Muslim
religious officials in
Jerusalem have
rejected Israeli allegations that a mosque in the sacred Muslim site
of al-Aqsa (al-Haram al-Sharif) is in danger of collapse.
The officials
called the allegations "baseless" and a "mere pretext to take over
Islamic holy places".
On Sunday, an unnamed Israeli security official was quoted by the
Israeli state-run radio as saying that the Marwani mosque,
previously known as Solomon's Stables, was increasingly unstable and
ready to give way.
The Israeli official said the presence of hundreds of thousands of
Muslim worshippers during the upcoming holy month of Ramadan could
accelerate the collapse of the ancient structure.
'Everything fine'
"We have been
hearing such tendentious statements for a long time. We know for
sure that these remarks are aimed at fabricating a pretext to seize
a foothold in the Haram al-Sharif [Noble Sanctuary]," Adnan al-Husayni,
head of the Supreme Muslim Council in
Jerusalem,
said.
He told
Aljazeera.net that an internationally reputable engineering firm
which specialises in antiquities and ancient structures recently,
examined the Marwani mosque and concluded that the structure was
sound and faced no danger.
"We invited highly professional experts from Egypt and other
countries who examined everything here. And they said everything was
fine."
Al-Husayni said there were no cracks or other worrying signs to
indicate that the structure was facing some kind of a danger.
"Now they claim they care about the safety of Muslims. That is a
real joke," he said.
Scare tactics
Another Waqf
(religious endowment) official, Shaikh Muhammad Husayn,
accused Israel of "targeting al-Aqsa Mosque for destruction".
He said: "If you ask me, if al-Aqsa Mosque is in danger, the answer
is definitely yes. But the dangers are not from nature but from
Israel's criminal plans against the house of God."
Husayn argued
that Israel wanted to achieve two goals through rumour-mongering.
"First,
intimidating and scaring off Muslim worshippers, and, second, using
rumours as a cover for possible vandalism against al-Aqsa Mosque,"
he said.
He told Aljazeera.net Israel was barring millions of Muslims from
the West Bank and Gaza Strip from accessing the site for the 10th
consecutive year.
Husayn said: "If Jews were denied access to their religious places,
the Jews would leave no stone unturned in protest against the act.
"However,
systematically they bar Muslims and Christians from accessing their
respective holy places in
Jerusalem.
This is a cardinal crime no matter how one looks at it. Therefore,
the world should call the spade a spade and not be intimidated by
the Israeli regime."
Mosque renovated
Marwani mosque
was known as Solomon's Stables when they were used by the Crusaders
to house and feed their horses during their invasions of Palestine
in the 11th and 12th centuries.
However, the
Islamic Waqf, in cooperation with the Islamic Movement in Israel,
renovated the place some years ago against the wishes of the Israeli
occupation authorities.
Israel has
been carrying out excavation work beneath and in the vicinity of al-Aqsa
in a desperate effort to locate the remnants of an old Jewish temple
in the area.
But after more than 37 years of digging, archaeologists have found
no evidence of any ancient Jewish structure.
Attack feared
A number
of Jewish extremist groups openly call for the destruction of the
Islamic holy places in
East Jerusalem in order to build a Jewish temple in its place.
Some Jewish theologians believe the building of such a temple is a
pre-requisite for the appearance of the Jewish Messiah, or redeemer,
who will rule the entire world from
Jerusalem.
Last month, Israeli Internal Security Minister Tzahi Henegbi warned
that Jewish fanatics might be planning to carry out a serious attack
on al-Aqsa Mosque in
Jerusalem
in order to thwart Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's unilateral
plan to withdraw from Gaza.
The Haram al-Sharif, which some Jews call Temple Mount, is
considered one of the most insurmountable issues of the Arab-Israeli
conflict.
The place is considered Islam's third holiest site after the Sacred
Mosque in Makka and the Prophet's Mosque in Madina, Saudi Arabia.
|
