From Masjid al-Haram to Masjid al-Aqsa…

by Zafar Bangash October, 2015 Two sacred mosques in Islam—Masjid al Haram in Makkah and Masjid al-Aqsa in al-Quds (Jerusalem)—are under threat. The global Muslim Ummah must take serious note of these challenges and take appropriate steps. The most sacred mosque in Islam—al-Masjid al-Haram—and the first qibla of the Muslims—al-Masjid al-Aqsa—are under threat: one under the occupation of the Bani Saud, the other under their Zionist kissing cousins, the Bani Isra’il. While Muslim attention is diverted to the ongoing wars in Syria and Yemen, they have been unable to pay adequate attention to what is underway in the two holy sanctuaries. In Makkah and al-Madinah, the Najdi Bedouins (Bani Saud) are busy demolishing anything that stands in their way to build obscene Western style steel, concrete and glass structures turning these holy cities into cheap replica of Las Vegas or Los Angeles. They have no regard for Islamic history or Islamic heritage sites. Their demolition crimes are compounded by their callous disregard for the safety and security of hujjaj during each Hajj. This year’s twin tragedies have brought home to Muslims the utter incompetence of the Bani Saud.

Further to the north in Al-Quds (Jerusalem), the Bani Isra’il have been busy pushing their way into Masjid al-Aqsa. Illegal Zionist squatters from North America and Europe (aka Jewish settlers), they have no regard for Muslim rights—religious, political or social. The pushy Zionists have an enabling regime in Tel Aviv headed by the war criminal Benjamin Netanyahu. The heavily armed Zionist squatters have the full backing of the even more heavily armed Zionist occupation army when they invade and desecrate the holy sanctuary. The Masjid al-Aqsa, the Dome of the Rock and a number of madrassas are located on the holy sanctuary. These are sacred to Muslims and are valiantly being protected by Palestinians with little or no help from anybody. The Zionists have made no secret of their desire to destroy the Masjid al-Aqsa and the Dome of the Rock to build their mythical third temple in their place. For decades, they carried out excavations underneath the holy site hoping to find some “traces” of the earlier temples but the real reason was to bring down the structures. They found nothing; there was nothing to discover. There have been no traces of the earlier temples but the Zionists have never been constrained by historical facts. In recent years, they have become much more belligerent by attacking the holy sanctuary directly. The Zionists demand the “right” to worship on the holy sanctuary even though Jewish religious law expressly forbids trespassing this sacred space. They have no right to be there.

For Muslims the challenges are clear. The three most sacred sites in Islam—Makkah, al-Madinah and Al-Quds—face a relentless onslaught from thieves and husslers. The current of regimes in the Muslim world will not lift a finger to defend Muslim rights or Islam’s historical sites. The exceptions are the Islamic Republic of Iran and such revolutionary movements as Hizbullah in Lebanon and Ansarallah in Yemen. Together with these, the global Islamic movement must raise its voice and mobilize the Ummah for the defence of its sacred sites. It will not help to protest or even cry once they are destroyed. The time to act is now!