific explanation of the hajj and the rituals accompanying it in the film helped overall to connect Islam with the other Abrahamic religions, the connection that tends to be forgotten in the wake of rivalries between believers of these faiths, again for both Muslims and non-Muslims. Even though Mecca had now become the most sacred of all places for the Muslims most dominantly, according to the historic background presented in the film through a couple of expert opinions, this place had had a profound connection to all Abrahamic religions even before they emerged as world religions. In fact, as a scholar of Islam claims in the documentary, it was Abraham, "the father of Jews, Christians, and Muslims", who besides advocating a submission to one deity, created the concept of pilgrimage to Mecca, that is the hajj as we know it today (14 min). The use of European paintings portraying Abraham, Ismail, angel Gabriel and the like, which are closer to the audiences coming from the Western countries, was an effective technique to describe those stories to an otherwise skeptical community that might not identify with Muslim faith. Many things described in this documentary are seen as important to other non-Islamic religions, thus it makes audiences coming from those backgrounds understand the significance behind what most Muslims seek to achieve once in their life - the hajj. Other things were, in my perspective, aimed not only at the non-Muslim religious and non-religious audiences, but also specifically at those within the Islamic community of believers itself. For example, a woman does not need to wear hijab on the daily basis or have a husband, for that matter, to call herself a Muslim and attempt to do the hajj. Fidelma, who is also a professor of neuroscience, does not wear head garments every day and has been divorced. The importance of charity in Islam is shown and more importantly how Muslim members of non-dominant ethnicities within the religious community can give as much or even more attention to upholding some values, such as the significance of giving to those in need, that are integral to Islam and life of a Muslim believer. Upon arriving to Mecca, Khalil is shown as being not at ease with "hungry and poor" kids and later decides to buy and take a patch of food to those communities in need that tend to live above the city, thus bringing some difficulty to those like Khalil wishing to engage in charitable activities. In conclusion, "Inside Mecca" showed the extent of what kinds of people can identify with Muslims despite the stereotypes that both people of Muslim and non-Muslim identities might have. One of the film's main arguments is that believers of Islam can be of all ethnic and racial backgrounds coming from a wide range of countries geographically distant from each other, such as Malaysia, South Africa, and the United States, as was shown through the three cases depicted in this documentary. Furthermore, the movie establishes that what Muslim individuals believe in and practice, of which the most vivid example is the hajj, is not completely separated from the origins of other dominant world religions, most importantly Christianity (as per the majority of the assumed Western or American audience of this film). For the audience coming from the Muslim community itself also, "Inside Mecca" gives some questions and limitations to think about, such as the importance of charity, the presence of female headwear, or the existence of racial prejudices within the community.

The pilgrimages of three Muslims to Mecca on the Hajj.

[nikki-kwan · 9/10 · 8 December 2013]

Watching this movie was originally a class assignment, so I hadn't been expecting to be very interested or inspired. However, as the film concluded, I found myself really appreciating what I'd just watched. I think the greatest value of this film was the way in which it was structured. The film is shown through the perspectives of three different people from vastly different backgrounds, and whose only uniting factor was that they were undertaking the Hajj. They each have their own personal reasons for going, but the ultimate goal of the Hajj - the honoring of the covenant with God, and the declaration of God's glory - is shared by all three travellers. There were two things I thought the film did very excellently through these three characters. The first, was that it showed how the Hajj is a physical and spiritual journey. Each traveller, on top of the physical challenges (walking long distances in the desert heat, etc.), was met with mental/spiritual struggles. For example, both Fidelma and Khalil faced discrimination because of their ethnicity and gender even though everyone is meant to be equal before God. It showed the power of faith when both were able to overcome this discrimination to preserve their state of Ihram to complete their Hajj. There were other signs of inequality. One of my favorite quotes was what the manager at Minah said about customers, accommodations. Even though they are called VIPs, they are not necessarily special. It is only to describe the services they require that they are labeled VIP, deluxe, or premium. The second thing I thought was very interesting, was the message the movie leaves you with. The last quote in the movie is from Fidelma and she says that the people of Mecca should expect to see more and more people with different looks making the Hajj, because the faith is spreading in this globalized world. The way I see it, the documentary itself is a testimony to the growing awareness of world religions, of opportunities to learn and understand.

