Mosque Heart of Resistance in Muslim World: Official
“The mosque is the heart of resistance in the Islamic world,” Hojat-ol-Islam Hossein Mohammad-Ebrahim, head of Iran’s mosque affairs department, said on Tuesday in a ceremony that was held in Tehran to mark World Mosque Day.
On August 21, 1969, at seven in the morning, Al-Aqsa Mosque, the first Qiblah or direction of prayer of Muslims, was set on fire by an Australian Zionist named Michael Dennis Rohan.
The fire burned an area of nearly 1500 square meters of the mosque, including an ancient pulpit dating back eight centuries. Also burned were the altar of Prophet Zachariah, and place of worship of forty other prophets. The arches and the main foundations on which the dome rests also caught fire, making the roof of the mosque collapse. The day is commemorated every year as World Mosque Day.
“Today, in the heart of Western liberal democracies, mosques are being closed, their properties confiscated, and people are barred from attending,” Mohammad-Ebrahim said, probably referring to the closure of Islamic Center Hamburg by the German government.
“This is because they recognize the mosque’s crucial role in raising awareness,” he said.
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“For this reason, the global system of domination and the Zionist lobby are fighting against the mosque,” he said, citing reports that indicate almost all mosques in Gaza have been destroyed in Israeli attacks since October last year.
In Gaza, the children continue to recite verses of patience, and through their perseverance, they have inspired not only Islamic nations but also non-Muslim communities to join the struggle against the Israeli regime, added the cleric.
“Today, as the imams of Tehran province, and on behalf of the imams across the country, we gather to denounce the Zionist regime and stand in solidarity with the axis of resistance and the oppressed people of Gaza,” he added.
The Israeli aggression has claimed the lives of at least 40,134 people in Gaza, mostly women and children. The relentless attacks have also wounded 92,743 others, with some 11,000 people reportedly missing.
