Changes Ahead for Temple Mount?

December 3, 2006

The fifth minaret would be the first minaret built in 600 years. While most mosques only have one minaret, adding minarets is a sign of honor, respect, and pride. Dr. Raef Najim, a senior Jordanian involved in the project, said a fifth minaret could be symbolic of the five pillars of Islam.

MK Ariel says the synagogue would be built in such a way that it would not change the Muslim status quo on the mount. “This is not a new idea,” Ariel stressed. “It has been brought up and considered countless times since the [1967] Six Day War [during which the Temple Mount was liberated from Jordanian occupation]…This synagogue will not interfere with believing Muslims who wish to pray at the Al-Aqsa Mosque. On the contrary, this is an opportunity for the Muslim world to demonstrate and prove that it is tolerant enough,” said Ariel. The plan will be submitted to the proper authorities for approval.

However, Zahi Meijidat, a spokesman for the Islamic Movement in Israel, responded, “We do not recognize the right of any other religious denomination [to have authority over the area]. For more than 14 centuries, this holy compound has belonged to the Muslims and will stay this way.” MK Ibrahim Sarsour of the United Arab party Ta’al made a foreboding prediction: “Any attempt to build a synagogue on the Temple Mount will immediately plunge Israel into a bloodbath.”

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