Will the Muslim world rise up to defend its holy sites?

OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PHOTO)

On the anniversary of the fire at the sacred Al-Aqsa Mosque, extremist Israeli minister Itamar Ben Gvir announced his request to establish a Jewish synagogue on the grounds of the mosque, claiming that this is necessary to create a balance between the rights of Muslims and Jews at the holy site.

The danger of Ben Gvir’s statement lies in its timing in the midst of an ongoing bloody conflict in Palestine, now in its 11th month, with a complete absence of Arab and Muslim support for the Palestinian cause. This raises questions about what actions the governments of these countries and their elites might take to respond to such a serious proposal.

Al-Azhar calls on Islamic governments to take action
Cairo-based Al-Azhar strongly condemned the comments, describing them as “extremist and provocative” and coming from a “radical Zionist” official who supported the establishment of a Jewish synagogue in the Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Al-Azhar stressed that such incitement can only come from an extremist mentality that has no respect for other religions, holy places or international laws and agreements, and recognizes only the law of the jungle, cruelty and crime.

It reminded the world that the Al-Aqsa Mosque has always been and will remain purely Islamic in all its courtyards and precincts – a historic right for Muslims. It is the first of the two Qiblas (directions of prayer) and the third holiest site in Islam, and will remain so despite the criminal plans of the Zionists to Judaize its historic sites and the city of Jerusalem.

Al-Azhar called on Islamic governments to take serious and firm stances against these irresponsible and repeated statements by this Zionist figure and other extremists who habitually storm the Al-Aqsa Mosque, incite violence and commit terrorism against innocent Palestinians. It urged them to put an end to such criminal statements and terrorist practices by officials of this extremist occupation entity.

Hamas calls for mobilization
Hamas, the Islamic Resistance Movement, stated that the “Judaization and control of Al-Aqsa” is the goal of Benjamin Netanyahu’s extremist government. The Movement stated that the recent revelation by Ben Gvir about his intention to build a Jewish synagogue in the Al-Aqsa Mosque represents a dangerous statement that reflects the true intentions of the Israeli government towards Al-Aqsa and its Arab and Islamic identity, and its criminal moves aimed at Judaizing it and exerting control over it.

In a press release, Hamas stressed that “the unprecedented crimes committed by the fascist occupation in the Gaza Strip, its widespread violations in the West Bank and the actions of its extremist ministers to carry out their evil plans in Jerusalem and the Al-Aqsa Mosque, including daily desecration, storming and conducting provocative tours, only add fuel to the fire and will only be met with greater resistance from our people to protect our holy sites.”

The Movement called on the Palestinian people in the West Bank and the occupied territories to rise up and gather in Al-Aqsa, to defend it and to oppose the plans of the occupation. It also called on the brave resistance and rebellious youth in the occupied West Bank to intensify their confrontations with the criminal enemy and its settler gangs.

Hamas added that the Arab and Islamic countries – governments, peoples and organizations, especially the Organization of Islamic Cooperation – are called upon today to fulfill their responsibilities, take a firm stand against the occupation plans, the blatant attacks on the first of the two Qiblas and the third of the holy places, and to work by all means to stop this brutal aggression against the Palestinian people and to protect our Islamic and Christian holy places, especially the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Meanwhile, Sheikh Ekrima Sabri, imam and preacher of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, stated that Ben Gvir’s claims that Jews have a right to Al-Aqsa are baseless. He claimed that Ben Gvir has failed in his plans and that he is now trying to provoke the situation to show that he is taking action.

In a statement to Al Jazeera, Sheikh Sabri held the government to which Ben Gvir belongs responsible for his remarks. He stressed Al-Aqsa’s Islamic identity and warned against any attempt to approach the government.

Imposing new realities
Researcher and specialist in Jerusalem affairs Fakhri Abu Diab believes that Ben Gvir’s statements are aimed at imposing a new reality of Judaization on the Al-Aqsa Mosque, which could lead to a significant escalation.

Speaking to Al-Quds TV, Abu Diab noted that Ben Gvir, supported by so-called Temple groups and synagogue organizations, is testing the reactions at the Jerusalem, Palestinian and broader regional levels. He expects Ben Gvir to try to achieve his goals soon, knowing that he may not get another chance if he is not part of the next Israeli government. He called on the Palestinian people to mobilize for Al-Aqsa and maintain a presence to protect it.

A shameless challenge
Dr. Mustafa Barghouti, Secretary-General of the Palestinian National Initiative, said that Ben Gvir’s statements about the Al-Aqsa Mosque are a blatant challenge to all values ​​and to all Arab and Islamic governments and peoples.

Barghouti told SANA news agency that Netanyahu’s silence on these statements and his refusal to dismiss Ben Gvir confirm that the Judaization plans targeting Al-Aqsa and Jerusalem are official Israeli government policy.

Sedition and terrorism
In a joint statement, the Council of Islamic Endowments, the Supreme Islamic Council, the Palestinian Fatwa House, the Office of the Chief Justice and the Jerusalem Endowment and Al-Aqsa Mosque Affairs Office condemned the “scandalous actions and blatant statements” of Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir regarding the Al-Aqsa Mosque, including his latest ominous call to build a Jewish synagogue in the mosque.

Islamic authorities in Jerusalem saw this escalation as unprecedented incitement and terrorism in the context of a politically and religiously extremist Jewish movement that wanted to occupy and Judaize the Al-Aqsa Mosque, one of the three holiest sites in Islam.

They held the international community, and in particular the official Islamic nation, responsible for the recent violations of the Al-Aqsa Mosque. These violations are the result of the negligence and failure of Islamic countries to fulfill their duty to protect and save the first Qibla and the place of ascension of the Prophet Muhammad from the increasing desecration and Judaization by the Israeli occupation government. This government protects extremist Jewish fanatics who show no respect for the sanctity of Al-Aqsa and ignore the feelings of two billion Muslims.

The Islamic institutions and authorities in Jerusalem call upon all Muslims, Christians and free people in the world to fulfill their duty and protect the Al-Aqsa Mosque to the best of their ability. It will remain a mosque exclusively for Muslims, covering 144 dunams, both above and below ground. It has been so since ancient times and will remain so, God willing, under the exclusive management of the Jerusalem Islamic Endowments and under the tutelage of King Abdullah II of Jordan.