|
Supposed Jewish Temple Construction Could Start WWIII
WASHINGTON, May 31 (IslamOnline) - Sheikh Nasir Farid Wassel, the Grand Mufti of Egypt, warned on Monday that any attempt to build a Jewish Temple on the site of Islam's third holiest place, the Haram al-Sharif, could lead to the Third World War.
Wassel was speaking to reporters in Cairo, and when asked about media reports indicating that Israel desired to build a temple at the site of Haram al-Sharif, he answered, "That cannot happen. If it happens, Arabs and Muslims will not allow it, and it could lead to a third world war breaking out."
The Haram al-Sharif compound houses the Al-Aqsa mosque and the Dome of the Rock from where Prophet Muhammad (SAW) ascended to heaven on the night of Miraj. It is the third holiest site for Muslims after Mecca and Medina.
Jews claim it is the site of their first and second temples. The compound, managed by Muslims, has been under Israeli control since 1967 when Israelis illegally seized Jerusalem.
Wassel also appealed for Arab and Muslim unity saying it was the only way to "deter Israel's force, vanity and arrogance."
Earlier on Thursday, Hebrew University Professor Moshe Maoz shocked an audience of New York Jewish leaders by saying that Jews had fabricated the existence of holy sites in the West Bank after the Six Day War.
Maoz, on an Israeli government sponsored trip to the U.S., was speaking at a meeting of the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York. Referring to the supposed Joseph's tomb in Nablus, destroyed by Palestinians and rebuilt as a mosque in October 2000, he said, "We invent all kinds of tombs," in Palestinian areas.
Maoz said that Jews overreacted to the desecration of the tomb while failing to acknowledge that people of all faiths, including those representing the Muslim Public Affairs Council, recognized the site as being holy to Jews and condemned its destruction.
"Sometimes I think Judaism is paganism," said Maoz, referring to holy sites in general. "We sanctify stones and tombs instead of spirit."
Maoz is visiting the U.S. on a trip sponsored by the Israeli consulate's office of academic affairs to discuss peace and coexistence in the Middle East.
A consulate spokesman commenting on Maoz's speech said, "speakers we bring over do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Israeli government or the office of academic affairs in the U.S."
|
