PA religious council falsely claims that Israel is “systematically erasing all that is Arab in Palestine”
Headline: “The Supreme Fatwa Council: Our people will not submit to the Judaization of the education [system] and the ban on the Muezzin’s call”
“The [PA] Supreme Fatwa Council… warned against the intention of the occupation authorities to establish a fund for what is called ‘the alleged Temple Mount Heritage’ (i.e., it was reported on March 13, 2017, that Israeli ministers plan to establish a fund to educate about the Jewish connection to the Temple Mount –Ed.), as a realization of the policy of Judaizing Jerusalem, its holy sites, and the Old City. This is amid contempt for the UNESCO (UN Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization) resolution [of Oct. 13, 2016] that negated any religious connection between the Jews and the Al-Aqsa Mosque (i.e., the Temple Mount) and the Al-Buraq Wall (i.e., the Western Wall), and considers them a pure Islamic heritage…
On another matter, the council warned against the danger of legalizing a ban on the call of the Muezzin (i.e., the person who sings the Muslim call to prayer, see note below), which comes as part of the insane attack against Jerusalem, the holy sites, the mosques, and the churches. This is part of a planned policy whose goal is to erase the Islamic and Arab presence in Jerusalem and all of the occupied Palestinian territories. The council explained that the attack against the Al-Aqsa Mosque is old and new, as it has constituted a target since the occupation of Jerusalem, and it was already burned and the blood of its worshipper visitors who were executed by the occupation was spilled on its ground, alongside the ongoing ban on worshippers to reach it (sic., Muslims have access to the Temple Mount, while the Jordanian Waqf bans Jewish prayer at the site and limits Jewish access –Ed.). The council also explained that the mosques and churches in all of Palestine, and particularly in Jerusalem, are subject to a strong attack by the occupation authorities as part of the extremist line that they are taking in order to harm the Arab and Islamic holy sites by burning them, destroying them, or closing them on empty excuses. The council emphasized that the mosques are an Islamic waqf (i.e., an inalienable religious endowment in Islamic law), and non-Muslims have no right to intervene in their affairs. In addition, it emphasized that the occupation authorities are belittling the heavenly laws, the norms, regulations, and international law, and do not respect them, and they are acting according to a systematic plan to erase all that is Arab in Palestine and replace it with something Jewish.”
UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) passed a resolution in Paris on “Occupied Palestine” on Oct. 13, 2016, with 24 countries voting in favor, 6 against, and 24 abstentions. The resolution was later approved by UNESCO's World Heritage Committee on Oct. 26, 2016, in a secret ballot in which ten countries voted in favor of the resolution, two opposed, eight abstained, and one country, Jamaica, was absent.
In the resolution UNESCO refers to the Temple Mount, the holiest site in Judaism, only as “Al-Aqsa Mosque/Al-Haram Al-Sharif,” and presents it only as a “Muslim holy site.” The resolution condemns “escalating Israeli aggressions” and Israeli “violations” at the site, and calls on Israel “to respect the integrity, authenticity and cultural heritage of Al-Aqṣa Mosque/Al-Ḥaram Al-Sharif… as a Muslim holy site of worship.” The resolution likewise refers to the Western Wall Plaza as the “Al-Buraq Plaza ‘Western Wall Plaza,’” adding quotation marks to the Jewish name for the site.
The resolution was submitted by Algeria, Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, and Sudan.
The countries voting for the resolution were: Algeria, Bangladesh, Brazil, Chad, China, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Iran, Lebanon, Malaysia, Morocco, Mauritius, Mexico, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Russia, Senegal, South Africa, Sudan, and Vietnam.
Those voting against it were: Estonia, Germany, Lithuania, The Netherlands, the UK, and the US.
Mexico later noted for the record that its position on the issue is one of abstention, although the vote count was unaffected.
Full text here: http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0024/002462/246215e.pdf
On Feb. 12, 2017, a bill to ban religious institutions from broadcasting over loudspeakers between the hours of 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. was authorized by the Israeli Ministerial Committee for Legislation and is now pending parliamentary approval. The bill is intended to prevent noise pollution and is referred to by many as the "Muezzin Law," although it does not apply to any specific religion.
Other countries have already approved or attempted legislation for regulating the use of loudspeakers in mosques in order to limit noise pollution. These include India, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Turkey, Bahrain, the United Emirates, the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, France, the UK, Austria, Norway, and Belgium, and the US. The PA has also passed legislation regarding the use of loudspeakers in mosques in order to reduce noise pollution.
