Sheikh Ekrima Sabri head of the Higher Islamic Council in Occupied Jerusalem has warned that Jerusalem and the Aqsa Mosque are going through very critical and difficult times.
In a statement on Saturday Sheikh Sabri recalled the painful anniversary of the Aqsa Mosque arson attack — which is observed on August 21 of each year saying that “the fire at the Aqsa Mosque has spread and taken different forms.”
“The blaze is still devouring the Aqsa Mosque Jerusalem and the Jerusalemites” Sheikh Sabri added.
He explained that this spreading blaze has now different forms such as daily settler break-ins at the Aqsa Mosque detention and banishment of Jerusalemites appropriation of their property Judaization of their city discrimination against them and imposition of heavy taxes on them.
He stressed that “defending protecting and supporting Jerusalem and the Aqsa Mosque are the duty of every Muslim until the liberation of Palestine” calling for necessarily raising the Ummah’s awareness about the importance of Jerusalem and the Aqsa Mosque.
The Mosque’s fire damage
The fire which happened on August 21 1969 caused considerable widespread damage to the southern section of the grey-domed Mosque known locally as the Qibli Mosque.
The fire had swept through some of the oldest parts of the Mosque devouring an area of around 1500 square meters and destroying the 900-year-old wood and ivory pulpit gifted by Muslim leader Salahuddin al-Ayyubi in addition to mosaic panels on the walls and ceilings; many areas within the Mosque were also blackened and charred.
At first Israeli police and municipal officials claimed the fire resulted from an electrical short circuit but the Jerusalem electricity company conducted a technical investigation into the incident and announced there was no fault in the network or connection between the fire and electricity.
At the time Sheikh Hilmi al-Muhtaseb the then head of the Higher Islamic Commission in Occupied Jerusalem told a news conference that the fire was deliberate and not normal affirming the Israeli authorities cut off water supply to the Aqsa Mosque compound immediately after the fire started.
Sheikh Muhtaseb also accused the Israeli occupation authority of delaying the arrival of fire trucks to extinguish the flames.
He asserted that crews from the Palestinian fire departments in Ramallah and al-Khalil rushed to the holy site and tackled the blaze despite an Israeli attempt to obstruct their entry to Jerusalem and the scene.
All the Muslim eyewitnesses who took part in the efforts to put out the fire also confirmed at the time that piped water was not available at the Mosque or in nearby areas around it when the incident happened. They had to use primitive means to get water from wells in the Mosque’s main courtyard.
It is noteworthy that the Israeli municipality in Jerusalem was and is still the authority controlling the distribution of water.
Consequently heated protests took place then throughout the holy city and all areas of Jerusalem went on strike a move that also happened in the West Bank and even in 1948 occupied Palestine.
The Israeli security authorities in turn reacted to the events closed all access points to the Aqsa Mosque compound and prevented the holding of Friday prayers there for the first time.
A suspect was soon identified by the police as 28-year-old Dennis Michael Rohan an Australian Christian tourist who was arrested two days later on August 23. Rohan was unafraid of revealing his motives for the crime claiming to be “the Lord’s emissary.”
He told interrogators that he wanted to hasten the second coming of Jesus Christ which in his view could only be achieved by allowing the Jews to build the temple of Solomon in place of the Aqsa Mosque.
To date this Islamic holy site is still threatened with Israel’s underground tunnels which has weakened its foundations as well as its attempts to control the site and divide it between Muslims and Jews.
Israel persistently violates the most basic rights of the Palestinians including their right to worship without restrictions at their Islamic holy sites.
