Tintin Forums

In Red Sea Sharks, we know Tintin, or rather Haddock who found them in the hold, they found slaves.

They claim that they are muslims heading towards Mecca or Mekkah to visit the tomb of the prophet. Actually, they visit the tomb of Muhammad in Medina, not Mekkah. They also visit the Zam Zam Well, Mina, Arafah and The claimed 'house of Allah' or Kabbah in Masjidil Al-Haram in Mecca. The season for this? During the month of Zulhijrah.

Now, here's the facts of the Haji.

The Muslims will leave for Mecca and usually, it takes more than a month by boat to Jeddah, the port of call for all muslims. Nowadays, they use airplanes to reach either Medina or Jidda. An average of 1-2 million people will visit Mecca each season, this could result in stampedes. An average of 1000-2000 people died during the Haj of health problems or sudden death. They will visit Arafah first and head down to Zuldalifah to collect stones that comes in handy at Mina. They will head towards Mina and throw the stones they collected at Zuljalifah and throw towards the three concrete pillars that represents the devil. They will move to Zam-Zam Well and then to Mecca. They will visit Masjidil Al-Haram and The Kabbah.

The Kabbah

The Kabbah is claimed 'House of Allah' and they face towards the Kabbah everytime they pray. Well, how do we know where to face the Kabbah even we are 40,000 miles away? We use an Islamic Compass and when it shows the exact location or direction of The Kabbah, we put it away and face that direction. Actually, during some scenes, The Thomsons interrupted Muslim Prayers almost each time they are in Arabia. Well, we all know it.

The Prophet's Tomb
The Muslim visit their prophet's tomb in Medina. It is located inside Masjid Nabawi, Medina. It was the first major mosque that was built although the first mosque was built in Quba'. There, the prophet Muhammad delivers sermons, prays, get his commandments from Allah and the City's place for discussion of current affairs and external threats from the Quraisy.

Well, there's the rap-up. Well, how do I know? Guess What? I am a native Singaporean Malay and Malays main religion was Islam. I'm a Muslim, OK.

tintinspartan
There, the prophet Muhammad delivers semens

I think Sermons may be more appropriate in this situation, tintinspartan :-)

tintinspartan
[The Muslims] will move to Zam-Zam Well and then to Mecca. They will visit Masjidil Al-Haram and The Kabbah.

Can non-Muslims visit some of the places you mentioned, or can they just go to Mecca?

yamilah
Can non-Muslims visit some of the places you mentioned, or can they just go to Mecca?
I was under the impression that non-Muslims couldn’t visit Mecca (although I think they make exceptions for accredited journalists, diplomats and blood-reletives of Muslim visitors). Sir Richard Burton (the explorer not the actor, and also a non-Muslim) famously made a trip there under disguise of course, but it would seem to be more than a little impolite and disrespectful to do so.

jock123
I was under the impression that non-Muslims couldn’t visit Mecca (although I think they make exceptions for accredited journalists, diplomats and blood-reletives of Muslim visitors).
Is Tintin accredited etc, when he plans to go to Mecca in Red Sea Sharks (p.31-D4), before he has to change his mind because of the slave trade of Black Muslims he discovers in the area?


[Burton made a trip there under disguise], but it would seem to be more than a little impolite and disrespectful to do so.
Would Tintin go to Mecca stealthily and thus take the risk -among others- to be impolite and disrespectful?

yamilah
Is Tintin accredited etc, when he plans to go to Mecca in Red Sea Sharks
Presumably he is a journalist in good standing; he may also have diplomatic status - Alan Whicker, the British travel journalist has (or did, don’t know whether he still has it) a diplomatic passport. Maybe the Belgian Government accorded Tintin that facility.

Maybe Tintin's best 'diplomatic' pass-port to Mecca is more down-to-earth, and he is indeed a 'Muslim' -as well as all the remainder?

Well, I'm not sure but Tintin could visit Mecca but not all religous sites as a special ceremony has to be done before they enter a religous site like Masjid Nabawi and Masjidil Al-Haram. Well, Tintin could go to the desert to visit dates markets and visit an Arabian chocolate maker. I swear their chocolates are delicious especially chocalate dates. I tried some Arabian-made choclates brought back by my grandparents, who completed the Haji just this Year(2006-2007 Season) and they made quite exotic ones. Well, some of thier flavours are camel milk, skimmed milk and dates flavour. These are home-made! I wonder wheter Tintin is a sweet tooth.

tintinspartan
Tintin could visit Mecca

Unless he's cryptically 'accredited', or a cheater, or more simply just a Muslim, I don't think Tintin could really enter Mecca...

see road signs near Mecca on http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/06/Christian_Bypass.jpg image

By the way, can you confirm 'Islam' means submission to the Creator?

Well, Ok. I think Tintin could visit Jeddah but can he still visit Medina? Better ask my grandma.

By the way, Yamillah, Islam believes of one true 'Allah' and they need to say two arabic lines of Swearing that Allah is the one, only god and Muhhamad is his messenger.

Well, it's sort off swearing or submission. A huge History lesson for all of us.

P.S: Are you a muslim, Yamilah?