World Mosque Day

August 21 was named as World Mosque Day on the proposal of the Islamic Republic of Iran and approval of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation so that the role and status of mosque is recognized among Islamic nations and effort is made for its upgrading.

This day reminds August 21, 1969 on which the Zionist criminal Denis Michael Rahan, with the help of other criminals, set fire to Al-Aqsa Mosque and inflicted irreparable damage on it. However, he was released with the pretext of psychological disorder, as the Zionist regime’s policy is based on destruction of Al-Aqsa Mosque and construction of Solomon temple in its place. It is a mosque with a record of over 14 centuries and is the third sacred place after the Holy Ka’aba in Mecca and the Prophet’s Sacred Mosque in Medina.

The extremist Zionists have been trying to destroy Al-Aqsa Mosque for many years. Beneath this sacred spot they have made broad excavations and weakened its foundations. The spurious Zionist regime restricts entry of Palestinians to the mosque and holding prayers in it under hollow pretexts. Moreover, Zionist settlers have several times attacked Al-Aqsa mosque under the full aegis of the regime forces. A short while ago, closure of the gates and preventing entrance of Muslims to the mosque led to intensive clashes as a result of which dozens of Palestinians were killed or injured. Also, the erection of checkpoints at the entrance to the mosque was faced with many internal and external protests, and eventually the fabricated regime in Tel Aviv was forced to remove the illegal barriers.

For sure, destruction of mosques by the Zionist regime is not restricted to Al-Aqsa mosque. Other mosques are also destroyed in Palestine with false justifications. For instance, in line with the policy of eliminating Islamic edifices in Bayt al-Moqaddas , the Zionist regime issued order to destroy Abdullah Al-Sanavi mosque in the eastern part of the city.

Efforts for destruction of mosques are not restricted to the mosques of Palestine. Many mosques in various parts of the world are attacked and sometimes destroyed by the elements affiliated and supported by the west, Zionsit regime and the Wahhabi cult which has usurped the land of revelation (Arabia) for decades. A few months ago, Tell Mama Organization affiliated to the British government declared that, only since 2013, the British mosques have been attacked over one hundred times. For example in May 2017, after a terrorist attack in Manchester, a number of the city’s mosques were assaulted by Islamophobic culprits. Also in the month of Ramadan of this year, the worshippers who were leaving the mosque in London were run over resulting in the death of one person and injury of several others.     

Islamophobia and attacks on mosques in the US have been highly escalated since the coming to power of Donald Trump. On August 5, 2017, a hand-made bomb was thrown into a mosque in Minnesota State which fortunately had no casualties but caused financial losses. In March a mosque in Arizona State was attacked in which a number of Muslims were injured and some losses were inflicted including 130 holy Qurans which were torn. In February, too, a mosque was burned in Florida and in January 2017 East Side mosque in Seattle, Washington State, was attacked and burnt down. These aggressive attacks against mosques indicate the wave of Islamophobia which is intensified by the US regime and media.

Regrettably, attacking and destroying of mosques in Muslim nations is perpetrated by some western regimes and extremist groups. In this regard, it can be said that the government of Azerbaijan republic is the pioneer. This government has not only destroyed several mosques but has enforced strict restrictions on Muslim people and theologians in performing their religious ceremonies. In April, 2017, the Azeri regime devastated the historical Haj Abdul Rahim Bek mosque in Baku which is in the list of the country’s historical monuments. A few days later, governmental forces planned to destroy another mosque but they were forced to retreat as a result of widespread protests by people.

Al-Khalifa minority regime in Bahrain should also be considered one of the major destroyers of mosques and religious places. Just in 2011, this suppressive regime destroyed 34 mosques. It has continued devastating a number of mosques and religious places. Interestingly people hold congregational prayers on the ruins of the mosques. But for a while, the unpopular Al-Khalifa regime has placed on its agenda to attack the mosque of Sa’sa’at bin Sohan (the loyal companion of Imam Ali) which is one of the main pilgrimage sites in Bahrain. This thousand year-old holy building has now become a devastated and deserted site.

The tribal Saudi regime can be considered the most savage regime in destroying mosques and religious places. Since the coming to power of this barbaric regime, it has destroyed dozens of mosques and religious-historical places with reliance on the deviated teachings of Wahabbism. Over the past few years, the Saudi troops destroyed a number of mosques during suppression of Shias in the country. The Saudi air force, in its bloody raids on Yemen, has razed a large number of the country’s mosques some of which were considered part of the historical monuments and national works.

For the past few years when the Takfiri terrorist groups gained power and facilities, they brutally destroyed mosques and pilgrimage sites and killed its people. In Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Libya, dozens of mosques have been devastated by these cannibalistic terrorists who have nothing to do with Islam despite their claim to Islam. Some of these mosques were ancient edifices. The Takfiri groups, in their planned assaults on mosques, choose the time of congregational prayers to kill more innocent people. They attach no respect either to the house of God or to the Muslims. The big irony is that they have never attacked the main enemy of Muslims namely the Zionist regime of Israel.

Now, the question that arises is: What role do mosques play in the Islamic society that the opponents of Islam are destroying them? Undoubtedly the first role of mosque is its spirituality for Muslims. They gather in this place to hold congregational prayers. Of course one can hold daily ritual prayers at home, but due to the great blessings and reward of congregational prayers, God has called on Muslims to hold their prayers in mosques as much as possible. This creates solidarity and friendly relations among Muslims. In addition, a mosque is the site of further familiarity of Muslims with the life-inspiring teachings of Islam through speeches and classes. Gathering of Muslims in the mosque is an appropriate opportunity for becoming aware of the social issues and taking decisions for helping other Muslims and defending Islam.    

During the time of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA) and after him, mosques had various functions such as the place of judgment, preparation for war, consultations, and other administrative and governmental affairs. But, in the current era, in order to meet the needs of the audience, mosques render pretty new services to them. There are good libraries in many mosques and there is a center to provide compact discs in religious, cultural, educational and even political fields. Among other parts of mosques are the cultural centers which have various activities including teaching of the holy Quran, religious subjects, injunctions, family issues, offering text books, teaching Arabic language and the like. Some mosques even offer sport activities for absorbing children and adolescents. Among the effective activities of some mosques are the Qarz ul-Hassana funds, which provide people with interest-free loans. These funds shouldn’t be confused with collecting financial and material aid and distributing them among the poor and needy.

Mosques offer a lot of services to the people, based on the budget and the active participation of their members and officials. Meanwhile their independence from the governmental budget and reliance on popular support plays a great role in their independent functioning. It is due to the vast activities of mosques and their central role in the Islamic society that the enemies of Islam have been focused on destroying this pivotal role. These holy places, which are mentioned in the Islamic narrations and hadith as the houses of God on earth, are the place of gathering and unity of Muslims and a good place to look into their spiritual and social affairs.

FK/AS/MG