Technological Advances and Hajj Industry Research Paper

Exclusively available on IvyPanda Available only on IvyPanda
Updated: Mar 12th, 2024

Introduction

The modern world is greatly affected by the various advances that human thought has recently achieved in the spheres of science, technology, etc. The religious and spiritual lives of people are being substantially changed by these advances as they not only make people reassess their values but sometimes break people’s beliefs and life-long viewpoints (Stevenson, 2005).

We will write a custom essay on your topic a custom Research Paper on Technological Advances and Hajj Industry
808 writers online

The examples are human cloning which contradicts the religious idea of the divine creation of the human being, the invention of the Internet as a means of the destruction of the soul as many religious communities view it, etc. In the Muslim world special importance is attributed to the trips to the sacred city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia, which are called Hajj. Recently, the impact of modern technological advances has been rather high on the Hajj industry, and this paper aims at contrasting the past and the present levels of technological influence of Hajj.

Hajj and Modern Technology

Essence of Hajj

The essence of the Hajj for every Muslim is sacred. This trip is called the Great Pilgrimage to Mecca as every Muslim has to take it to prove his faith and loyalty to the prophet Muhammad and Allah himself: “One of the Five Pillars of Islam, the Hajj is required of all believers once in their lifetimes provided they are physically, mentally and financially able” (Long, 2007). Mecca is viewed as a sacred place for all Muslims as far as Muhammad was born there and the Qur’an was first revealed to him on this land. Therefore thousands of Hajjis take up the Pilgrimage to honor their prophet.

The constantly growing population of the world provides for the increase of Hajjis that attend Mecca annually, and the Government of Saudi Arabia has to take steps to provide millions of people with housing, food, water, etc.

Recent Technological Advances Related

Thus, the first major technological advance that has changed Hajj of today is the systemic and comprehensive approach to the issue taken by the Saudi authorities. They organize certain transportation technologies to allow as much Hajji as possible to attend the Haram Mosque in the respective time: “To accommodate overland transportation at the Hajj, the Saudi government has constructed hundreds of miles of all-weather, four-lane highways, particularly between Arafat and Mina” (Long, 2007).

Special Hajj Ministry is established in Saudi Arabia to deal with all the Hajj organizational issues, as well as the Private and Public Hajj services committee. As well, for the safety of Hajji the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has bought a number of Nurizon Corporation produced police vehicles “fitted with technologies ranging from Mobile CCTV – Video and Audio Surveillance Systems, Automated Licence Plate Recognition (ANPR and MLPR), Mobile Data, Satellite Vehicle Location (AVLS), Vehicle Navigation and Guidance, Mobile Data Terminals (MDT), and Transflective In-Vehicle Touch screens” (M&RB, 2008). All these technological advances, however, seem to have little conflict with the purely religious side of Hajj.

Relation between the Religious and Technological Aspects of Hajj

First of all, it is necessary to state that Hajj is the most important religious event in the life of every Muslim. Therefore, the organization of this event takes much time and effort from every person, and the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, understanding this fact, takes numerous measures to accommodate the needs of the Hajjis with the considerations of economic, political, and social aspects of Hajj through the use of modern technologies.

1 hour!
The minimum time our certified writers need to deliver a 100% original paper

For example, the expansion of the central Mosques in Mecca is a step to meet the religious needs of Muslims: “The Haram Mosque can now comfortably accommodate a million worshipers, and during the Hajj, twice that number pack into it. There are also two new levels to increase capacity for performing the Say. The Prophet’s Mosque in al-Madinah has also been expanded, although the crowds are smaller there during the Hajj.10 In Mina, the space for throwing stones at the three Jamras has been increased to three tiers” (Long, 2007).

These measures carried out with the help of modern construction technology and monitored with the most updated mobile connection ideas serve the purposes of both the settling of the conflict between the social and religious sides of Hajj, and ensure the safety of Hajjis. In the past, thousands of people die in the crowds in Mecca, and the aforesaid technological advances allow the Government of Saudi Arabia at least to hope for improvements in this situation.

Conclusions

To conclude, in the Muslim world special importance is attributed to the trips to the sacred city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia, which are called Hajj. Recently, the impact of modern technological advances has been rather high on the Hajj industry, and this paper has managed to contrast the past and the present levels of technological influence of Hajj. Although often protested against by religious communities, the technological advances help to make the Hajj a more massive and safe event that allows the Muslims from all over the world to honor their prophet Muhammad.

References

Long, D. E. (2007). The Hajj and Its Impact on Saudi Arabia and the Muslim World. Retrieved June 6, 2009, from Saudi-American Forum. Web.

M&RB. (2008). Hajj pilgrims witness hi-tech mobile intelligent policing from Nurizon Corporation. Retrieved June 6, 2009, from Sourcesecurity. Web.

Stevenson, W. J. (2005). Operations Management, Eighth Edition, McGraw-Hill Irwin Publishing.

Print
Need an custom research paper on Technological Advances and Hajj Industry written from scratch by a professional specifically for you?
808 writers online
Cite This paper
Select a referencing style:

Reference

IvyPanda. (2024, March 12). Technological Advances and Hajj Industry. https://ivypanda.com/essays/technological-advances-and-hajj-industry/

Work Cited

"Technological Advances and Hajj Industry." IvyPanda, 12 Mar. 2024, ivypanda.com/essays/technological-advances-and-hajj-industry/.

References

IvyPanda. (2024) 'Technological Advances and Hajj Industry'. 12 March.

References

IvyPanda. 2024. "Technological Advances and Hajj Industry." March 12, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/technological-advances-and-hajj-industry/.

1. IvyPanda. "Technological Advances and Hajj Industry." March 12, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/technological-advances-and-hajj-industry/.


Bibliography


IvyPanda. "Technological Advances and Hajj Industry." March 12, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/technological-advances-and-hajj-industry/.

Powered by CiteTotal, automatic citation maker
If you are the copyright owner of this paper and no longer wish to have your work published on IvyPanda. Request the removal
More related papers
Cite
Print
1 / 1