Israeli lawmaker’s proposal to divide al-Asqa Mosque worship stirs uproarThese "leaders" ought to be supporting this entirely reasonable proposal and doing everything they can to discourage any such irrational violence. I have some related comments here.
Sunday, 12 August 2012 (Al Arabiya)
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By Al Arbabiya
A bill drafted last week by a right-wing Israeli lawmaker to schedule separate prayer hours for Jews and Muslims at al-Aqsa Mosque has caused an uproar, regional media has reported.
Palestinian news agency WAFA said the proposed situation would be similar to the arrangement at the Ibrahimi Mosque (Cave of the Patriarchs) in Hebron, but had “already drawn wide condemnation from Muslim and Arab leaders who fear any change in the status of al-Aqsa Mosque could trigger serious violence in the region.”
The Middle East Monitor reported that Sheikh Ikrama Sabri, a senior Imam at al-Aqsa Mosque, denounced the decision by Israel’s legislature to discuss the proposal to split worship times at the third holiest site in the Islamic world, calling it an “an aggressive, advanced step" and saying that it "confirms Jewish designs on al-Aqsa Mosque at all levels.”More on Sheikh Ikrama (Ekrima, Ikrema) Sabri here and links. His reaction was predictable.
In a statement to local media, the Sheikh, who is also the president of the Supreme Islamic Council in Jerusalem, reportedly said al-Aqsa Mosque “is not subject to negotiation, and it's the duty of Muslim rulers and citizens to defend and protect.”
"The Jews," he reportedly added, "have nothing to do with al-Aqsa Mosque."
MK Aryeh Eldad, National Union member, drafted the proposed law Wednesday after a United States government report criticized Israel for preventing non-Muslim prayer at the site, better known to Jews and Christians as the Temple Mount.
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That U.S. State Department International Religious Freedom Report for 2011 is here. The relevant passage from the section on Israel and the occupied territories says:
A government policy since 1967, repeatedly upheld by the Supreme Court and routinely enforced by the police citing security concerns, denies all non-Muslims opportunities to worship at the Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif. While the government ensured limited access to the Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif to everyone regardless of religious beliefs, only Muslims are allowed to pray at the site, although their access has been occasionally restricted due to security concerns. Police regulated traffic in and out of the compound and removed non-Muslim visitors if they appeared to be praying. Since 2000 the Jordanian Waqf that manages the site has restricted non-Muslims from entering the Dome of the Rock shrine and Al-Aqsa Mosque. Non-Muslim religious symbols are not allowed to be worn on the Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif.Cross-file under Jewish-Temple denial.
