Dr. Abdul Hamid al-Atrash, the head of the Fatwa Committee of Al Azhar in Egypt, has issued a ruling that Arabs may ban Jews from visiting their holy sites in Arab lands.
He was asked the question by the El Balad newspaper.
Al-Atrash says that as long as Muslims cannot travel to Jerusalem while it is in Jewish hands, then Muslims have the right to bar Jews from visiting their own holy places, under the Islamic concept of “reciprocity.” Therefore, he says, Egyptian authorities have the right to ban Jews from going to the Alexandria synagogue on Rosh Hashanah.
Al Haram Al Sharif, or Noble Sanctuary, revered as the third holiest site in Islam.
Eliyahu HaNavi Synagogue, Alexandria, Egypt
He backed up his opinion with a Koranic verse, “Glory be to Allah, His Prophet and the believers, but the hypocrites know not.” Also, he used a Hadith that says “Who allowed himself to be humiliated is not one of us,”a saying that explains a lot. Apparently, Jews visiting Jewish holy sites is a humiliation for Muslims.
Categories: Africa, Egypt, Intolerance, Israel, Middle East, Mosque, Religions