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THIS refers to Irfan Husain’s article ‘O Jerusalem!’ (Jan 17). I am not a very religious person but want to visit and see this city. I want to see the Church of Holy Sepulchre, Dome of Rock, Al Aqsa Mosque, Garden of Gethsemane and Struthion Pool.
I also want to see Western Wall and visit Jerusalem rail station now closed. I want to walk those alleyways where Jesus once walked, a most mild and polite human. I will visit the Mosque of Hazrat Umar too.
In short, it is a city worth visiting but who will allow me? I think denying our right to visit it, we are weakening Muslim claim to it.
When the Great Salauddin Ayyubi retook it after 90 years, he showed great magnanimity to its Christian population. In their times Christian missionaries, however, changed Al Alqsa into a stable. They also broke some part of the foundation stone on the well of souls underneath the Dome of Rock. The kingdom of Jerusalem was ruthless to its Muslim subjects.
The British in their times showed criminal negligence and slowly let Jerusalem change its population character. It was a Muslim-dominated city for a thousand years. Later, it became a Jew-dominated city.
Even then, out of 800,000 total population of Jerusalem, 250,000 are Muslims. They live like second-class citizens. Israel is encroaching on their lands against all accepted international rules and norms.
Then the British colluded with Zionists and left Palestine a festering wound on the face of humanity. As for me, I stand with Palestinians and know deep in my heart that they are true heirs of Jerusalem. Despite their weakness and apparent mistakes, as mentioned by the writer, they will prevail at the end of the day.
In present times, they are the most oppressed people. Israel is a colonial project and is doomed to fail.
Palestine will become one state with religious freedom for Muslims, Jews and Christians alike as once it was during Ottoman times.
Muhammad Ashtar
Islamabad
Published in Dawn, January 30th, 2015
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