Madani Visits Al-Aqsa and Meets Officials of Service Institutions in Al-Quds
Date: 05/01/2015
Secretary General of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Iyad Ameen Madani, visited the City of Al-Quds on Monday 5 January 2015, the second day of his visit to the State of Palestine. Madani and his accompanying delegation prayed in the Blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque and conducted a tour of the Al-Quds Sacred Mosque. There he listened to the officials about the Israeli attacks and violations against the Blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque which have not spared the Mosque’s foundations.
On hand to receive the Secretary General at the Al-Quds Mosque were the Governor of the City of Al-Quds, Adnan Al-Husaini, the Mufti of Al-Quds, His Eminence Sheikh Muhammad Hussein, and Chairman of the Waqf Council, His Eminence Sheikh Abdul Azeem Salhab, as well as other dignitaries and eminent sheikhs of the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
The Mufti of Al-Quds Sheikh Muhammad Hussein commended the Secretary General’s call for the facilitation of Muslims’ access to Al-Quds for prayers and residence and as a tourist destination, having been declared as the Capital of Tourism in the Muslim World for 2015. He expressed the hope that the call, which he described as courageous and advanced, would be heeded by all in the Muslim world.
For his part, Madani expressed his delight on the visit to the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and described the visit as moment many Muslim have been denied. He added that presence in Al-Quds is one of the rights of every Muslim regardless of the sanctions and hurdles, so that they can see firsthand the conditions there. He affirmed the steadfast support of the OIC for the Blessed Al-Aqsa, for the inhabitants of Al-Quds and for their resilience in the face of attempts by the occupation forces to Judaize the city and purge it of its Arab population.
He praised the efforts of the Jordanian monarch, His Majesty King Abdullah II and of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan in maintaining the Mosque and its compound over many decades, and described them as well-appreciated by every Muslim.
Following the visit, the Secretary General met with the Governor of Jerusalem, with His Eminence the Mufti of Al-Quds, Sheikh Muhammad Hussein and officials of various Palestinian service institutions in the holy city. He stressed at the beginning of the meeting that it was important to be briefed on the needs of the service facilities and the hurdles being faced by the people of Al-Quds in various sectors.
The attendees presented a summary of the basic challenges facing the city on the issues of health, education, housing, youth and others. The Secretary General made clear that the OIC would continue its efforts in supporting the Palestinians in Al-Quds, giving assurances that the issue is about translating all the programmes and plans into reality.
Download Document Files: https://unispal.un.org/pdfs/OIC_SGAlAqsaVisit1f.pdf
Document Type: Arabic text, French text, Press Release
Document Sources: Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)
Subject: Closure of institutions, Holy places, Jerusalem, Peace proposals and efforts
Publication Date: 05/01/2015