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Al-Aqsa preacher: ‘We reject Quran burning, Ben-Gvir's actions a declaration of war’

July 29, 2023 at 11:00 am

Israeli police stand guard by Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem on June 18, 2023 [JEWEL SAMAD/AFP via Getty Images]

Preacher of Al-Aqsa Mosque Sheikh Ekrima Sabri asserted that Muslims refuse the burning of any holy book and consider that justifying such action as being a matter of freedom of opinion by Western countries, such as Sweden and Denmark, is “unacceptable and unconvincing.”

Sheikh Sabri considered the statement by Israeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir regarding the return and imposition of Israeli rule on Al-Aqsa Mosque as a “declaration of war”.

Sheikh Sabri shared in an interview with Anadolu Agency inside Al-Aqsa Mosque: “The West has a trivial and unconvincing argument, which is that the burning of the Quran falls within the circle of freedom of opinion or freedom of movement, and this is totally rejected.”

He called on Western countries to: “Commit to the recent resolution issued by the UN, which criminalises anyone who violates sanctities and any sacred matter.”

Sheikh Sabri expressed: “Painfully and regrettably, the Holy Qur’an has been burned repeatedly, and this is a great challenge for two billion Muslims around the world, who did not take action. Where is the spirit of Al-Mu’tasim in the Abbasid era, who punished the Romans when one woman pleaded with him? How should it be now that the Qur’an, the constitution of the Muslims, is being burned? The West dares to commit these acts against us because there is no reaction that matches this heinous crime.”

READ: Far-right Israeli minister storms Al-Aqsa