Saudis consider demolishing Prophet Mohammad’s tomb

A leading Saudi academic put forward the proposal as part of a consultation document which has been circulated among the supervisors of al-Masjid al-Nabawi mosque in the holy city of Medina, where the remains of the Prophet are laid to rest under the Green Dome, visited by millions of pilgrims and regarded as Islam’s second-holiest site, the UK's Independent newspaper reported on Monday.
 
Based on the 61-page document, the Prophet Mohammad’s body could be moved to the nearby al-Baqi cemetery to be buried anonymously.
 
Several pages of the consultation document which have just been published urge the destruction of the rooms surrounding the tomb – used by the Prophet’s family members. The document also seeks the removal of the Green Dome, which covers the tomb and these living quarters, and the ultimate removal of the Prophet’s body to the nearby cemetery.
 
“The Prophet would be anonymous,” Dr Irfan al-Alawi, director of the Islamic Heritage Research Foundation, said, adding, “Everything around the Prophet’s mosque has already been destroyed. It is surrounded by bulldozers. Once they’ve removed everything they can move towards the mosque.”
 
“I’m sure there will be shock across the Muslim world at these revelations. It will cause outrage.”
 
So far there has been no suggestion that any decision has been taken to act upon the plans.