Nabil Al-Nasri, a Frenchman of Moroccan origin, who went to Mecca for pilgrimage from France, wants to both experience the traditional pilgrimage of Muslims in the past and draw attention to global warming.
41-year-old writer Nabil Al-Nasri, who wanted to draw attention to global warming and to keep Muslims alive on the month-long pilgrimage in history, decided to go to Mecca by bicycle.
Departing from France on April 22, Ennasri left 10 countries behind and reached Turkey. Al-Nasri, who stays in the caravan used by his friends who follow him at night, shares his experiences on the road with his followers on his social media accounts.
ATTENTION TO GLOBAL WARMING
Al-Nasri told AA correspondent that he has traveled 2 thousand 850 kilometers since April 22.
Explaining the starting point of the idea of going to the pilgrimage by bicycle, "I wanted to warn people about global warming and the health of our world. We have to respect nature and the environment. It is important to explain this to Muslims," Al-Nasri said.
Al-Nasri stated that he will go to Antalya by bicycle via Istanbul, and that he will go to Jordan by plane and continue on the road by bicycle.
"IT IS EXCITING TO BE IN EDİRNE"
Expressing that it is exciting to be in Edirne, Al-Nasri said, "As a child, I was interested in the history of the Ottoman Empire. It is important for me to be here because this is the city where Fatih Sultan Mehmet was born. He's a known name. Selimiye Mosque is one of the important works in Islamic history. It is important to live this moment and remember what happened in this region in history. The Ottoman Empire also played an important role in Islamic history."
Reminding that Muslims reached Mecca after a journey that took months, Al-Nasri drew attention to the importance of this.
"This was not so 200 years ago, but 50 years ago. Some of my family also went on foot. This took maybe months or years. Some died during the journey. When I remember these moments, I find strength in myself. You feel better about pilgrimage when you go on a bike ride that takes weeks instead of a few hours by plane," Al-Nasri added.
"GLOBAL WARMING IS THE BIGGEST PROBLEM"
Al-Nasri stated that he would pray for his family, friends, Muslims and people he met on the way at the Kaaba.
Stating that his most important aim is to explain the dimensions of global warming to Muslims, Al-Nasri said, "Global warming is a big problem facing our generation. It is important for me to protect nature and our world and to explain this to the Muslim community. I think there is a misunderstanding about global warming. People don't understand what it is. Explaining global warming is my first goal, it is very important for our children and future generations. My second goal is to go to Mecca by reviving the old tradition, to revive this tradition by bicycle. When you go to Mecca by horse, on foot or by bike, you do not feel the emotions of going by plane in a few hours. You know yourself better."