A sad, tense time for those in Middle East
PALESTINIAN Muslims marked a tense and sombre last Friday of Ramadaan in Jerusalem, with minor scuffles between worshippers and Israeli police controlling the entrance to the Al-aqsa mosque, the third holiest site in Islam.
Some 120 000 people descended on the shrine, which dominates the Old City, officials said, with grand mufti Muhammad Ahmad Hussein urging the faithful to brave the heavy police presence because of the war in Gaza.
Adli al-agha, 53, from Jerusalem, said many people “had to flee dawn prayers” after Israeli police deployed a mini-drone spraying tear gas to disperse people chanting “Glory to God”.
Police said they arrested eight people for inciting terrorism.
Yasser Basha, from Tulkarem in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, said police were restricting entry to the mosque to the old and the very young. Only men over 55 and women over 50 were being allowed inside, he said.
Friday also marked Laylat al-qadr (The Night of Destiny), the spiritual climax of the Muslim holy month, which commemorates the moment the archangel Gabriel first appeared to Prophet Muhammad and began revealing the Qur’an. It is the night when Muslims believe their prayers are most likely to be granted, a festive moment while children stay up late and shops stay open until the small hours.
However, many Palestinians are not in the mood to celebrate and are praying for an end to the war in Gaza after almost six months of bloodshed.
“There is sweet nothing about the feast this year. People are not celebrating,” said Sabah, 54, some of whose relatives have been killed in Gaza. “Everything is bitter in my mouth. It is so painful at this time which is all about family.”
Easter was similarly subdued last weekend for Palestinian Christians.
In Iran, police arrested three suspected members of the Islamic State group who were allegedly plotting attacks at the end of Ramadaan, state media reported yesterday. Those arrested in Karaj in the north-western province of Alborz included Mohammed Zaker who was identified as “a senior member” of the group, according to the official IRNA news agency.
IRNA also reported the arrest of eight other “accomplices”, but without elaborating.
In January, IS claimed responsibility for twin bombings in the southern Iranian city of Kerman that killed more than 90 people.
In Afghanistan, supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada urged Afghans to respect Sharia law yesterday and called for good relations with the international community, in a rare message marking the end of Ramadaan.
In a written message before the Eid al-fitr festival that falls next week, he said: “Injustice and being opposed to Sharia leads to insecurity.”
Since returning to power in August 2021, Taliban authorities have enforced rules based on a strict interpretation of Islamic law. |