The Muslim's Mecca is "Las Vegas in the Desert"!

Paul notes that much of the Qur'an is based on Biblical Themes, including Characters, Stories, Theological ideas, Laws and even the turn of phrases. So, he asks, why are we so surprised that the sacred place of Islam (the Masjid al-Haram) is also borrowed from the Bible, this time from Jerusalem itself? Muslims claim that Adam and Eve and Abraham, as well as the 19 Biblical Prophets listed in the Qur'an were located in the Hijaz of Arabia (where Mecca and Medina are found). But this would be almost impossible because so many of the artifacts which are found in our museums around the world (i.e. the British Museum, as well as museums in Paris, Berlin, Cairo and Mosul) all have murals, stellas, obelisks, tablets and buildings which identify Biblical places, peoples and events found in the Bible, whereas we can't find anything which supports Mecca prior to the Ottoman period. It's almost as if the Muslims have taken what was previously in Jerusalem and rebuilt them in more recent times to fit that which was earlier 1,000 miles further north. Mel, a fellow colleague, referred to this attempt by Muslims in the last 1400 years to recreate in the deserts of central Arabia that which was further north in Jerusalem as a sort of Las Vegas in the desert, suggesting that anyone can build what they like in a desert, just as they have done in Las Vegas, Nevada. But, just as we know that the Eiffel tower, as well as the Pyramids or the Statue of Liberty are not in Las Vegas, so are we likewise convinced that the Masjid al-Haram (the Holy of Holies) is also not really in Mecca, but is simply an imitation of that which was previously in Jerusalem. © Pfander Centre for Apologetics - US, 2021 (55,860) Music: 'Reaching the Sky', by Alexander Nakarada, from filmmusic-io