Denis Michael Rohan, a Zionist Christian from Australia, started a fire in al-Aqsa Mosque which is one of the oldest mosques in the world, annihilating some of historical objects and provoking wise response from the global public opinion.
Mosques have been among the most sacred places on earth in Islamic history, assumed to be a link between the heavens and the earth and a place for humankind’s growth and evolution.
Spanning 144,000 square meters, Al-Aqsa Mosque sits in the third rank of sanctity after Masjid al-Haram and Al-Masjid an-Nabawi among Muslims. It was occupied by the Zionist forces in 1967 war.
The international community and the United Nations have condemned the occupation as illegal in several resolutions, calling on the Zionist forces to leave the area.
However, the Zionists claim that the remnants of Solomon's Temple are beneath al-Aqsa Mosque. They have tried to destroy al-Aqsa Mosque and wipe the Islamic monuments off the face of the area through attacks, occupation, arson attempts, and excavation under the pretext of restoration of the temple.
A Christian movement has been emerged in some countries, especially in the United States, that believe that the destruction of al-Aqsa Mosque and restoration of Solomon’s Temple as the condition of Messiah’s arrival. That’s the belief that motivated the Zionist Christian to set the mosque on fire 53 years ago.
Iran proposed to name the day when the mosque was set on fire as the World Day of Mosque to let Muslims remember the criminal acts of the Zionists each year so that it will never be forgotten.
The latest Zionist aggression to al-Aqsa Mosque took place on May 5, 2022 on the so-called independence day of Israel which was greeted by the Palestinian youth’s defense and the following clashes.
The resistance forces called on all Palestinians to mobilize to defend al-Aqsa Mosque and protect the holy place against desecration.
The Zionists have violated the mosque's holiness for countless times. In one case, near 30,000 Jewish settlers flocked the courtyard of al-Aqsa Mosque, violating Muslim sanctities.
Such attacks and aggressions against the Mosque has been a motivation for many Intifadas which has left hundreds of deaths and thousands of injuries from among Palestinians.
The 2000 al-Aqsa Intifada was caused by former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon entry to the mosque which was perceived as an insult to the Palestinian nation and a desecration of the mosque.
It is believed that former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s green light to attacks against al-Aqsa Mosque paved the way for Israeli violations on a monthly basis.
However, the Zionists should come to understand that the continuation of occupation wouldn’t bring them legitimacy and al-Aqsa Mosque will never be forgotten or ignored by Muslims.
That’s why Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei in a meeting with the Syrian officials of Owqaf promised that a day will come when they will be able to say congressional prayers in al-Aqsa Mosque.
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