MUSLIM OPPORTUNISM AND THE TEMPLE MOUNT CANARD

The situation regarding the Temple Mount has been well reported. But there are several new developments, as well as a short video which throws a great deal of light on the cynicism of the clerics and Muslim organizations that are attemping to fan the flames of discord on this matter.

To present the background, Muslims are inciting a fury amongst their coreligionists and attempting to influence public opinion regarding Israel's repair of a ramp leading to the Temple Mount, site of the Al Aqsa Mosque and former site of the Temples of Solomon. Muslim propagandists claim the Israel is attempting to damage the Al Aqsa Mosque or somehow change the nature of the Holy Site -- a site holy to both religions.

The ramp Israel is building will replace -- and follow exactly the same terrain as -- an earlier ramp that was damaged by an earthquake and since been declared unsafe by engineers. The ramp leads to Mughrabi Gate, the only gateway to Temple Gate that is not under Muslim control. The new ramp will be grounded upon bedrock, and the Israelis are conducting an archaological dig as part of the construction process.

The situation seems to be spiralling more and more out of control because of the Muslim uproar. There have already been calls in the UN for a Security Council meeting, as well as violent protests of Muslims near the construction site.

CAIR, the Salafi / Wahabbi civil rights group in the U.S., is doing its part to spread this canard. On their website, they are requesting that everyone "write to President Bush" about this alleged Israeli aggression, stating:

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is calling on North American Muslims and other people of conscience to help protect religious sites in Jerusalem reportedly threatened by an Israe,li archeological dig near Al-Aqsa Mosque. North American imams are also being asked to discuss the importance of Jerusalem to Muslims in their khutbas (sermons) this Friday.

Palestinians say the Israeli dig could damage Al-Aqsa's foundations and is another attempt by Israel to change the religious character of the holy city. Suspicion over Israeli intentions grew when Israeli officials revealed recently that they had hidden the 2004 discovery of an Islamic prayer area at the dig site.

That is mild compared to what is being said among other Muslim groups, where much more warlike noises are being made. Today, Hamas politburo leader Khaled Mashaal, in a speech in Moscow, stated that Israeli construction near the Temple Mount would end in a "bloody battle."

This is nothing more then Muslim hypocrisy and agitation in action -- and have no doubt that blood will be spilled over it. But it has nothing to do protecting the Al Aqsa Mosque and everything to do with, one, keeping the Mughrabi Gate closed, and two, with the exploitation of an opportunity for the incredibly cynical clerics and radical Muslims to influence public opinion and create a crisis in their ongoing effort to see Israel wiped from the map.

Please watch the short video presentation below. It will explain what in reality is going on with the Israeli repairs. Then you tell me whether you think this is just another bloody Muslim canard.



UPDATE: There is a very through article on this by the BBC.

An independent observer, Father Jerome Murphy-O'Connor, from the French institute the Ecole Biblique in East Jerusalem, said that the work was "completely routine".

"This work is not inside the Haram. It is outside, leading to the Moors' Gate. The earth ramp fell down and has to be replaced," Father Murphy-O'Connor, author of an Oxford University guide "The Holy Land", told me.

"I do not know why the Palestinians have chosen to make an issue out of this. It is a recognised Jewish area under the arrangements that prevail in the Old City.

Read the whole article.


HATTIPS: LGF, Powerline