the black stone

I'm in the middle of reading Angels and Demons, the book which comes before The Da Vinci Code, [2] but is by the same author. Both books feature Robert Langdon, a Harvard professor with an extensive knowledge of art and secret societies through European history.

The story of Angels and Demons involves a complex plot to attack the Vatican, among other things, as a way to attack the Catholic Church and religion in general.

The thought had crossed my mind before, but especially in the wake of Tancredo's remarks, reading the above made me wonder what would happen if the US or some other group actually DID nuke Mecca. What would the implications be?

What happened to Judaism when the Temple was destroyed? The first time? The second time? The third time? If someone nuked Mecca how would it affect the faith of Muslims?

What is interesting, but which I wish I understood better and knew more about, is that in the past there have been other groups which have made attacks on the Kabba and the stone with mixed results.

VERY brief timeline of the Black Stone

The most extreme example which I know of is how apparently a group called the Caramathians (sometimes written Qaramathians) had actually stolen the Black Stone from the Kabba and kept it for about 22 years.

In 317/929, the Qarmatians had spread down in Hijaz, and flooded Mecca and Kaba with the blood of pilgrims under the command of Abu Tahir. They made it a scene of fire, blood and repine for 17 days. It must be known that the Qarmatians had been severely and rigorously condemned by the Fatimids for not complying with the pact and reached late at the Egyptian border. In reprisal, the Qarmatians moved to discredit the Fatimids and recited the Fatimid khutba in place of the Abbasid in Hijaz during their horrible operations, so as to misguide the Muslims that their barbarian operations were directed by the Fatimids. The Qarmatians choked up the sacred spring of Zamzam, the door of the Kaba was broken open, the veil covering the Kaba was torn down, and the sacred Black Stone was removed from the Kaba and taken to their headquarters at Hajar. (source)

Eventually (obviously) the stone was returned, but I wonder what people did in the meantime? How did it feel? Did people even go on hajj during that time?

What would happen if an attack like that were repeated? How much of our faith is tied up in buildings and tombs and relics and how much is tied up in more intangible realities? That's actually a tricky question to answer. There is something to be said for sacred places, for physical ritual, for things you can put your hands on. They help nurture and support our faith. Obviously if we loose those things, there would be a real loss. But on the "other hand" there is also something more, which can outlast any building.