AHRC demands an immediate halt to Israeli attacks on MuslimWorshippers at al Aqsa Mosque Compound

The American Human Rights Council (AHRC-USA) joins all peace-loving people in condemning the recent Israeli police unprovoked attacks on Al-Aqsa Mosque compound worshippers in Jerusalem. This attack on the third holiest shrine in Islam during the holiest month of the year in the Muslim calendar is a provocation that threatens world peace.

The Israeli raid continued until morning hours of Wednesday and resulted in injuring many and arresting more than 400 worshipers. The brutal attack on unarmed worshippers is a violation of all norms of decency. Al Aqsa is a Muslim shrine that only Muslim have the right to determine who visits and who stays at the mosque.

Fact is al-Aqsa is a mosque and Israel agreed with Jordan that Jordan would have its custody as a Muslim holy site. What has increased Muslim concerns and anxieties about the mosque is Jewish extremists calling for Jewish ritual slaughter inside al Aqsa during this Passover.

The context of this attack is the rise of Israeli Jewish religious fanaticism. Everyone who follows the news clearly sees the rise of Jewish religious fanaticism manifesting itself in aggression against others. This aggression is not only directed against Muslims. It is directed also against Christians and secular Jews.

This bigotry, aided and abetted by an Israeli government of settlers and religious extremists, should concern all of us. All peace leaving people should pressure Israel to respect the religious rights of people of all faith.

AHRC demands an immediate halt to Israeli attacks on Al-Aqsa Mosque as well as the immediate release of all the imprisoned worshippers.

AHRC calls for immediate international protection for the Al-Aqsa Compound and the occupied Palestinians. The current far right Israeli government should not be given the opportunity to use escalation of violence against the Palestinians as a way to change the narrative of a divided Israeli Jewish society dealing with a crisis of historic proportions.

"Al Aqsa is at the core of the Zionist ideology and is the most explosive issue- a ticking bomb," said Dr. Ihsan Alkhatib, an associate professor of political science at Murray state University." “The irony is that there is not a shred of archaeological evidence to support the Zionist claim that the al Aqsa compound is the location where the Jewish First and Second Temples stood," added Alkhatib.

“Attacking any place of faith is an attack on all faiths and is not accepted by any decent human being,” said Imad Hamad, AHRC Executive Director. “April is a month of religious occasions and holidays for Muslims, Christians and Jews,” added Hamad. “This month should be a time of peace,” concluded Hamad.

-Attached photo credit:
Creator: Mahmoud Illean | Credit: AP/ Copyright: Copyright 2023 The Associated Press