Praise is due to Allāh, Lord of the worlds, may the blessings and peace be upon our master Muḥammad, the last of prophets, on his family, and all his companions.

The Holy Mosque of Al-Aqsa occupies a prominent place in the hearts and minds of Muslims, both in the East and in the West; it is their first Qibla, the place of the ascension of their Prophet PBUH, one of the three mosques to which they can go on pilgrimage, the mosque whose surroundings are blessed, the place of divine revelations, a place that has witnessed honourable events in the political and civilizational history of Muslims. It is distressing to see the sacrilegious desecrations and aggressions that violate the sanctity of this mosque, and threaten its existence. They are carried out to serve the interests of Zionist fanaticism and defenders of colonization.

We warn that this is the most eminent danger, planning to build pits under the walls of Al-Aqsa Mosque and under its underground corridors. The occupation authorities have actually begun the construction of tunnels in front of its walls. Despite the scientific interest of these excavations, which are being carried out under the guise of [academic] research into easy routes to the Wailing Wall and thus corroborate the theses of the manifest existence of the “Temple of Solomon”, this is only a pretext for cracking the buildings above it, which will cause its demolition.

The occupation authorities have violated the sanctity of the Al-Aqsa Mosque by taking over the courtyard of al-Buraq and allowing extremist groups to roam freely while providing them with full security. They also dared to destroy the buildings with historical significance inscribed in the Islamic Waqf and Habus.

These attacks are an outrageous challenge to all Muslims and the Islamic world; the Academy strongly denounces these iniquitous attacks and calls on Muslims, as peoples and governments, to work to prevent them immediately through all fronts, political, media and legal.

We pray to Allah The Almighty to guide this Ummah, to help us in what He loves and agrees with, and And may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family and companions.

Dr. Mohamed Habib Belkhodja

SG of IIFA.