CG Techie😎

THE COMING HEBREW HOLIDAY SEASON WILL BE THE HARSHEST YET FOR MASJID AL-AQSA Tuesday 08 September 2026 Allah says: “Who could be more unjust than those who prevent the Name of Allah from being mentioned in His *Masjids* and strive towards their ruin? Such people should not enter them except in fear. For them is disgrace in this world, and in the Hereafter is a tremendous punishment.” (Surah al-Baqarah 2:114) This verse gives everything that follows its proper perspective. Allah describes among the greatest forms of injustice the preventing of His remembrance in His Masjids and striving towards their ruin. So when access to Masjid al-Aqsa is restricted, worshippers are prevented from entering, its identity is threatened and efforts are made to impose another religious reality upon it, these developments cannot be viewed in isolation from what Allah has already taught us about the sanctity of His Masjids. And if working towards their ruin is among the gravest forms of injustice, then working to safeguard them, defend their sanctity, upholding their Islamic identity and frequenting them with the worship and remembrance of Allah is among the clearest manifestations of Iman. The months of 2026 have already witnessed a series of extremely dangerous developments at Masjid al-Aqsa. Masjid al-Aqsa was closed for around 40 days, with worshippers prevented from entering for the longest period since its occupation in 1967. This was followed by attempts by the occupation authorities to open the gates of Masjid al-Aqsa for settler incursions on Fridays! Then came the mass incursions marking the so-called anniversary of the “destruction of the Temple”, during which further extremely serious developments took place. Prayer sheets were permitted inside Masjid al-Aqsa, followed by siddur prayer books. Security exercises were conducted inside the Masjid and at its gates. The hours permitted for incursions were extended. (Currently settler incursions take place for 6 hours per day) It is a steadily escalating course of aggression through which the occupation authorities are seeking to completely eradicate the Islamic identity of Masjid al-Aqsa so that it becomes only 'Al-Aqsa' but no longer *Masjid al-Aqsa* And now, the long Hebrew holiday season is approaching. It is one of the most significant periods of aggression against Masjid al-Aqsa because of the number of holidays it contains and the desecration and violations carried out by the occupation authorities during them. THE HOLIDAYS HAVE BECOME OPPORTUNITIES TO IMPOSE CONTROL OVER JERUSALEM The large number of Jewish holidays, together with the power and resources available to the occupation authorities, have enabled these occasions to become opportunities through which the occupation increasingly presents itself as the dominant power controlling Jerusalem. This is especially visible through public displays connected to Jewish religious celebrations across the city, as part of attempts to erase its Arab and Islamic identity. Among the main objectives are: Turning Jerusalem into a city filled with settlers Extremist organisations mobilise large numbers of settlers from the settlements surrounding Jerusalem and bring them into the city during the holidays. The aim is to establish settler dominance through sheer numbers, even if only temporarily. Jerusalem sources have stated that the occupation has increasingly transformed these holidays into seasons of what is described as “Jewish pilgrimage”, in an attempt to establish the Zionist religious narrative on the ground. Changing the visual and cultural identity of Jerusalem The occupation also targets the authentic identity of Jerusalem through public celebrations connected to holidays such as Sukkot and Hanukkah. During Hanukkah, for example, settlers light menorahs at numerous locations, some extremely close to Masjid al-Aqsa.