Doha: Fifty-seven years after the arson at Al-Aqsa Mosque, Islam's third-holiest site and the site of the Prophet Muhammad's Night Journey, the anniversary of the crime is no longer merely a reminder of a dark day in Jerusalem's history. Instead, it has become an occasion to sound the warning bells over Israeli plans, pursued both openly and covertly, to alter the historic status quo and Al-Aqsa's Islamic identity and take control of the mosque and the surrounding areas by every means at its disposal.
According to Qatar News Agency, the fire set by Christian extremist Michael Dennis Rohan in the Qibli prayer hall in 1969, which decimated Saladin's historic pulpit and large parts of the prayer hall, left a deep wound that awakened the Muslim world. This act of arson led to the issuance of Security Council Resolution 271, condemning the act and calling on Israel to respect Jerusalem's character and revoke measures intended to alter the city's status quo. The Organization of the Islamic Conference, now known as the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), was established in response to the incident, symbolizing broad Islamic unity around the holy sites.
While the immediate fire damage at Al-Aqsa has been repaired, the current threats are complex, involving Zionist plots and programs designed to impose new realities through recurrent incursions and religious rites on the mosque's compound. These efforts aim to redefine the status quo and establish a temporal and spatial division at Jerusalem's most sensitive holy site. In recent months, there has been a significant increase in such incursions, with thousands of settlers participating, raising concerns among Palestinians about a potential repeat of the division seen at the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron.
Sheikh Ekrima Sabri, Head of the Higher Islamic Council in Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa Mosque preacher, has called for steadfastness at Al-Aqsa and urged Arab and Islamic nations to protect the mosque and other sanctities in Jerusalem. He emphasized that the anniversary of the arson should remind rising generations of the assault on the mosque and the ongoing threats it faces. Sabri also highlighted the indomitable spirit of Jerusalem's people and their commitment to defending Al-Aqsa's religious and historical status.
Palestinian analysts argue that Israel is altering the status quo at Al-Aqsa by allowing settlers to storm it regularly, restricting Muslim worshippers' access, and exercising control over the site. They view these actions as part of a broader strategy to reshape the status quo, using security crises as opportunities to accelerate these transformations. The International Jerusalem Foundation advocates for popular action and resistance to restore a deterrence equation that protects Al-Aqsa.
The administration of Al-Aqsa is overseen by the Jerusalem Awqaf and Al-Aqsa Mosque Affairs Department, a public Islamic institution operating under the Hashemite Jordanian custodianship. This department is responsible for overseeing the mosque's affairs, including restoration work, gate operations, and the management of other Jerusalem mosques and holy sites. The historic status quo, recognized internationally, prohibits modifications to the status of holy sites, including both Islamic and Christian sites.