GAZA
CITY, September 27 (IslamOnline.net) - Israeli claims that part of
Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Al-Quds (occupied East Jerusalem) risks
collapse are groundless and unscientific, Palestinian officials have
said.
Adnan
Al-Husseini, director of the Islamic Waqfs (endowments) in Al-Quds,
maintained that the Israeli government of Ariel Sharon used to tailor
its reports to achieve political gains.
“These
claims are groundless and unscientific as we have thoroughly checked
the Marwani prayer room under Al-Aqsa Mosque and proved that the
room’s pillars and foundations were quite safe,” he told
IslamOnline.net Sunday, September 26.
“Israel
only made such a fuss in its tireless efforts to seize Al-Aqsa
Mosque,” he added.
He
played down Israeli plans to limit access to the mosque, inviting all
Muslim Palestinians to pray at the Marawani room in the holy month of
Ramadan.
Israeli
Interior Minister Gideon Ezra raised fears Sunday about the possible
collapse of part of the compound because of the number of visitors
during the fasting month, which begins mid-October.
“The
roof of this structure (the Marawani room) is at risk of collapsing
under the weight of the worshippers who will assemble there during the
Ramadan,” Ezra said.
“It
is necessary to build pillars to support the southern wall of this
structure and if this doesn't happen, the police will limit access to
the mosque compound during Ramadan.”
Hoary
Old Clichés
Kamal
Al-Khatib, the deputy head of the Islamic Movement in what is now
Israel, dismissed the reports as “hoary old clichés”.
“The
Israelis are doing their best to build the so-called temple mount on
the ruins of Al-Aqsa Mosque,” he told IOL.
“If
they really care, why on earth do they stop restoration and
maintenance work at Al-Aqsa Mosque and Al-Marawani area in particular?
Why do they carry on with their excavations under the site?”
Israeli
authorities were blamed for preventing the Palestinian restoration
works at the site.
“Add
to that the age restrictions placed by Israel to limit the access of
the Palestinians under 45 to the mosque,” Khatib added.
He
also hit out at the Arab and Islamic inaction to protect Islam’s
third holiest site, urging the governments to take action before it is
too late.
Jordan,
Mufti Weigh In
 |
|
Sabri charged the claims were only "a justification" for Israel to put its hand on Al-Aqsa
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For
its part, Jordan Monday also dismissed the Israeli claims, saying
experts had checked it earlier this year.
“There
are no foundations for the Israeli warnings suggesting that the
Marwani prayer room could collapse during the holy month of
Ramadan,” AFP quoted Religious Affairs Minister Ahmad Heleil as
telling the daily Al-Ra’i.
Heleil,
who heads a Jordanian committee responsible for the maintenance of the
Al-Aqsa mosque compound, said that a team of experts visited the site
earlier this year and found no reason for concern.
“There
are no problems concerning the foundations or the walls,” he said.
Top
Palestinian Muslim scholar Jerusalem mufti Sheikh Ekrima Sabri weighed
in Monday, accusing Israel of seeking to seize control of Al-Aqsa
mosque compound.
Sheikh
Sabri said in an interview with Lebanon's An Nahar newspaper
that “the foundations ... do not raise concern and the Israeli
claims to that end are baseless.”
These
claims were only "a justification" for Israel to put its
hand on Al-Aqsa, he charged.
The
mufti said a recent report by engineers from the Islamic endowments
authority, experts in Islamic arts and Egyptian archaeologists
confirmed that the shrine stood on solid foundations, with works
needed only to cover cracks in the southern and eastern sections of
the structure.
During
Ramadan, more than 200,000 worshippers are expected to visit Al Aqsa
in Al-Quds’ Old City in the eastern sector, which was occupied and
annexed by Israel in 1967.
The
mosque compound, which is called Al-Haram Al-Sharif (Noble Sanctuary)
by Muslims, shelters the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
