Grand Mufti of Jerusalem Condemns Closing of Ibrahimi Mosque for Jewish Holidays

Hebron, MINA – The Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, Shaykh Muhammad Hussein, condemned the closure of the Ibrahimi Mosque in Al-Khalil, south of the West Bank, by the Zionist occupation authorities for the Muslim congregation on the pretext of holding a Jewish holiday.

The Mufti in a press statement on Thursday  as quoted from PIC said, the closure of the Ibrahimi Mosque was an aggression that led to the prohibition of Muslim worshipers from reciting the call to prayer and performing prayers, while the settlers performed Talmudic rituals in it.

He pointed out that monotheistic religions forbid touching holy places designated for worship, and affirm their sanctity, but the occupying authorities deny this.

The mufti stressed the need to stop attacks that prevent Muslims from reaching their places of worship, rejecting the justification provided by the occupying authorities for closing mosques.

The occupation forces closed the Ibrahimi Mosque, since 22:00 local time last Tuesday, for 24 hours, in front of the Palestinian Muslim congregation, and fully opened it to Jewish settlers, under the pretext of celebrating a Jewish holiday.

The director of the Ibrahimi Mosque, Ghassan Al-Rajabi, explained that during the holiday, the occupation forces prevented Palestinians from entering the Ibrahimi Mosque, closed the gates and entrances leading to it with military checkpoints, and prevented congregational prayers or the call to prayer at the mosque.

The Ibrahimi Mosque is usually closed for 10 days every year under the pretext of celebrating so-called Jewish holidays. The occupation authorities actually prevented Palestinians from entering it in those days, due to the extensive military and security measures in the vicinity. (T/RE1/P2)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)