Main concepts of Islam

[rauanamangeldiyev · 6/10 · 8 November 2020]

The film describes the main concepts of the Islam religion. The video achieves this goal by showing the "Hajj" (Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca) from the inside and taking as main characters of the plot three different people from various parts of the world with their own nation, wellbeing, skin color, race. The plot of the film describes the concepts of Islam like monotheism; the importance of taking care of the less fortunate people than you; the existence of evil and good; equality of everyone before Allah. Firstly, the core concept of Islam, monotheism, is explained in the movie. It is explicitly shown that people do not worship Kabba, they worship what it represents - one God. All rituals of "Hajj" such as Tarwiyah day, the path to Mecca and Mina, Arafat, Feast of Sacrifice, haircutting, and Tawaf are mainly purposed to worship only one creature along the journey. However, according to lecture materials, Five Pillars of Islam states there is no God but Allah. Thus, we can understand the first main concept in Islam, that Muslims have only one Allah and no other divines. Secondly, in Islam, there is not any priority, and all are equal before Allah. In the film, the equality of people was significantly highlighted by showing three different Muslim pilgrims from different countries and who have no similarity except the faith. According to the film, no matter who you are: woman, man or child; what is your nation; what is your skin color, no matter, there are Islamic brotherhood and sisterhood, which brings all Muslims together. Thus, by delving into the daily life of each character, the viewer can see how they are different in terms of well-being, profession, lifestyle and etc., however, when we see them with other millions of people in Mecca, who pray without any distinction (in two pieces of the towel), the viewer can grasp that in Islam all people are equal in front of Allah. On the other hand, there were some critics, which was mentioned in the video, about racism and discrimination. For example, Khalil from South Africa was disappointed when he was not treated well with other South Africans because of his skin color. Also, we can see some class discrimination in Mine's tent city where they rely on the rule that there is not any prohibition on comfort as long as pilgrim may pay for it. These incidents provide information about some de facto exceptions of rules in certain real-life situations and it was clearly shown in the film. Moreover, the movie emphasizes the next concept of Islam implicitly, which is the "Sharia", the unique set of rules. According to lectures, the Quran is not taken from third-party narration about prophet Muhammad, instead, the Quran and Sharia are direct instructions of Allah to people. Therefore, in the video, all rituals of "Hajj" were shown explicitly, sequentially, and in details, because it was said that "pilgrims actually have to be within the clearly marked boundaries of Arafat or their Hajj may not be counted". Hence, we can understand that in Islam, rituals must be followed strictly, because there exist Allah's direct will and directions as a set of rules (Sharia). Furthermore, the film highlights the concept of good and evil. It was clearly discussed in the part about "jamarat", where believers did stone Satan. It could give a clear understanding that for Muslims there exists the concept of "good and evil; justice and injustice; righteousness and sinfulness". By the "jamarat" ritual pilgrims seek forgiveness and reject evil. The concept of good and evil can be considered as one of the cores in Islam because everyone must distinguish them without any gained knowledge: avoid the action, which brings suffering for others and approach to good. As a next point, the helping of poor and less successful people than you is described in "the feast of sacrifice" part of the film. The plot of the film revealed that with the largest ritual sacrifice, pilgrims help poor people all over the world by supplying them with food, because each pilgrim must sacrifice one sheep, or seven pilgrims must give one camel at the end of the Hajj. It can be clear that the film plot is bounded with the topic of Hajj and Kaaba, thus the plot does not describe the concept of "help" fully, for example: by showing the ritual of Sadaqah or by showing the content of Surah, where Allah says about his/her/it love to gentleness and love. To sum up, the film could clearly highlight the main aspects of Islam such as monotheism or worshipping one God, social equality, the concept of good and evil, and supporting vulnerable parts of the society by showing the main rituals of Hajj and experiences of main heroes. Also, the film could convey all core concepts of Islam in giving a framework of Hajj.

Pilgrimage is for all races and colors

[arailymamirtay · 9/10 · 17 April 2020]

Pilgrimage is one of the common characteristics of the most popular religions worldwide like those of Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism and many others out of which Islam is not an exception. This pilgrimage is called Hajj and it belongs to one of the five pillars for Muslims - religious performances they are bound to do. During the Hajj Muslims are obliged to travel to Mecca and complete a set of rituals and that is something that Anisa Mehdi tried to illustrate through directing a documentary movie called Inside Mecca in 2003. The film not only tells about the process of Hajj, but also narrates the stories of three Muslims from different parts of the globe in a very interesting manner. Although the technical part of the movie is of an unsatisfactory quality, the manner in which the narrative flows throughout captures the minds and hearts of the viewers by appealing to emotions.

