Bride barred from entering Makkah’s Grand Mosque

Manama: An Arab woman was denied entry to the Grand Mosque in Makkah because she was wearing a wedding dress.

The bride and her groom reportedly approached the mosque home to the Kaabah towards which Muslims throughout the world pray, but was stopped by the guards who explained to the couple that wedding dresses could not be allowed on the highly spiritual premises and that the sanctity of the place must be respected.

The woman was given an appropriate cover all and a head veil to allow her to enter the mosque in line with the modesty dress code for the haram” considered by Muslims as the holiest in the world, Saudi news site Sabq reported on Friday.

Online users expressed shock over the bride’s request and said that she should be more respectful of the rules regarding the sanctity of the mosque.

It was not the first time that the guards had to deal with odd attempts to enter the Grand Mosque without adhering to the rules.

Earlier, a man pleaded to be allowed to carry his bicycle inside, arguing that he was concerned it would be stolen if he left it outside.

The guards explained to him that it was not possible to take the bike inside and he had to go away.