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.

Convinced of its responsibility and concerned for the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, the first qibla and the third holy place, the destination of the night journey of Mohammad bin Abdullah, blessings and peace of Allah upon him, the starting point of his ascent to the heavens, it has been the target of a serious aggression by the colonial government in recent days. This is a clear proof of the criminal practices of the latter in Jerusalem, as the Zionist extremist groups, supported by this government of occupation, come to threaten the noble mosque in large troops to break into it and set up their Talmudic rites within its walls. All this is taking place according to the operation called “back spasm, Judaization of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and its control”, characterized by an aggression on its sacred character. This constitutes a violation of international laws and decrees, as well as the Geneva agreements and a flagrant hindrance to the freedom of worship.

For all these reasons, the Secretariat General of the Academy warns against the harmful consequences of these actions while proclaiming loudly that Al-Aqsa Mosque is one of the three mosques to which Muslims can travel for the purpose of worship, a place whose surroundings Allah has blessed. This requires a strong Arab and Muslim mobilization to liberate and preserve it from the many blatant violations of this place and its sanctity, jeopardizing its very existence. These actions are the result of the plan of Zionist fanaticism and occupation to erect the so-called Temple in its place, a plan that began on the very first day of the occupation, notably with the destruction of the Mughrabi quarter which adjoined the Wailing Wall to the west of Al-Aqsa Mosque, as well as the requisitioning of the Mughrabi Gate to seize access to the mosque compound. In addition, tunnels and galleries were dug under the walls and corridors of the mosque, all to weaken the foundations of the mosque and cause its collapse.

Other despicable practices against this mosque include the seizure of the Esplanade of the Mosques, allowing extremist groups to move freely there, accompanied by close guards; the construction of a synagogue nearby, as well as the destruction of the road leading to the Mughrabi Gate in order to implement the perfidious design of controlling the mosque. In addition to all this, plans have been conducted to empty the city of its inhabitants in order to facilitate their criminal objectives, and these must also be recalled.

These aggressions are clearly defiance of Muslims and the peaceful forces based on justice; therefore, the Academy strongly condemns these practices to call on Muslims, as peoples and leaders, to act to extinguish these aggressions as soon as possible by all means in a concrete Arab and Muslim movement that will end this oppression and liberate the land and sacred sites while safeguarding their sanctity. Any looseness in facing this violence exposes Al-Aqsa Mosque to great dangers, for which all Muslims will bear full responsibility before Allah The Almighty.

And may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family and companions.

Prof. Abdulsalam Al-Abbadi

SG of IIFA