KUALA LUMPUR: Mosque leaders worldwide are being urged to unite in resistance against Israeli settlers’ aggression against the Ibrahimi and Al-Aqsa Mosques in Hebron and Baitul Maqdis, respectively.
This follows Israeli settlers’ raids on the two holy sites on the Jewish holy day of Yom Kippur on Oct 8.
Hundreds of Israeli Jewish settlers raided the two mosques, Wafa news agency reported.
Israel’s Agriculture Minister Uri Ariel and Jewish Rabbi Yehuda Glick led the Jewish settlers to Al-Aqsa Mosque and performed Talmudic rituals.
In Hebron, Israeli occupation forces prevented the Palestinians from entering the Ibrahimi Mosque to allow the thousands of settlers who raided the Muslim holy site.
“We condemn the settler raids of Islamic sites which have been on the increase over the past few years with Palestinians warning that Israel was planning to spatially and temporally split Al-Aqsa Mosque to allow constant Jewish access to the site”, said a joint statement.
Issued by Malaysian Consultative Council of Islamic Organisation (Mapim) president Mohd Azmi Abdul Hamid, Alliance of World Mosque in Defence of Al Aqsa (Manar) chair Datuk Seri Ahmad Awang and Assembly of Ulama Asia (Shura) chair secretariate Datuk Wira Abdul Ghani Samsuddin.
The Ibrahimi Mosque was split into a synagogue – known to Jews as the Cave of Patriarchs — after United States-born Israeli settler Baruch Goldstein massacred 29 Palestinians inside the mosque in 1994.
The Israeli occupation forces “expropriated” large areas of the Ibrahimi Mosque following the incident.
“Again, hundreds of Jewish settlers recently stormed into Ibrahimi Mosque in the West Bank city of Hebron to celebrate the Chayevi Sarah Jewish holiday.
“We call all mosque leaders worldwide to organise rallies to condemn the Jewish settlers for their aggressions.
“All Muslims should be assembled in every mosque to be exposed to the current situation in Hebron and Baitul Maqdis,” the Muslim leaders said in the statement.
The trio said Muslims must realise that the current situation at both mosques was extremely dangerous.
“Not a day goes without incidents of home demolitions, land confiscations, the abduction of youngsters in the night or attacks on their holy places”, they said.
The United Nations (UN) Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (Ocha) report showed that in the period between Oct 1 and 14, two Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces, 509 were injured, 12 Palestinian structures were demolished, and 191 “search and arrest” operations were carried out in the occupied West Bank.
Unesco had called for the aggression by the settlers to stop but to no avail, said the statement.
“The division of the Ibrahimi Mosque was a unilateral act by Israel, which also regularly bans the Muslim call for prayer, following complaints from illegal settlers that it disturbs them. On average, Israel bans the call around 50 times per month.
“Israel controls access to the mosque through checkpoints that also restrict the movement of Palestinians between the different parts of the city and allows the settlers to terrorise the indigenous population at will,” the Muslim leaders said in the statement.
“Muslims must realise that the Israeli occupation authorities have essentially used the Ibrahimi Mosque as a test bed for the big prize, Al-Aqsa Mosque .
“A full Israeli takeover of Al-Aqsa is imminent”, they said.
They added that changing the status quo that has existed since Jerusalem and its holy sites were occupied in 1967 was the main aim of the Zionist Jews.
They reminded Muslims about the previous provocative incursions into the holy site made by Israeli politicians. The most infamous occurred in 2000 when former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon entered the holy site protected by Israeli security forces. The resultant protests by Palestinians sparked the Second Intifada (2000-2005).
“The OIC should convene an emergency meeting to address the intrusion in the two holy sites.
“It should exert maximum international pressure to protect the two holy sites.
“All efforts must be mobilised to defend the sanctity of both of the two mosques before it is too late,” they said