Jerusalem – Ma’an – Today, Wednesday, August 21, marks the 55th anniversary of the burning of Al-Aqsa Mosque in 1969, after the extremist Jew Michael Dennis set fire to the mosque. On

this day, the hand of sin and aggression extended to burn Al-Aqsa Mosque, the first of the two Qiblahs and the third of the two Holy Sanctuaries and the path of the Seal of the Prophets and Messengers, Muhammad, peace be upon him, in an attempt to eliminate Islamic sites in Palestine at the hands of the Israeli occupation.

The Australian Jew Dennis Michael set fire to Al-Aqsa Mosque, and the flames engulfed the furniture, walls and pulpit of Salah al-Din al-Ayyubi, which is considered historic, as the leader Salah al-Din prepared it to deliver his sermons from after his victory and liberation of Jerusalem. The raging fire at that time also engulfed three corridors extending from the south to the north inside Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Israel arrested the perpetrator, and the Israeli authorities transferred him to a psychiatric hospital
in Al-Mazra’a near Acre. Shortly after, he was deported to Australia. He said at the time, “I did it by God’s command.”

This criminal act had a major reaction in the Islamic world, and demonstrations erupted everywhere. One of the consequences of this crime was the establishment of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, which includes all Islamic countries in its membership. The late Saudi King Faisal bin Abdul Aziz was the one who came up with the idea, but the organization has not been able to stop the acts of vandalism and desecration of Al-Aqsa to this day.

The crime of burning Al-Aqsa Mosque came within the framework of a series of Israeli attacks on Al-Aqsa Mosque at different times, and these attacks continue to this day.

The occupation authorities have adopted an arbitrary policy towards Al-Aqsa Mosque and the city of Jerusalem. In early 1969, they completely removed the Moroccan Quarter adjacent to the mosque and demolished many mosques and Islamic schools that were established during the Uma
yyad era.

Since the complete Israeli occupation of the city of Jerusalem in 1967, the occupation authorities have demolished most of the Islamic and historical buildings located around Al-Aqsa Mosque with the aim of changing and removing the Islamic landmarks that characterize the city.

Among the most dangerous Israeli measures are attempts to Judaize the city of Jerusalem using methods far from legitimacy, including the confiscation of Palestinian lands and properties and the practice of methods of oppression and terrorism against its Arab and Muslim residents in order to Judaize the city completely and attempts to displace Jews from countries around the world and settle them in Jerusalem, and even consider it the capital of Israel.

Source: Maan News Agency