Makkah -- not "Mecca"!

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Makkah -- not "Mecca"!
jannah
04/13/01 at 00:23:28
This was interesting...


Makkah -- not "Mecca"!
Abu Atiyyah, South Africa

The holiest city for the Muslims is Makkah-tul-Mukarramah. It is not "Mecca". Saudi Arabia had officially changed the spelling of the name of this city to "Makkah" a few years ago after realizing the derogatory usage of the word by the Western media and Western authors. And that is the way it should be. We do not like it if our own name is misspelled or mispronounced. How can we then allow it when the same is done to any of our most important icons?

Unfortunately many people, even some Muslims are still careless about it. It is increasingly being observed with a degree of concern that all kinds of businesses are (mis-)using the name "Mecca". "Motor-Mecca", "The Mecca Group", etc. It should be respectfully pointed out to such persons that the usage of the word "Mecca" to name their businesses is offensive. A billion and a half Muslims the world over, hold this holy city in the highest regard and veneration. To desecrate the name of this holy city by abusing it in this fashion is not acceptable.

Recently, The British Rank Corporation, which owns a chain of gambling and entertainment shops under the name of "Mecca", removed the name from its shop fronts as a result of protests from British Muslims. Muslims of Luton in the UK had protested against the defamatory use of the name of this holy city.

In most cases it is done out of ignorance, not deliberately. If pointed out politely but firmly, most companies respond favorably by changing the name.

Muslims should also be encouraged to adopt the proper spelling of Makkah, rather than the old, incorrect "mecca" version. Madinah should rather be spelled as Madinah than being spelled as "medina". Principals and educators of educational institutions such as Madrasahs, Islamic Schools, academies, Muslim writers, authors, researchers, scholars are to be encouraged to use the correct spelling.

Muslims have a duty to be vigilant and decisive in acting against anything that may be deemed sacrilegious, blasphemous or disrespectful to Islam or Muslims, all over the world. Every town, city, province, country should have a dedicated and committed group of people to fulfil this important "watch-dog" role for the sake of the Ummah and Islam.

Fe'Aman'Ullah
Re: Makkah -- not "Mecca"!
Arsalan
04/15/01 at 19:40:52
[slm]

Strange post, methinks.

I thought there was no "correct" or "incorrect" spelling for proper nouns!?!

I know Arsalan's, and Arslan's, and even Aslan's!  

I know Muhammad's, and Mohammed's, and Mohammad's, and Muhammed's, and even Mahomet's!

I *personally* would actually prefer this spelling of the Holy City:

Mekkah!

*I* think it's closer to the original pronounciation.

And you may indeed differ!  Because, afterall, it's a proper noun :)

Just my 2 cents.

Wassalamu alaikum.
Re: Makkah -- not "Mecca"!
jannah
04/15/01 at 19:54:18
wlm,

agreed arsalan.. it's all one's method of transliteration because makkah is in a different language.. if we were using our transliteration chart it would be Makka(t)!

Re: Makkah -- not "Mecca"!
se7en
04/15/01 at 19:56:32
wait a minute... I remember someone getting upset when their name was pronounced "arslana"
Re: Makkah -- not "Mecca"!
Saleema
04/16/01 at 08:52:14
assalam ualykum,

"arslana"

LOL  :)

wassalam
Re: Makkah -- not "Mecca"!
Basel
05/22/01 at 07:58:25
assalamu alaikum

The correct bronounce of the holy city is Makkah, not Mekkah.

Salam.
Re: Makkah -- not "Mecca"!
humble_muslim
05/22/01 at 13:05:06
AA

Actually, in the UK there is an entertainment company called Mecca.
NS
Re: Makkah -- not "Mecca"!
chachi
05/22/01 at 18:12:04

humble..*s*..the entertainment is owned by rank and it's called mecca
leisure

i think the issue is one of usage not of spelling. mecca is now identified as a place of mass gathering of humanity...so people use mecca to describe a gathering...

basically i think the spelling should be kept since at least people are familiar with the word mecca..i suspect the house of saud are up to their usual tricks of divorcing muslims from their past..as they've done by destroying the building built by the khilaafa's ...and replacing them with bricks of blood and pain


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