Amsterdam museum calls for Mecca-selfies despite ban

On Monday the Tropenmuseum in Amsterdam called on people who make the Hajj, the pilgrimage, to Mecca to take selfies of their trip for a new exhibition, despite the fact that the Saudi authorities banned taking photos and selfies at religious and spiritual places in the country last year, AT5 reports.

The photo ban also applies to the Masjid al-Haram mosque, which is known as a pilgrimage site during Hajj.

The Tropenmuseum wants selfies and photos taken during Hajj to form part of its exhibition 'Verlangen naar Mecca' in February next year. The museum told AT5 that it is aware of the photo ban in Mecca. "We spoke with Muslims in the Netherlands and they let us know that taking selfies has become part of the pilgrimage. So we knew of the ban when we made the call", a spokesperson said.

Those who take photos in Mecca risk their devices being confiscated.