Vol. 28 No. 11
SAFAR 1436 l NOVEMBER 2014
This poster is a collaborative work commissioned by the South African Faith Communities Environment Institute (Safcei) as part of an initiative to turn masajid into centres of environmental excellence and sustainability. It is designed to be used as a learning tool to help stimulate discussion and action around eco-theology, greening worship and the thoughtful use of Allah’s gifts. The aim is to encourage masjid committees and worshippers to become more aware of the way we manage energy, water, biodiversity, food security and waste. See page 8.
Masjid-al-Aqsa increasingly violated HE latest desecration of Masjid al-Aqsa is unprecedented since 1967. The occupation itself and the presence of troops in and around the precincts of the Haram is an ongoing gross violation of its sanctity. The latest incident occurs 47 years after Israeli police last invaded the Masjid al-Aqsa main compound. This time, Israeli police stomped through the masjid with their boots and fired stun grenades that set fire to the carpet in the masjid. Over the past year, Israel has taken key steps to entrench its occupation and advance a strategy of annexing part of the Haram for exclusive Jewish use. The Zionist project is devoid of religion but Judaism is a convenient tool for political gain. Hence, the latitude given by Israel to Jewish extremists who claim that Masjid al-Aqsa is built on the ruins of the ancient Jewish Temple Mount is a useful ploy to gain further control of strategic land for geo-political purposes. Jews demanding the right to pray in the Haram where the
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Temple Mount is claimed to have been are met with resistance from Palestinians. The ban on non-Muslims entering the Haram was kept in place to prevent conflict and clashes with Muslims who are already under occupation and whose rights to land and justice are routinely eroded in the broader Zionist project. The present crisis came to a head on October 29 when USborn right wing extremist Yehuda Glick was shot by an unknown assailant at the Menachem Begin Heritage Center in Jerusalem. This was the pretext Israel needed to invade the Haram and secure a basis for dividing it between Jews and Muslims, presumably as a non-negotiable proposition in the interests of ‘peace keeping’. However, the Haram has much more than geo-political significance. It is sacred to over two billion Muslims in the world. The collective outrage of the Muslim ummah is evident across the globe. It is equally evident that the vast majority of Muslim countries are silent in this latest Israeli
offensive. The governments of Iran, Turkey, Pakistan and Jordan have, albeit in varying degrees, condemned Israel for an act of ‘barbarity’ and ‘terror’. However, it is the silence of the leading Muslim countries, notably Saudi Arabia, which is home to the first and second most sacred Haramain, that is particularly telling at this time. The failure of these governments to lead protest action in defence of Masjid al-Aqsa, such as ending diplomatic ties with Israel, is indicative of the primacy of power over principle. The Saudi monarchy is clearly committed to preserving its political power above its obligation to defend the integrity of the third most holy site in Islam. As a client state of the United States, which is the most important and avowed ally of Israel, the Saudis opt for the disgrace of silence in the face of outrage as opposed to the prospect of relinquishing power should they choose to oppose Israeli aggression. Story MAHMOOD SANGLAY/ Photo SHAFIQ MORTON