By: Kayhan Int’l Staff Writer

 

The consequences of the Muslim World’s ignoring of the declaration of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to observe August 21, the anniversary of the sacrilegious arson attack at al-Aqsa Mosque in 1969, as World Mosque Day, have become obvious today with the despicable Zionists feeling emboldened in the further desecration of Islam’s third holiest site.

Yesterday on the 53rd anniversary of that tragic arson attack, gangs of armed Zionists encouraged by their alliance with the reactionary Arab regimes stormed the al-Aqsa Mosque to hold Talmudic rituals, even as the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, issued a statement apprising the Ummah of the dire situation in Bayt al-Moqaddas.

The Islamic Republic of Iran which decades earlier had initiated the move at the OIC, observed as usual the World Mosque Day to denounce Israel’s crimes against humanity and reaffirm support for the oppressed people of the Zionist usurped land of Palestine.

Lebanon’s legendry anti-terrorist movement, the Hezbollah, as well as Yemen’s Ansarallah led government in Sana’a also observed the World Mosque Day and renewed their allegiance to the Palestinian defenders to help liberate al-Aqsa from Zionist occupation, but most of the Muslim countries were mute, with only some non-governmental organizations commemorating the anniversary of the tragedy.

As for the reactionary Arab regimes sitting in the lap of the US along with their newfound Zionist cousins, the reports from Occupied Palestine failed to arouse whatever is left of their Muslims conscience and were viewed as mere amusement.

Yesterday’s spectacle of the Godless gangs trampling the sacred compound of the Haram ash-Sharif with their boots on, was a shock to the local Muslims as well as to the Palestinian Christians who recently lost their prominent journalist Shirin Abu Aqelah to a bullet from an Israeli soldier and who in 1969 had joined their Islamic compatriots in dousing the flames of the arson attack despite the hurdles thrown in the way by Israeli soldiers.

In Tehran, Foreign Ministry Spokesman, Nasser Ken’ani, tweeted “Resistance is the sole way to save Palestine, and al-Aqsa Mosque and all mosques across the globe will remain the center of anti-Zionist resistance until the full liberation of Palestine.”

The Hamas statement from Gaza read: “The occupied city of Bayt al-Moqaddas including the Al-Aqsa Mosque is the core of the Palestinian struggle against the Israeli occupation deliberate attacks. We reiterate that we will keep defending it with all means possible, including comprehensive resistance, until liberation and return.

It added: “The crime of burning the blessed al-Aqsa Mosque and the Israeli occupation and Zionist aggressors’ ongoing crimes against our land, our people, and our holy sites will not break the Palestinian people’s determination to stand against the Israeli crimes, but rather would ignite the flame of resistance and make us firmly adhere to our legitimate rights until liberation and return (home).”

In 1969 on August 21, Australian Zionist Denis Michael Rohan had sneaked into the al-Aqsa Mosque and set fire to the 800-year old wooden-ivory pulpit which was badly burnt, along with the southeastern ceiling, as were the ornamental mosaics and two marble pillars between the dome and the mihrab (prayer niche). 

The fire also burned the altar of Prophet Zachariah and the place of worship of forty other prophets, damaging an area of nearly 1,500 square meters.

Both Muslim and Christian Palestinians joined ranks and rushed to douse the flames, but Israeli forces prevented their entry. After short but fierce clashes, they made their way into the sacred sanctuary and started to tackle the fire. After the fire extinguishers failed to work, they looked for sources of water but found the pumps broken and the hoses cut by the Zionists. The Muslim and Christians then quickly banded together to form a human chain and used buckets and other small containers to bring water to the building.

The UN Security Council which on 15 September 1969 passed Resolution 271 under pressure from Muslim countries to condemn Israel by 11 votes to none with 4 abstentions, made mention of previous resolutions regarding the Geneva Conventions and the occupation status of Bayt al-Moqaddas, but had done nothing concrete. 

Today, on the dictates of the US and European regimes, the World Body has long stopped even its toothless verbal condemnation of Israel’s desecration of Islamic sanctities. 

The result has been growing acts of blasphemy by the Zionists, who are now in an unholy alliance with the treasonous Arab regimes which have no regard for the sanctity of the al-Aqsa Mosque.

Thus, as Iran, Palestinians, and the rest of the Islamic Resistance Forces insist, because of the rejection of a peaceful solution to the chronic question by the so-called defenders of democracy, armed struggle is the only way for liberation of the al-Aqsa Mosque and Bayt al-Moqaddas.