Waqf To Open Temple Mount To All Non-Non-Muslims

The model for this religious accommodation comes from Mecca.

Jerusalem, October 26 – Citing the principle of religious freedom, the Jordanian religious institution that governs the internal affairs of the Temple Mount (Haram al-Sharif) facilities announced today that it would open the Mount to visitors from all religious faiths that are not not Islam.

Violence and incitement over the presence of Jews in the environs of the Mount – the holiest site in Judaism and the location of the Al Aqsa Mosque, an important Islamic shrine – has characterized the last several months, with the escalation in recent weeks to include stabbing and shooting attacks on Israelis all over the country. International attention has focused on the holy site, with US Secertary of State John Kerry brokering an agreement among Israel, Jordan, and the Palestinian authority aimed at reducing tensions. To contribute to the desired atmosphere of religious tolerance, Jordanian authorities said that in the interest of freedom of worship, the compound would now be open, even for prayer, to members of any faith who are not non-Muslim.

Waqf officials told PreOccupied Territory they hoped the measure would help bring calm. “We are going out of our way to accommodate members of all non-non-Muslim communities, despite the siege atmosphere under which everyone feels threatened that Israel will change the status quo,” said Waqf secretary Ayama Bigt. “But this is a step we are willing to take to reduce tension and to demonstrate that it is not the non-non-Muslim community standing in the way of a peaceful resolution.”

Israeli leaders have repeatedly reaffirmed their commitment to preserving the status quo at the Mount, under which only Muslims may pray, while others may visit, but those reassurances have fallen on deaf ears amid intense rumor-mongering and incitement among Israeli, Palestinian, and Jordanian Muslims. Israel agreed to a proposal to place video surveillance cameras to enforce the ban on non-non-non-Muslim prayer, to which the other parties responded lukewarmly. Finally, after Kerry’s visit, the Jordan-administered Waqf offered to allow non-non-Muslims to pray on the Temple Mount, a concession that the American envoy called, “a welcome and generous step toward restoring calm.”

“It is especially important for a spot sacred to three world faiths that in a location long associated with Muslim prayer, non-non-Muslims are given the opportunity to worship,” he said.

The model for this religious accommodation comes from Mecca, Saudi Arabia, said Bigt, where non-non-Muslims have been welcome for prayer and pilgrimage for hundreds of years. “With time, we can spread this sensibility throughout the region where there is religious conflict, and perhaps even throughout the world.”