[bangla-vision] Organisation of The Islamic Conference

[Linda G. Richard]

http://www.oic-oci.org/oicnew/topic_detail.asp?t_id=1299 On the occasion of the heinous arson of the blessed Al-Aqsa mosque Date: 21/08/2008 - View in: Arabic | French - Print This year's 39th painful anniversary of the heinous attempt to burn the blessed Al Aqsa Mosque comes while Israel conducts new and dangerous violations, threatening the Mosque's buildings and sanctities due to the excavation works carried out by the Israeli occupation authorities underneath the mosque's foundations and allowing Israeli extremists to access the mosque and violate the sanctity of the destination of the Prophet's (PBUH) Night Journey [Israa], the first of two Qiblahs [Direction of Prayer in Islam] and the Third Holy Sanctuary. This year's anniversary comes at a time Israel continues its aggression against the Palestinian people, affecting different walks of life in the Palestinian occupied territories. Israel indeed carries on killing Palestinian civilians and imposes a siege on the Palestinian people while construction of settlements goes unabated and so does the construction of the Apartheid wall. Similarly, this painful anniversary occurs while the city of Al-Quds al-Sharif lives under difficult conditions as a result of the stifling siege imposed by Israel through military checkpoints and the Apartheid wall that chokes the holy city, denying worshippers access to their religious sites. Besides, Israel makes zealous attempts to judaize Al Quds by conducting aggressive acts against religious sites and national institutions, as well as seizing Palestinian homes in a bid to deplete the city of its indigenous population and supplant them with aliens. On the occasion of this anniversary, the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) reaffirms that Al Quds and the safety of sacred sites in the city carry vital importance for Muslims throughout the world and is intimately associated with the security and peace not just in the region, but in the whole world. Israel should assume the entire responsible towards the Muslim world in particular and the international community in general by ensuring that all holy sites under its occupation are protected and freedom of worship in the city is secured. Likewise, Israel should abide by international treaties and agreements, particularly the Fourth Geneva Convention, which prohibits any aggression on the part of the occupying state against holy places or denying worshippers access to worship sites. The OIC, for which the Palestinian cause and Al Quds issue were its raison d'être, and as Israel persists in its aggressions against the blessed Al Aqsa Mosque, appeals to the international community to prompt Israel to protect and respect the Islamic holy sites. The OIC warns that any damage to the blessed Al Aqsa Mosque and the other holy places will bear dire consequences for Muslims and believers around the world, which might yield unpredictable dangers for international peace and security. On this anniversary, the OIC emphatically affirms the unwavering position held by the Muslim Ummah [Nation] toward the Arabo-Islamic character of the city of Al Quds. It renews its appeal to the Member States to continue to provide all forms of support and assistance to the Palestinian people in their just struggle for freedom and independence. -- Linda http://freedetainees.org