Number of Muslim "protesters" at Temple Mount does not impress me

Submitted by Prashant (United States), May 29, 2022 at 00:55

Dear Dr Pipes,

I am not surprised that 10,000,000 Muslims visit Temple Mount compared to just 40,000 religious Jews. Praying at Temple Mount for Muslims is just a show of political power. In India also Muslims choose to pray at specific places as a show of strength. I am sure any Muslim from any part of the world who visits Jerusalem for any reason will make it a point to visit Temple Mount to enhance the Islamic claim on the place. That is the most prized land that they want to grab at currently, after all.

Historically, Islamic claim on Jerusalem is entirely contrived. As I said in one of my other letters to your forum, Muhammad had his eye on Jerusalem even before he died. In the years prior to his death he instructed his followers to attack Jerusalem. The first Muslim siege of Jerusalem happened within a few years of Muhammad's death. The story of Muhammad's overnight journey to Jerusalem was completely contrived and egotistical (Muhammad did not join other prophets in prayer; he "led" them!!).

Any time, ancient Muslim saw a sacred place important to other cultures, they created events to "grab" that place. Every single sacred place (to Hindu) in India has a Mosque near it and towering it. I would never like Temple Mount to become a Mosque. The world must open their eyes and see Islamic hegemony.

And, regarding Muslim Zionism --even if it is a real thing--, hard core Islamists oppose it (ref 1). The author of this article (Hatem Bazian is considered by some to be the most anti-Semitic prof in America).

ref1: https://medium.com/@Prof.hatembazian/what-is-muslim-zionism-3944ac585c38

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