Sheikh Mohamed El-Moctar El-Shinqiti, Director of the Islamic Center of South Plains,Lubbock, Texas, states: “Such journey to Makkah from a non-muslim will not be considered `umrah, but it is an exploratory trip to learn about Islam. There is no harm to undertake such a trip for this purpose. I myself do not agree with those who say that only Muslims can enter the Haram (the Sacred Mosque in Makkah), because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to interact with non-Muslims on daily basis in both Makkah and Madinah and inside the Haram itself.”