For the Arabs and Egyptians living in the Holy land now known as Palestine, Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel provides the latest opportunity to step up their violent attacks. Palestinian Authority (PA) President delivered a speech soon after Trumps announcement before the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in Turkey claiming that Jewish history of Jerusalem was false. He also said there would be no peace without a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital. The PA’s Ministry of Information released a statement in which it dismissed the existence of the Western Wall, Judaism’s most sacred site. Referring to the Western Wall by its Islamic name, the ministry said: “Al-Buraq was, still is and shall be a Palestinian, Arab and Islamic site.”
There are two distinctive incidents involving Muhammad that renders Jerusalem a must-have for Muslims. The first one is that Jerusalem was the first place Muslims directed their prayer, and the second is Muhammad’s “mystical” visit to Jerusalem known as Miraj.
Muslim prayers were directed toward Jerusalem soon after Mecca was conquered in 630 A.D. because Muhammed (570 A.D. to 632 A.D.), long exposed to Judaism and Christianity, was aware of the pivotal role the city played as the center for Jewish and Christian worship. Since the central claim of Islam is that Jews and Christians corrupted allah’s message, Muhammad’s followers pushed their own message that Jerusalem was given to the prophets of allah beginning with Adam, and not to the Jews as God’s chosen people therefore, the land must pass to those who lived in accordance with allah’s will, something the Jews and Christians failed to do after Kings David and Solomon, who Muslims claim, ruled with sharia law.
The second reason why the city is essential to the Muslim faith is the legend of Mirāj, aka, the ascension of Muhammad into heaven during a dream with the archangels Jibril and Mikal where he is prepared to meet allah. The archangels opened up his body, purify his heart, and fill it with wisdom and belief. In early Muslim history this legend is associated with the story of Muhammad’s night journey (Isra) from Mecca to the “further place of worship” (Jerusalem). The two separate legends were gradually combined so that chronologically the purification of Muhammad, in his sleep, begins the sequence, and he is then transported in a single night by the winged mythical creature Buraq from Mecca to Jerusalem, before ascending into heaven where he proceeds through all seven levels to reach the throne of allah. Along the way Mohammad and the archangels meet “the minor prophets” Adam, John, Jesus, Joseph, Aaron, Moses which Muhammad leads in prayer as their imam. After meeting allah Mohammad is told he is the only person to ever have been in his divine presence. He returns to Mecca on the heavenly steed Buraq.
These are basically the reasons why Jerusalem represents to Muslims the idea that Islam is perfect, something that Judaism and Christianity never attained. Their obsession is indicative of the way they see the entire world – a chessboard to be conquered and controlled.
While Christ emphasized many time that His kingdom was not of this world, Muhammad’s desire to become the temporal sultan required the conquest of Mecca, Medina, and Jerusalem. Miraj sealed the fate of Jerusalem as an immediate target of Islamic Jihad therefore Jewish sovereignty over Jerusalem is an abomination that will not be tolerated. Because of the nature of this particular beast, Jerusalem will remain a source of regional conflict for years to come even though they have no claim to Jerusalem, period – never have, never will.
King David conquered Jebus in 1003 B.C. and changed its name to Jerusalem, Yerushalayim, over 1500 years before Islam was founded. The City was not taken by Islam until the siege of 637 AD and the Mosque of Omar not built until 74 years after Muhammad’s death. The Temple, the Dome of the Rock, was erected by the Muslim ruler Abd el-Malik in 688-691 A.D.
“Just stay quiet and you’ll be okay.” That’s what Mohamed Atta told the passengers on American Airlines flight 11 shortly before it flew into the World Trade Center. It wasn’t good advice then. And it’s not good advice now. As Islam expands its global reach, it’s becoming increasingly evident that the “don’t-do-anything-to-provoke-them” policy isn’t working, and never will.” William Kilpatrick