Starting from the script itself it can be noted that Anisa Mehdi took an entertaining approach in supplying the information. Listening to and actually watching the experiences of Fidelma O'Leary, Khalil Mandhlazi and Ismail Mahbob while incorporating some facts from interviewees about the Hajj helps the viewers to retain the necessary information easier. This is because stories are memorized much faster and for longer than any dry statements of religious practices. Moreover, this way of telling about the pilgrimage - by showcasing it through the lenses of three individuals - allows the audience to discover other aspects of the Hajj such as challenges that arise due to cultural and national differences. As Fidelma is from the USA, Khalil - from South Africa and Ismail - from Malaysia, they all have distinct experiences of the pilgrimage. By listening to them we can also see how the background of a person can significantly affect one's perception of the Hajj. For instance, Ismail had to confront the absence of material comforts around like he had had in his ordinary life being the executive. As he himself put it: "It's more like forgetting what backgrounds that I have or what I am used to in the office, in the golf course, and at home, and just be near to God". All of this present us the view from another side on the Islamic pilgrimage.

As for the weaknesses of the technical side of the documentary, three particular elements should be mentioned which are camera work, composition and editing. First of all, it can be noticed that sometimes the angle and place of shooting is chosen poorly or camera in hands of the operator is shaking and thus impeding the observation like in the case where pilgrims circling the Ka'aba are displayed. However, this can be understood since it must be difficult to do the shooting among millions of people and fix the camera in one place. Secondly, editing seems to be abrupt at times or too diffused which is quite unpleasant for the sight. Yet since the movie is old, for those times it seems to be on a high level. The best part in the whole documentary for me appears to be the emotionality. This is recognized in scenes like Hagar's desperate search of water illustrated in the first person and in sincere emotions of the cast or other people. Their tears of gratefulness for the God, encounter with such as a majesty and prayers for forgiveness are indeed heartwarming and touching. The way they admire the Hajj and express their views on it makes you wish to be there as well, to see the same scenes and experience the same feelings. As an illustration, when Fidelma cannot stop her tears while looking at the Ka'aba for the first time or when Ismail gets very emotional while communicating with God or when Khalil with his group of pilgrims blissfully feeds the poor - you start to feel the atmosphere of the movie that Anisa Mehdi tried to transmit.

All in all, Inside Mecca is another great documentary from National Geographic which focuses on the pilgrimage for Muslims - the Hajj - and experiences with it of three people - Fidelma, Ismail and Khalil - all from different parts of the world. Even though the shooting and editing of the film may not be appropriate compared with modern movie industry creations, for the year of 2003 and for the conditions in which the technical crew had to work explain the deficiencies in this area. What is more important seems to be what information and how it is presented in the documentary: it not only unveils the differences in perceptions and experiences of the Hajj by people from different countries and of different races, but also lets the viewers sense the affecting moods of pilgrims and the incredible aura of Mecca, which rightfully, as we saw, got its status of the most sacred place of Islam.

amateur jerky hand held camera distracting

[filmalamosa · 2/10 · 19 April 2012]

This film shows what a hajj entails to Mecca and its surroundings. If only the hand held camera had not been so jumpy, I found this distracting as I tried to focus on what was going on. Surely there are ways to reduce this!

The story such as it is follows 3 Moslems on their hajj. A white female Texan, a Black South African and a Malaysian businessman.

I learned a few things I didn't know but kept thinking how much more beautifully the movie could have been shot...it is amateurish with the jerky motions mentioned above, no unique camera angles, and no cinematography input of any note.

I guess in the spirit of the Hajj one should not criticize however... The topic gets a 10 this movie a 2...

One of the Greatest Spiritual Journeys in the World

[johena-sanyal · 8/10 · 30 May 2014]

What started off as just another class assignment, became a really informative, and fascinating movie, that I would recommend to all. The movie follows three completely different people, who have one thing in common: traveling to Mecca to fulfill hajj, one of the five pillars of Islam. The documentary provided the history of hajj, which was interesting since I didn't known much about it. However the focal point of the movie was not its history, but instead what hajj is like in the modern-day, this was shown when it described the many inconveniences that they endured traveling to Mecca. I particularly sympathized with the Daisy, who was white, and therefore got looks and was often questioned about being a 'real Muslim'.One aspect that I liked about the documentary was that it showed how the Hajj is a physical and spiritual journey. Each traveler, on top of the physical challenges was met with mental struggles. For example, both Fidelma and Khalil faced discrimination because of their ethnicity and gender even though everyone is meant to be equal before God.

