Disgraceful pictures from the Temple Mount show Muslim disregard for the holiness of the site, outraging Jewish visitors.
By United With Israel Staff and The Temple Institute
The Temple Institute posted on its Facebook page yesterday heartbreaking pictures of trash accumulation on the Temple Mount.
The Temple Institute is dedicated to educating and informing people about the Holy Temple of Jerusalem and its central role in fulfilling the spiritual well being of both Israel and the nations of the world.
The organization pointed out that, though the Temple Mount is the holiest place in the world for the Jewish people, as two of their ancient Temples stood there and it is the location where biblical Abraham was sent as a test to see if he would sacrifice his son Isaac, Jews are forbidden to pray on the site.
Yet, hundreds of thousands of Muslims freely enter the Temple Mount year-round.
Ramadan, this year observed from May 5 to June 4, is a month long holiday when Muslims pray, fast from dawn to dusk, feast nightly and are supposed to give extra charity. The fast is intended to ignite a deeper faith in God and remind them of the suffering of the less fortunate. Muslim Temple Mount visitors, however, appear to have little respect for this holy site, leaving trash and litter in their wake.
The Temple Institute notes that there are “mountains of trash piling up in areas adjacent to the place of the Holy Temple. Pup tents have also been pitched on the Mount, architectural artifacts, possibly dating from the Holy Temple, have been re-purposed to accommodate people’s personal effects, and fences have been turned into makeshift clotheslines. That’s no way to treat the holiest place on earth. And still… Jews are not allowed to pray on the Mount, lest it offend Muslims sensibilities. Shame!”
Around 691 CE, Muslims built the Dome of the Rock on the site of the Second Jewish Temple, which was destroyed during the Roman Siege of Jerusalem in 70 CE. While Islamic authorities seek to make the Temple Mount an exclusively Muslim place to worship, it remains the holiest site in Judaism and only the third holiest site in Islam.
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