Al-Quds Foundation Malaysia has warned of the Israeli escalating penal measures against the leaders of the popular movement that foiled its scheme at the holy Aqsa Mosque in Occupied Jerusalem.
In a statement on Thursday the Foundation said that after the great victory that was achieved against the Israeli occupation by the uncompromising will of the masses of al-Quds last July at the Aqsa Mosque where they forced the occupation to uproot the metal detectors alongside all the accompanying measures and restrictions that were aimed to impose Israeli sovereignty on the Aqsa Mosque Israel has launched a “retaliatory campaign against leaders of the Murabitin”.
The statement said “Since August 14 2017 the occupation has been detaining “Sheikh Al-Aqsa” Sheikh Raed Salah and purposefully delaying his trial until they mobilize the largest amount of charges against him; such as reciting verses from the Quran that glorify martyrs and sympathizing with al-Murabitin; in order to sentence him to the longest possible imprisonment.”
Furthermore the Israeli occupation has been deliberately degrading and harassing the Sheikh and violating his rights. In his trial on 28/8/2017 Sheikh Salah stated that the conditions of his detention were extremely poor and that he was being held in the prison’s toilet where he slept and prayed under Israeli camera surveillance around the clock stressing that his place of detention was not even suitable for sheltering animals. In his last trial he spoke about how his hands and feet were chained in a medieval harsh painful way.
The statement further read:
“During this month the occupation arrested three women from al-Quds under false pretenses such as incitement on Facebook and performing Ribat in Masjid al-Aqsa. The Murabitat were; Sahar al-Natsheh a housewife and a mother of seven children besides Hanadi Halwani and Khadija Khowis; both are teachers of the Quran in Masjid al-Aqsa. Their arrest was evidently in revenge for their role in the battle to re-open the gates of al-Aqsa (al-Asbaat Rise) and the occupation has been actively humiliating and violating the beliefs of those three detainees. For instance Khadija Khowis is detained in a narrow cell where wastewater pours down on the floor preventing her from prostrating in her prayers and forcing her to pray standing. Moreover on 17/9/2017 the prison administration confiscated her garment and veil in defiance and insult to the Islamic Ummah on the one hand and to intimidate the Murabitin who defend Masjid al-Aqsa on the other.
A few days ago the Israeli occupation forces expelled a number of scholars from al-Aqsa such as Sheikh Khalid al-Maghrabi who had been banned from entering the Masjid for 15 days. The occupation forces also summoned Dr. Najih Bkirat director of the Shari’a and qualifying education program at Masjid al-Aqsa for investigation and handed him a decision of banishment from the Masjid al-Aqsa for three months.
These punitive measures against Muslim symbols coincide with other practices of administrative detention of active youth in al-Quds in addition to the accelerating process of Judaization in the city manifested in the increased demolition of houses and confiscation of land besides the intensification of incursions against al-Aqsa and most notably the Zionist Court’s decision of to close offices of al-Awqaf inside the Masjid al-Aqsa.
Al-Quds Foundation Malaysia presents this message to emphasize that the fierce onslaught of the occupation against the symbols of al-Quds and al-Aqsa necessitates upon all of us individuals governments and international and human rights organizations to act persistently in parallel with the sacrifices of those people in order to uproot the injustices and oppression that they suffer from.”
