Sheikh Raed Salah Slams Certain Arab Leaders’ Indifference to Al-Aqsa
Sheikh Salah, who heads the Northern Branch of the Islamic Movement in the Occupied Territories, said some of these leaders have called for the discontinuation of the movement’s activities, Al Jazeera reported.
He condemned the normalization of ties with the Zionist regime of Israel by some Arab states and said any move that runs counter to “our Islamic, Arabic and Palestinian stances” should be rejected.
Elsewhere in his remarks, Sheikh Salah noted that he has gone through different tortures while in Israeli jails a few years ago, adding that he was in solitary confinement for 17 months.
The Zionist regime has also attempted to assassinate him several times, he went on to say.
Offering to bribe him to stop his activities in defense of al-Quds and an al-Aqsa Mosque was another move by the Israeli regime, he said, stressing that he rejected it and continued his efforts.
“If we cut our ties with al-Aqsa Mosque, our connection with the Quran, holy Kaaba (in Mecca), the Prophet’s Mosque (in Medina) and the Islamic Ummah would be severed,” he stated.
His comments came as millions of Muslims and justice-seekers in different countries held rallies on Friday, the International Quds Day, in solidarity with the Palestinian nation and in support of the cause of Palestine.
The annual event is seen as an opportunity for freedom-seeking people across the world, regardless of faith, to voice their support for the Palestinian cause and vent their anger against the apartheid regime in Tel Aviv, which has occupied Palestinian territories since 1967.
International Quds Day is among the legacies of the late founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Imam Khomeini, who is revered as a spiritual leader by Muslims across the world. Back in 1979, shortly after leading an Islamic Revolution which toppled the US-backed Shah of Iran, Ayatollah Khomeini named the last Friday of the fasting month of Ramadan the Quds Day.
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