Al Azhar proposes 2018 as year of Jerusalem
UN AGENCY FOR PALESTINIAN REFUGEES FACES CRISIS AFTER US AID CUT
Al Azhar, Sunni Islam’s influential institution, yesterday proposed designating 2018 as the year of Jerusalem in a move aimed at countering US President Donald Trump’s recent recognition of the holy city as Israel’s capital.
The proposal was floated yesterday by Grand Imam of Al Azhar Shaikh Ahmad Al Tayyeb at a major conference being held in Cairo in support of occupied Jerusalem.
In an address to the conference, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called on Arab Muslims and Christians to end their boycott of going to occupied Jerusalem, arguing that such visits will help preserve the city’s identity and support its inhabitants.
“I call on everyone to visit [occupied Jerusalem]. This is not normalisation [with Israel]. Please do not leave us alone,” Abbas said.
Meanwhile, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees faces its worst funding crisis ever after the United States froze tens of millions of dollars in contributions, its spokesman said. “The US has announced it will contribute $60 million to the programme budget. There is for the moment no other indication of possible funding,” UNRWA spokesman Chris Gunness said. “This dramatically reduced contribution results in the most severe funding crisis in the history of the agency.”
I call on everyone to visit [occupied Jerusalem]. This is not normalisation [with Israel]. Please do not leave us alone.” Mahmoud Abbas | Palestinian President
Al Azhar, Sunni Islam’s influential institution, yesterday proposed designating 2018 as the year of Jerusalem in a move aimed at countering US President Donald Trump’s recent recognition of the holy city as Israel’s capital.
The proposal was floated by the Grand Imam of Al Azhar Shaikh Ahmad Al Tayyeb at a major conference being held in Cairo in support of Occupied Jerusalem. “I propose designating this year as the year of Jerusalem in order to highlight its status and to offer financial and moral support for the Jerusalemites,” he said in his opening address at the conference.
Al Tayyeb explained that the agenda of the year should feature cultural and media activities engaging Arab governmental and non-governmental organisations as well as universities. Al Tayyeb also called on Arab countries to teach special syllabuses on the Palestinian problem, with an emphasis on Occupied Jerusalem.
“A bitter reality is that the syllabuses in our curricula are unable to help [students] form any sense of correct awareness about this cause. There is not a single syllabus that sheds light on this serious cause, its history and present status.”
The two-day conference is co-organised by Al Azhar and the Muslim Council of Elders based in Abu Dhabi.
The event, being attended by representatives of 86 countries, is aimed at raising awareness of the Jerusalem cause; emphasising its Arab-Islamic identity; and highlighting international responsibility for the occupied city.
UAE delegation
The UAE delegation taking part in the conference includes Dr Ali Al Nuaimi, secretarygeneral of the Muslim Council of Elders; Hamdan Musallam Al Mazroui, chairman of the Council of the Emirates Red Crescent council; Juma Mubarak Al Junaibi, UAE Ambassador to Egypt, and Azza Sulaiman, a member of the Federal National Council.
“This conference sounds the alarm anew and rekindles zeal of Arabs, Muslims and Christians for the necessity of standing firm against the savage Zionist transgression backed by some international policies,” Al Tayyeb told the gathering. He condemned Trump’s decision on Occupied Jerusalem. “This unfair decision should be countered by a new Islamic, Arab thinking underlining the Arab identity of Jerusalem,” he said.
Last month, Trump announced a plan to relocate the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Occupied Jerusalem, a step that unleashed street protests in the Arab and Islamic worlds.
In an address to the Cairo conference, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called on Arab Muslims and Christians to end their boycott of going to Jerusalem, arguing that such visits will help preserve the city’s identity and support its inhabitants.
“I call on everyone to visit [Jerusalem]. This is not normalisation [with Israel]. Please do not leave us alone,” Abbas said at the conference. “We confirm to you that trips of Arabs, Muslims and Christians to Jerusalem will protect and support it. It is not normalisation.”
Most Arabs shun visiting Occupied Jerusalem, believing that such journeys constitute a sort of normal links with Israel.
Occupied Jerusalem is home to Al Aqsa Mosque, which is Islam’s third holiest site.
“Arab and Islamic links with Palestine, Palestinians, the city of Jerusalem and its people in particular amount to support of its Arab and Islamic identity. It is not a normalisation with the occupation,” Abbas said.
He branded Trump’s decision on Jerusalem as “sinful”, saying that the US is no longer qualified to play mediator. “Trump’s decision will not give Israel any legitimacy. Jerusalem is still an Islamic and Christian city, without which there will be no peace in the region,” he added.