AMMAN — The Muslim Council of Elders on Thursday issued a statement from Amman, condemning the Israeli practices aimed at changing the character of East Jerusalem and reality in its holy shrines.
They cited the Israeli excavations under Al Haram Al Sharif/Al Aqsa Mosque compound, driven by the “myth of the temple”.
Following a meeting attended by HRH Prince Ghazi, the King’s personal envoy and adviser for religious and cultural affairs, the Elders slammed Israel for the attacks carried out by occupation troops targeting the sanctuary as well as its plans to divide Al Aqsa, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.
In the statement, the council said it is following up on the recent events that took place in Jerusalem, mainly the recurrent acts of aggression by the Israelis at Al Aqsa, especially those taking place since August 23, 2015.
The attacks are a clear violation of human and religious values, as well as a violation of the international law, the statement said.
The council said it views the assaults as part of Israel’s old “Judaisation plan”, adding that such a scheme has become increasingly clear in light of the measures taken by the occupation state, such as seizing lands and property in the holy city to establish a new geopolitical reality there.
Furthermore, building Jewish settlements, evacuating Palestinians and triggering turbulence in Jerusalem are all part of the Judaisation plan, aimed at making Jewish settlers outnumber Palestinian residents in the holy city.
Therefore, the Muslim Council of Elders condemned the recurrent Israeli attacks, adding that Al Aqsa Mosque is not shareable or divisible under any circumstances.
The council urged the international community and UN organisations to stop the Judaisation attempts of Jerusalem that aim to obliterate its Islamic and Christian character and expel Muslim and Christian residents from the city.
Moreover, the council called for all Muslims to focus on the Jerusalem cause and work on saving Al Aqsa Mosque, in order to end the barbaric Israeli assaults and destruction.
After the meeting, Chairman of the Assembly of Muslims and the Fatwa Committee in Nigeria Sheikh Ibrahim Saleh Al Hussaini told Petra that Muslim problems in Palestine are not only the problems of the Arab nations but also they concern all Muslims.
The council comprises Muslim scholars, experts and dignitaries known for their being a voice of reason, sense of justice, independence and moderation, working together to promote peace, discourage infighting and address sources of conflict, divisiveness and fragmentation within Muslim communities.
JERUSALEM – Jewish fanatics resumed their provocative visits to al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem on Sunday, despite of an apparently ongoing uprising in the West Bank and Jerusalem districts prompted by Jewish entry to the Islamic holy site.
WAFA correspondent said small groups of Jewish settlers entered the compound from the Moroccan Gate under heavy police protection on Sunday morning.
Police also continued to prevent 52 listed Palestinian women from entering the site, while imposing age restrictions on the entry of Palestinians.
Last month, the site witnessed renewing clashes between Israeli police and Palestinian worshipers, prompted by the entry of Jewish fanatics who organize provocative visits to the site to mark Jewish holidays.
Al-Aqsa Mosque, the third holiest place for Muslims, has since 1967 been the center of the ongoing Palestinian-Israeli conflict. While it is widely known as Al-Aqsa Mosque, Jews refer to the site as the “Temple Mount” and believe it was the site of two Jewish temples destroyed in ancient times.
Entry of Jews to the holy site, coupled by other factors, recently fueled a growing Palestinian uprising in Jerusalem and the West Bank districts as well as in the 1948 lands, with more than 23 Palestinians killed by Israeli army and security forces since the start of October alone. Some 1,100 others have also been injured.
Jordan’s King Abdullah II said on Wednesday that his country has “legal and diplomatic choices in the face of Israeli violations in Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa Mosque,” Anadolu has reported.
“We are carrying out duties towards Jerusalem using all available means,” the king told a delegation from the Muslim Council of Elders. “Nothing turns our attention from Jerusalem despite the [other] problems and crises in the region.”
King Abdullah stressed that the Middle East is facing international challenges and this needs joint efforts on the security, military and economic levels to face them. He reiterated the importance of bringing all efforts together in order to build an international strategy to fight terror and extremism, protect Muslims and face the increasing hatred against Islam and Muslims.
The Muslim Council of Elders consists of a number of senior Muslim scholars from different parts of the world. It was established in 2014 with the goal of spreading respect for scholars and science, as well as spreading dialogue and tolerance.
Council will endeavour to reunite Islamic nation, extinguish fires sweeping region
EXCERPT
Grand Imam Shaikh Dr. Ahmad Al Tayyeb (left) and ShaikhAbdullah Bin Bayyah at the press conference on Saturday when the announcement was made. Photo by Ahmed Kutty/Gulf News
By Samir Salama, Associate Editor, Gulf News
July 20, 2014
Abu Dhabi:The Muslim Council of Elders — an independent international body that aims to promote peace in Muslim societies — was launched in Abu Dhabi on Saturday night.
The move follows the recommendations of the Forum for Promoting Peace in Muslim Societies, held here in early March.
The announcement was made at a press conference on the eve of a meeting attended by a group of scholars and thinkers from the Islamic world headed by Grand Imam of Al Azhar Dr Shaikh Ahmad Al Tayyeb and Shaikh Abdullah Bin Bayyah, Chairman of the forum.
Members of the council are expected to redouble their efforts to reunite the Islamic world and tackle extremist ideologies that are contrary to human values and tolerant virtues of Islam, according to the founding statement read out by Dr Abdul Hakim Jackson, professor of religion and American studies and ethnicity at the University of Southern California.
Dr Jackson, also a founding member of the council, added the members will work collectively to develop a roadmap with the aim to extinguish the fires that sweep across the region, and address the evils of sectarianism and violence plaguing the Muslim world over the decades.
The council is the first institutional entity that gathers Elders of the Islamic nation, which was a result of the recommendations of the Forum for Promoting Peace in Muslim Societies, and a joint initiative of the Grand Imam of Al Azhar and prominent scholar Dr Bin Bayyah.
The founders of the council stressed in the statement the need to comply with the provisions of Islamic teachings that calls for peace, rooting the concept of peace, and establishing the method of peace in fiqh (jurisprudence), values, concepts, rules and culture, making the path of peace a choice for the youth of the Islamic nation.