“The [PA] Supreme Fatwa Council… warned against the intention of the occupation authorities to establish a fund for what is called ‘the alleged Temple Mount Heritage’ (i.e., it was reported on March 13, 2017, that Israeli ministers plan to establish a fund to educate about the Jewish connection to the Temple Mount –Ed.), as a realization of the policy of Judaizing Jerusalem, its holy sites, and the Old City. This is amid contempt for the UNESCO (UN Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization) resolution [of Oct. 13, 2016] that negated any religious connection between the Jews and the Al-Aqsa Mosque (i.e., the Temple Mount) and the Al-Buraq Wall (i.e., the Western Wall), and considers them a pure Islamic heritage…
On another matter, the council warned against the danger of legalizing a ban on the call of the Muezzin (i.e., the person who sings the Muslim call to prayer, see note below), which comes as part of the insane attack against Jerusalem, the holy sites, the mosques, and the churches. This is part of a planned policy whose goal is to erase the Islamic and Arab presence in Jerusalem and all of the occupied Palestinian territories. The council explained that the attack against the Al-Aqsa Mosque is old and new, as it has constituted a target since the occupation of Jerusalem, and it was already burned and the blood of its worshipper visitors who were executed by the occupation was spilled on its ground, alongside the ongoing ban on worshippers to reach it (sic., Muslims have access to the Temple Mount, while the Jordanian Waqf bans Jewish prayer at the site and limits Jewish access –Ed.). The council also explained that the mosques and churches in all of Palestine, and particularly in Jerusalem, are subject to a strong attack by the occupation authorities as part of the extremist line that they are taking in order to harm the Arab and Islamic holy sites by burning them, destroying them, or closing them on empty excuses. The council emphasized that the mosques are an Islamic waqf (i.e., an inalienable religious endowment in Islamic law), and non-Muslims have no right to intervene in their affairs. In addition, it emphasized that the occupation authorities are belittling the heavenly laws, the norms, regulations, and international law, and do not respect them, and they are acting according to a systematic plan to erase all that is Arab in Palestine and replace it with something Jewish.”
UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) passed a resolution in Paris on “Occupied Palestine” on Oct. 13, 2016, with 24 countries voting in favor, 6 against, and 24 abstentions. The resolution was later approved by UNESCO's World Heritage Committee on Oct. 26, 2016, in a secret ballot in which ten countries voted in favor of the resolution, two opposed, eight abstained, and one country, Jamaica, was absent.
In the resolution UNESCO refers to the Temple Mount, the holiest site in Judaism, only as “Al-Aqsa Mosque/Al-Haram Al-Sharif,” and presents it only as a “Muslim holy site.” The resolution condemns “escalating Israeli aggressions” and Israeli “violations” at the site, and calls on Israel “to respect the integrity, authenticity and cultural heritage of Al-Aqṣa Mosque/Al-Ḥaram Al-Sharif… as a Muslim holy site of worship.” The resolution likewise refers to the Western Wall Plaza as the “Al-Buraq Plaza ‘Western Wall Plaza,’” adding quotation marks to the Jewish name for the site.
The resolution was submitted by Algeria, Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, and Sudan.
The countries voting for the resolution were: Algeria, Bangladesh, Brazil, Chad, China, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Iran, Lebanon, Malaysia, Morocco, Mauritius, Mexico, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Russia, Senegal, South Africa, Sudan, and Vietnam.
Those voting against it were: Estonia, Germany, Lithuania, The Netherlands, the UK, and the US.
Mexico later noted for the record that its position on the issue is one of abstention, although the vote count was unaffected.
Full text here: http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0024/002462/246215e.pdf
On Feb. 12, 2017, a bill to ban religious institutions from broadcasting over loudspeakers between the hours of 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. was authorized by the Israeli Ministerial Committee for Legislation and is now pending parliamentary approval. The bill is intended to prevent noise pollution and is referred to by many as the "Muezzin Law," although it does not apply to any specific religion.
Other countries have already approved or attempted legislation for regulating the use of loudspeakers in mosques in order to limit noise pollution. These include India, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Turkey, Bahrain, the United Emirates, the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, France, the UK, Austria, Norway, and Belgium, and the US. The PA has also passed legislation regarding the use of loudspeakers in mosques in order to reduce noise pollution.