The document taught me that Mecca is not simply going to visit the Kabba, but instead a much deeper spiritual journey that people join to strengthen and fasten their relationship with Allah. Furthermore, seeing how much emotion people feel when experiencing hajj and simply seeing the masses that travel from thousands of miles away from all of the world to attend was incredible and gives perspective to those like me, who know very little about Islam.

Movie review by Ayan Nurkesh

[ayannurkesh · 10/10 · 4 November 2018]

National Geographic documentary directed by Anisa Mehdi in 2003 shows the inside view on the Hajj, an annual Islamic pray ritual. Since the journey to Mecca is not affordable by all Muslims and restricted for participation by non-muslims, the movie has a great value for a wide audience. Over two million people come to see the Kaaba and have a chance to pray in the holy places, reaching the spiritual relief as well as a sense of accomplishment obligated by religion. Noteworthy to mention that a film was shooted from a view of three pilgrims Ismail Mahbob, Khalil Mandhlazi, and Fidelma O'Leary who lives in different parts of the world. This enables us to understand the challenges of the Hajj and eventually the meaning of the ritual better. Taking into consideration that even hurdles of three persons look difficult, the various issues of the two million brings an idea of the scale and importance of the event to the local Muslim society. Nevertheless, all pilgrims regardless of the struggles aim to finish seven circumambulations of the Kaaba for the conscious perception of the true brotherhood, equality of the people, and the reorganization of thoughts about life purpose according to the Islamic teachings. In the following review analysis of Ismail, Khalil, and Fidelma comments are going to be made. In addition, interpretations of some rituals based on the personal understanding of the material will be mentioned.

The unique experience of the Hajj is told by Fidelma or Dr. O'Leary, a professor at the university and the US citizen of European ethnic group. Grown by the Catholic family and living in a society with a majority being Christians leads to numerous difficulties for the new Muslim, including psychological pressure from the relatives. Starting from long away preparations of learning the right instructions of the Hajj in regular weekly meetings and ending with buying special clothes to fulfill the pilgrim requirements at the place. Interestingly, being a women traveling alone Fidelma needs a formal agreement from son. After arrival to Mecca, the optimistic mood and passion for spiritual satisfaction motivate her to use the advantages of the pray in a holy place. Eventually, regardless of the alienation feeling, she finds that other Muslims treat her respectfully not less than others and even be glad to know her by giving suggestions to continue the path. This helps Fidelma to finish the Hajj and safely return home.

The second story is about Khalil Mandhlazi, a preacher who explains the Islam during weekly radio broadcasts in a rural area of South Africa. Khalil being a religious person aims to visit Kaaba for the first time and this makes him nervous. This gives him an opportunity to attain spiritual needs and complete the fifth Islamic obligation. However, during traveling, he finds out that not all Muslims follow the sense of brotherhood regardless of origin, one of the main teachings of the religion. Moreover, Khalil tries to do more goods at the place by making donations for poor families at the mountains and for his surprise sees that nobody did the same before. Nevertheless, finally, Khalil finishes all rituals, "refreshes" the understanding of the true meanings of Islam in a sense (the main goal of Hajj), and leaves the Al-Haram mosque.

The last pilgrim, Mr. Ismail Mahbob, a Malaysian entrepreneur who travels with his wife. The financial success in the business, broker company environment, social circle, and certain habits makes the Hajj a challenging trip as the conditions of walk in a crowd differs from the ordinary life in Malaysia. However, being a Muslim Ismail with no doubts prepares for a long trip. One of the first requirements that he meets is the wearing simple two cloth to close the body parts. This unifies pilgrims by giving them a feeling of equality in front of Allah. In addition, it challenges the inside ego and the arrogance, the quality of special usefulness to wealthy people as Ismail. At the end of the Hajj, Ismail looks to attain the meaning of Islam as a religion of equality and understand the weakness of human being.

To conclude, the followers of the Islam annually performs the Hajj, a direction of daily prays, with common initial reason and leaves the Mecca being "a different" person after a giving thorough thoughts at the place to the certain personal problems/wishes. Probably the whole atmosphere in the Kaaba, a center of the universe, provides the opportunity for the pilgrims to gather "fresh" religious spirit according to the Muslims' believes. The movie demonstrated the values interpreted by Islam in terms of individual needs and shows that annual Hajj that is obligated to do once in a life (if affordable) is important and a central point of spiritual power for religious Muslims. We see that finally all characters fulfill the goals and return with a satisfaction regardless of long daily walks in a crowd under hot weather and other numerous physically uncomfortable conditions. The director, Anisa Mehdi, creatively shows the true meaning of individual rituals which I believe is of essential value to understand the Hajj for the common audience.

