TEMPLE MOUNT - TO LEVEL OR LET LIVE?

Now here’s an interesting article;

"Turkey Converts Church of Hagia Sophia from Museum to Mosque" [Melissa Steffan, Christianity Today, 4 April 2013]

And here’s another;

"'Dig' Isn't Wrong: People Really Are Trying to Rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem" [Elon Gilad, Jewish World Features, 7 May 2015]

The immediate question you ask, if you haven’t read either article, is, “So what?”

The “So what?” is that in order for the Jews to re-build their holiest site in Jerusalem, two of the holiest sites for Muslims would need to be . . . “removed.”  And that’s war-provoking stuff.  

I have stood as close as I was allowed to, and marvelled at these stunning examples of Islamic architecture on Temple Mount in Jerusalem: they are the al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock (pictured right).  The al-Aqsa Mosque is where the Prophet Muhammad is said to have ascended to heaven and the Dome of the Rock is said to be the site of the Islamic miracle of the Isra and Mi'raj.  Ironically, the Dome of the Rock is (Christian) Bysantine-influenced;

“Its architecture and mosaics were patterned after nearby Byzantine churches and palaces. The octagonal plan of the structure may also have been influenced by the Byzantine Chapel of St Mary.” [Wikipedia, "Dome of the Rock"]

The Dome of the Rock (left), particularly, has been lovingly maintained and restored over the centuries.  The brilliant Turkish conqueror, Suleiman the Magnificent, had the dome encased in tiles that lasted 1,000 years.  And in 1955, Arabic nations and Turkey paid for the Dome’s encasement in a durable aluminium bronze alloy.  In its current gold splendour, courtesy of King Hussain before he passed away, I imagine it looks as inspiring today as it did on the day of its completion.

Let’s come back to the significance of Temple Mount for Jews.  As well as currently hosting the two mosques, Temple Mount is also the site where the former Jewish Temple of Solomon stood, although Muslims deny this.  For Jews, though, there is absolutely no doubt this is their holiest place.  The First Temple was destroyed by the Babylonians, and the Second Temple was destroyed by the Romans in 70AD.  So when Jews talk about restoring the Temple, they talk about building “The Third Temple.”  Following the destruction of the Second Temple, the ruined plateau became known as "Temple Mount." The magnificent Dome of the Rock was built on the top of Temple Mount in 691AD by Umayyad Caliph Abd al-Malik, shortly after his conquest of Jerusalem, and is today Jerusalem’s most dominant landmark.  

When Israel conquered all of Jerusalem in the 1967 Six Day War, far from bowling either mosque, the victorious Moshe Dayan turned over administration of Temple Mount to the Jordanian religious authority, the Ministry of Awqaf.  Clearly, Moshe Dayan was keen to consolidate his victory and not provide a unifying cause for the fractured Arab armies.  However, this decision ensured that, not only would the Third Temple not be built, but Muslims would continue to pray in peace at two of Islam’s most holy sites.

Now here’s where the issue becomes thorny.  Despite Palestine – including all of Jerusalem - being conquered by the Jews, Jews are forbidden by the Muslim authority to pray on Temple Mount.  Indeed, non-Muslims are not even welcome to set foot on the Mount, far less pray.  So, I have seen Jews relegated to praying beside a remnant of the Temple Complex ruins; the West Wall, or “Wailing Wall” (shown, right).  As you can see from the picture, they pray in the shadow of the very mosques they feel they have conquered.

Not surprisingly, then, there are serious calls – and indeed, plans - by Orthodox Jews to build the Third Temple.  I doubt many Orthodox Jews would mourn the resulting mosque demolitions.  The Jordanian Ministry of Awqaf, knows this.  The Arabic Muslim world knows this.  I think there is enormous fear among Muslims for the safety of these beautiful mosques on Temple Mount, as long as the Jews hold Jerusalem.

The Israeli government has only become more powerful since 1967.  No other middle-east nation holds nuclear weapons.  Even the Israeli conventional military machine is still the envy of the middle-east.  In addition, Orthodox Jews have become more powerful inside Israel, as the continued Israeli tolerance of settlements in the West Bank have shown us.  So, there must be enormous pressure on the Israeli government – lobbied heavily by Orthodox Jews – to level the mosques. 

I don't condone the Israeli actions in the occupied Palestinian territories.  However, with Temple Mount, I think the conquering Jews are being incredibly restrained: much more restrained than the conquering Turks towards Hagia Sophia.

 

FURTHER READING:

"Christendom's Greatest Cathedral to Become a Mosque"  [Raymond Ibrahim, PJ Media, posted in “Middle East Forum,” 18 June 2013]

"Hagia Sophia, Gezi Park Initiatives Reflect Bid to Put MoreIslamist Face on Turkey" ["Morning Star News," 29 June 2013]

"Controversy at the Hagia Sophia - Paris Review" [Kaya Genc, “Paris Review,” 8 January 2014]

"Israeli scholars furious after new flooring is fitted 'behind their backs'"[AP and Flora Drury, “Daily Mail,” 21 April 2015]

"Excavations at the Temple Mount" [Wikipedia]

"Israelis Excavations Leading To WW3?" [Shoshana Mandelboum, Tel Aviv, “Rense.com,” 21 February 2004]

"Why Don't We Rebuild The Holy Temple?" [Mordechai Housman, www.beingjewish.com]

"We’re Ready to Rebuild the Temple"  [Tuly Weisz, “Breaking Israel News,” 4 August 2014]

"Preparations are going on to build the Third Jewish Temple in Jerusalem" [Christian Broadcasting Network]

“After nearly 2,000 years of exile, the Jewish people were close to their dream of a new Temple but that dream  lasted just a few days [after the Jews captured Jerusalem].  The Temple Mount was returned to Muslim authorities.  And four decades later, Jews are still forbidden to worship there.”

"'Dig' Isn't Wrong: People Really Are Trying to Rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem" [Elon Gilad, Jewish World Features, 7 May 2015]

“The snag is that this site is currently occupied by the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa Mosque”

"Watch: Arabs Abuse Australians on Temple Mount" [Ari Yashar, “Israel National News,” 11 March 2015]

"Arabs confront Jews on Temple Mount" [Aaron Klein, WND, 26 July 2015]

"Muslim Reaction to Rebuilding of Temple Mount Ramp 'A Deliberate Attempt to Incite Violence Against Israel"  [Anti-Defamation League, 16 February 2007]

"The History of Hagia Sophia - The Church of Holy Wisdom" [Bob Atchison, www.pallasweb.com]