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A Holy War – Part I The Al Aqsa Mosque on Temple Mount by Ari Bussel A Wall, that is all that separates two titans from a clash of civilizations, a 7th Century Islam against a 21st Century Judaism. Two monotheistic religions, both claiming to be derived from the same Patriarch Abraham and to be able to co-exist, find themselves in modern times on a deadly collision course. All that contains the conflict is a wall, the Western Wall of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. Many significant events took place at the top of this mountain: Tradition says that the...

CAIRO, (Reuters) - Egyptian police used batons against tens of Muslim Brotherhood loyalists on Friday and turned away hundreds of worshippers to block a protest against an Israeli dig near Jerusalem's most sacred Muslim shrine, witnesses said. Riot police chased some protesters through the narrow alleys of one of Cairo's ancient Islamic neighbourhoods, a Reuters witness said. Police hit a photographer working for Reuters with a stick and barred him from taking pictures. Hundreds of riot police and plainclothes security agents manned road blocks and turned away hundreds of worshippers who flocked for Friday's mass prayers at al-Azhar mosque, where...

A decision by Israel's highest court has triggered fears of a "third intifada." On Tuesday, the Israel Supreme Court upheld a request by far-right Jewish activists that they be allowed on Thursday to enter Islam's third holiest shrine, the Al-Aqsa mosque compound, which is also revered by Jews as the Temple Mount. The decision to allow the controversial visit to the east Jerusalem mosque compound was taken despite police warnings that it could spark riots in Israel and the occupied territories. The small Temple Mount Faithul group requested to visit the compound, where according to Jewish tradition Herod's Temple stood,...

NABLUS, March 8, 2005 (IslamOnline.net) – Extremist Jewish settlers are planning to storm Al-Aqsa Mosque, Islam's third holiest place, by next April, Al-according to Al-Aqsa Institution for Reconstruction of Islamic Sanctities. Leaders of Jewish settlers have declared some 10,000 settlers are planning to storm the holy mosque in a bid to perform Jewish “religious rituals” in the holy place, they claim to be the site of “Temple Mount”. Leaflets are being distributed by Jewish settlers to urge Jews to join the storming of the Islamic holy site on April 10. Extremist Jewish groups, which rally for the construction of the...

The Palestinian political z(they said that, not me) group Hamas issued a stark warning on Saturday of any harm done to the holy Al Aqsa Mosque in light of repeated Jewish extremists' threats to blast it. The Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said his group held Israel responsible if any harm were to fall on the Mosque and urged fellow Muslims to shoulder their responsibility vis-à-vis such threats. "The Zionist information on presence of such planning was a clear attempt to prepare for it actually taking place," Abu Zuhri conveyed. "We believe the Jewish state is providing cover for those...

Dec. 23, 2003 Mubarak calls Sharon, thanks him for Maher visit By JPOST.COM STAFFEgyptian President Hosni Mubarak telephoned Prime Minister Ariel Sharon Tuesday night to thank him for the "welcome and the successful meetings" held Monday in Israel with his Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher. Officials in the prime minister's office said, "The two leaders discussed ways to advance the diplomatic process in the region. Mubarak emphasized his desire to advance Egyptian relations with Israel and expressed his interest in helping to advance the peace process." Meanwhile Farouk Kaddoumi, head of the Palestine Liberation Organization's political department, arrived in Cairo on...

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher has collapsed after being assaulted by a crowd of Palestinians as he entered the al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem's Old City, witnesses say. Witnesses earlier said it appeared Maher had been physically beaten but later said he was accosted and jostled and possibly struck one or two times, causing him to fall to the ground. "A group of Palestinian extremists started shouting at Maher and calling him a traitor and collaborator and then they were trying to reach him but guards (nearby) prevented them," a mosque guard who witnessed the incident old...

Thursday, May 29, 2003 By The Jerusalem Times Staff The Jerusalem Times (independent Palestinian weekly) 29 May 2003 http://www.jerusalem-times.net/article/news/details/detail.asp?id=3412 Students demonstrated at the biggest Palestinian university, Al- Najah, in the West Bank city of Nablus, vowing to keep Jews out of Al Aqsa Mosque, the third holiest site in Islam. Israel's police chief said last week he would open the mosque for Jews to pray even by using force if necessary. At the demonstration, which was organized by the Islamic Movement of Hamas, students warned the Israeli government not to allow Jews to enter the mosque compound. "We are ready...

(IsraelNN.com) Minister of Public Security Tzachi Hanegbi announced that in the very near future, Jews would be permitted access to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, to visit and pray, Israel Radio reported. Hanegbi was quoted as saying if an agreement is not reached with the Islamic Waqf Authority, then the government would make a unilateral decision and take the necessary actions to prevent any violent response aimed at preventing the state from exercising its right to access the holy site.

PA Threats Against Americans The official radio station of the Palestinian Authority, Voice of Palestine, broadcast a sermon from the al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem on February 7, in which the Mufti of Jerusalem, Sheikh Ikrimah Sabri, preached, “While Muslims slaughter sheep on ‘Id al-Adha, the United States will slay Muslims in Iraq in order to carry out its aggressive, criminal, terrorist, and inhuman designs...O Allah, deter the aggressors and conspirators. O Allah, destroy them all. O Allah, protect Iraq and its people.” (Translation courtesy of FBIS.) Also on February 7, Sheikh Ibrahim al-Mudayris delivered a sermon from a central mosque...

"O God, save Al-Aqsa Mosque and Jerusalem from the Zionists" Yemeni Sermon 20 September 2002 20 September 2002FBIS (US Government service) Report] Sanaa Republic of Yemen Television in Arabic, official televisionstation of the Republic of Yemen, on 20 September 2002 at 0903 GMT carries a22-minute live sermon from the Grand Mosque in Sanaa. Shaykh Akram Abd-al-Razzaq al-Ruqayhi delivers the sermon.... Concluding, the imam prays to God: "O God, strengthen Islam andMuslims, disappoint infidels and unbelievers. O God, strengthen yourfollowers and Your religion." He goes on: "O God, give us victory overthe infidels and suppress the Zionists, their supporters, the Christians,and...