Movie Review

[nazgulsharipova · 8/10 · 19 April 2020]

This documentary by the National Geographic on Islam clearly demonstrates both the beauty of this religion and the challenges some of the followers face. The viewers can get acquainted with Islamic history and traditions while understanding their significance. Moreover, most importantly the documentary shows the significance of the city of Mecca, Ka'aba, and the Hajj which is a pilgrimage performed during the lifetime of the Muslims. In the beginning, we might see the elements of monotheism. As it was said, "Ka'aba symbolizes the worship of the one God, the God of Abraham". However, it is also mentioned that for many centuries this was a place that united not only Muslim people but also the believers of other Abrahamic religions. The film not only shows people's experience of getting to Ka'aba but the power behind it. The narrators, as well as the characters themselves, tell us the spirit of unity they feel in the sacred place. As said by Dr. Umar F. Abd-Allah this is the central place for the Muslim religion. Bowing and reading prayers can show how people's spirit is one with their body which are not separated in Qur'an (Rahman 12). As written by Berkey (60), Islam got influenced by several religions that existed before, including Abrahamic ones. For that reason, throughout the film, the viewer can hear the names of Abraham, who rebuilt Ka'aba, and Adam, who put a starting stone on it. These names take their start in Judaism and Christianity. We also notice the importance of the ruler in the religion when King Faisal enters Ka'aba and does the washing. The same also could be seen in Christianity in the Roman Empire as well as in Orthodox Christianity. For example, Ecumenical councils which were organized by Roman emperors. Another important point in the film is economic equality before God. As we could notice people were dressed in white attire, ihram, which lets all the people look the same and be equal, despite different economic and educational backgrounds. As said in Qur'an, a person should not be tied to his/her wealth (Rahman 27). Ismail, the executive from Malaysia, was taking only a few clothes to Mecca as his pilgrimage was not about material goods but spiritual salvation. It is also demonstrated that in Islam giving back to people is important. In the video, Khalil was bringing the food for those in need. According to Rahman (27), there is an existing tax in Islam called Zakat. It stands for sharing the wealth with the others who need it the most. It is important to do this not to please God but rather from sincere intentions. Due to the documentary, we understand the importance of pilgrimage. This is shown as every Muslims' mission that he/she should accomplish during the lifetime. In addition, according to Rahman (23), this can also be considered as one of the steps of practicing knowledge. Rahman says there are 3 types of knowledge in Islam, where the second stands for traveling around the globe, experiencing the world, and gaining the knowledge ourselves. Aside from the pilgrimage, people have exercised many different rituals that were originally performed by the Prophets during their lifetime as their repeated actions or actions they made that had significance in Islam. One of those, as we can see is ram cutting. As demonstrated in the video, the story behind is Abraham's burden to kill his son. He had doubts about whether to do it or not. However, when he finally decided on committing to that Gabriel replaced the son with the ram. This tradition is performed as a sacrifice of the people who come to Mecca. Another one represents circling Ka'aba 7 times which was once done by the Prophet Muhammad. However, on the negative side, the viewers see the challenges that people from non-Muslim countries might face. We saw that Fidelma came through some difficulties being white American. Her family could not accept her decision of convergence, which shows that religion plays an important role in one's life. It not only affects people's beliefs but their day to day life and habits as well. We can also consider a point that there might be a social stigma that does not associate white Americans with Muslim religion. This can be supported by the fact that Fidelma was the only Muslim she had known when she converted. In addition to the challenges confronted by her, it is also noticeable that both Khalil and Fidelma face some discomfort because of their skin color while their visit to Mecca. People would be asking where they are from pointing their non-typical Muslim appearances. As they were in the Holy place they had to handle their difficulties with calm. To sum up, the documentary does a good job of providing the viewers the insides of what happens during Hajj, showing the background history and rituals of Islam, while pointing out the diversity of people that follow it. Having watched it, I realized that Hajj was not only the journey people should go through but also an experience that allows them to obtain a sense of community. Besides educating the viewers, the documentary shows us how some of the Muslims can be treated unequally because of their background. It is also important to mention that the narrators were presenting this experience from the more or less neutral perspective, where they were not judging Islamic traditions through the prisms of other religions. I would definitely recommend watching it to the people interested in this topic.

Works Cited: Berkey, Jonathan. The Formation Of Islam. Cambridge University Press, 2012, pp. 57-75. Rahman, Fazlur. Major Themes Of The Qur'an. pp.12-44.