Muslim сountries сondemn attempts to change status of Al-Aqsa Mosque

Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. Photo: Al Jazeera

Foreign ministers of Muslim countries have condemned attempts to change the status quo of Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. At an emergency meeting in Amman, representatives of 14 states spoke out against encroachments on the Muslim holy site, reports The National News.

The meeting of the Arab League Committee, established to counter illegal measures in occupied Jerusalem, was held under Jordan's chairmanship. Ministers from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar, Turkey, Pakistan and other Muslim countries joined the discussions. The participants agreed to develop a unified international position to protect the identity and holy sites of the city.

In a joint communiqué, the participants pointed to ongoing settler incursions, restrictions on Muslim worshippers, excavations beneath the mosque, and the obstruction of its administration's work. The document emphasized that the complex is an exclusively Muslim place of worship, and that Jordanian religious authorities hold exclusive rights to administer the holy site.

Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman al-Safadi warned that such violations are pushing the entire region toward an explosion of religious conflict whose consequences will be impossible to contain. His position was supported by Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, who stated that freedom of religion must not be used to impose a new occupation reality. He particularly noted the historic role of the Jordanian dynasty in protecting the holy sites.

Al-Aqsa is administered by an Islamic trust controlled by Amman under a bilateral peace treaty signed in 1994. Under this agreement, non-Muslims are prohibited from praying within the compound. However, following the escalation of the military conflict in the Gaza Strip in October 2023, advocates for changing the status of the holy site have become more active.

As the UOJ reported, more than 3,200 Israeli settlers stormed the territory of Al-Aqsa Mosque.

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