The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today condemned the Israeli government’s closure of the Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, one of Islam’s holiest sites, as its latest attack on Islam and Palestinian human rights.
CAIR also called on the United States and Muslim-majority nations to demand that the lifting of the ban on entry to the sacred space.
The Israeli occupation police closed on Sunday morning Al-Aqsa Mosque again and banned Muslim worshippers from entry “until further notice”.
SEE: Israel bans entry into Al-Aqsa Mosque “again” until further notice – Middle East Monitor
In a statement, CAIR Deputy Executive Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell said:
“The Israeli government is yet again demonstrating its disdain for not only the Palestinian people, but Islam itself. The Netanyahu regime has no right whatsoever to restrict access to Al Aqsa Mosque or any other sacred site in Jerusalem. The United States should demand an end to the Israeli government’s attacks on the religious freedom of Palestinian Muslims and Christians, and the broader Muslim world must demand the re-opening of access to this sacred place.”
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CONTACT: CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, e-Mitchell@cair.com; CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw, 202-742-6448, rmccaw@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Manager Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, iallison@cair.com