Journalist Gil Tamary on Israeli television narrating his July 18 visit to Mount Arafat near Mecca. |
Imagine that, on conquering Jerusalem in 1967, Israel’s government blocked non-Jews from visiting the Temple Mount. Then imagine that a Saudi Muslim sneaked onto the mount, claiming to be a Jewish American, and broadcast his visit on Saudi television. He would surely find global support for defying Israel’s “apartheid” regime.
That’s roughly what happened in reverse on July 18 when Gil Tamary—a Jewish Israeli television journalist who holds a U.S. passport—broadcast himself on Israeli television cruising around Mecca, the most sacred city of Islam, which is forbidden to non-Muslims. The 10-minute program featured Mr. Tamary’s driving by the Great Mosque, passing through Mina, a site on the annual pilgrimage, and climbing Mount Arafat.
Mr. Tamary’s employer, Channel 13, celebrated the visit as “an important journalistic accomplishment.” The response elsewhere has been fiercely critical, and not only among Muslims. The Saudi authorities led the pack, referring Mr. Tamary to the public prosecutor for criminal offense. Pro-Israel Saudi blogger Mohammed Saud castigated Mr. Tamary for having “hurt the religion of Islam.” Israel’s regional cooperation minister deemed it “a stupid thing to do"; an unnamed senior U.S. official described it as “really reckless and disrespectful"; and Times of London columnist Melanie Phillips, author of “Londonistan: How Britain Is Creating a Terror State Within” (2006), wrote that she found it “hard to overstate the stupidity, arrogance and irresponsibility” of Mr. Tamary’s visit.
Mr. Tamary pleaded for forgiveness. “If anyone takes offense to this video, I deeply apologize,” he tweeted in English. “The purpose of this entire endeavor was to showcase the importance of Mecca and the beauty of the religion, and in doing so foster more religious tolerance and inclusion.”
Though the condemnation—and the apology—were predictable, both are misguided. Yes, Mr. Tamary’s visit could inspire jihadist violence against Jews and the Jewish state. Yes, it could disrupt the cautious, semisecret and important dance that’s paving the way to an Israeli-Saudi entente. Yes, it could hamper the modernization efforts initiated by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Each of these things could happen—but any damage caused by his adventure is likely to be minimal.
Consider instead its extraordinarily positive potential. Mr. Tamary joined the small group of non-Muslims who, since Islam’s founding 1,400 years ago, have defied the exclusion of infidels from its holy precincts. In 1951 the Lebanese-American historian Philip Hitti wrote that “no more than fifteen Christian-born Europeans have thus far succeeded in seeing the two holy cities"—Mecca and Medina—"and escaping with their lives.”
In the 70-plus years since Hitti wrote, we know of only three cases of non-Muslims surreptitiously entering Mecca. In 2007 Nirosh Kamanda, a Christian truck driver from Sri Lanka, slipped into the city to sell goods near the Great Mosque. In 2015 the pseudonymous Hajji Mustafa, a British Christian Arabist, published an account of his undercover journey on the annual pilgrimage, which he found to be “a remarkable spiritual and social journey.” Mr. Tamary now joins their ranks, after he boldly challenged an archaic status quo that the world unthinkingly accepts. Bravo to him for breaking a taboo.
Mr. Tamary isn’t the only one deserving respect; his Saudi driver is, too. He is presumably the person the Saudi police tracked down, arrested and accused of being “complicit in transferring and facilitating the entry” of a non-Muslim, declaring that “any violation of this kind is considered a crime that will not be tolerated and penalties will be applied.”
The policy of exclusion isn’t merely unjust; it’s also not mandated by Islam. The Koran, at 9:28, bans only polytheists from the Great Mosque—it doesn’t prohibit every non-Muslim from visiting Mecca. As part of his sweeping reforms, Crown Prince Mohammed should open the city of Mecca, its surrounding and Medina to all comers. The mosques may remain exclusive to Muslims, but everything else should be accessible. International and nongovernmental organizations should pressure him to terminate his country’s discriminatory laws.
Mr. Tamary took a chance, initiated a discussion and potentially made a historic difference. He deserves respect, not condemnation.
Daniel Pipes is president of the Middle East Forum.
