In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Statement from the International Union of Muslim Scholars - Malaysia Branch
Muslim scholars in Malaysia are increasingly concerned about Zionist plans to Judaize Jerusalem and the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque. The latest of these plans involved Jewish rituals at the Al-Aqsa Mosque, such as the sounding of the shofar, which signifies the declaration of the Al-Aqsa Mosque as an official place of Jewish worship.
This comes in addition to frequent incursions, nearly daily, into the Al-Aqsa Mosque and control over parts of it during morning hours. This indicates the spatial and temporal division planned by the occupation authorities, as a prelude to the complete destruction of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and its transformation into a Jewish synagogue.
The World Union of Muslim Scholars - Malaysia Branch, while warning against Zionist escalation towards Jerusalem and the Al-Aqsa Mosque, emphasizes the following:
1. Jerusalem and the Al-Aqsa Mosque are the exclusive rights of Muslims, and any compromise is unacceptable. The battle over the Al-Aqsa Mosque is a matter of sovereignty and ownership, unrelated to temporary desecration or incursions.
2. The Union calls upon all Muslims, especially scholars and preachers, to bear their responsibilities in defending the Al-Aqsa Mosque and working collectively to resist any aggression against its sanctity. This is a necessary step toward the complete liberation of Jerusalem and Islamic holy sites in Palestine.
3. The Union urges every Muslim, especially scholars and students of knowledge, to raise societal and familial awareness regarding the Al-Aqsa Mosque issue and counteract any disinformation or distorted ideology that may accept compromise or desecration by the occupiers. Assaults on the Al-Aqsa Mosque are unforgivable crimes, and the occupiers must be held accountable.
4. The Union calls upon all Malaysian organizations and political parties to adopt the Palestinian cause and the Al-Aqsa Mosque as a priority in their activities and objectives.
5. The Union requests the Ministry of Education in Malaysia to incorporate the issue of Palestine and the Al-Aqsa Mosque into the educational curricula, starting from elementary school to university levels.
6. The Union urges the Prime Minister's Office and the Minister of Religious Affairs, in particular, to work on official and public mobilization for the cause of Jerusalem and Palestine. This should coincide with political decisions confirming Muslim ownership of Jerusalem and the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Palestinian people's right to freedom and self-determination.
7. We call on the Minister of Religious Affairs to instruct imams, scholars, and preachers to include the issue of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and Jerusalem in their sermons and activities in mosques and to dedicate special topics to Jerusalem in Friday sermons.
8. We call on the Malaysian government and parliament to activate the Palestinian issue in governmental and parliamentary bodies, with the aim of closely monitoring the issue both domestically and internationally and countering the ongoing aggression against Jerusalem and the Palestinian people.
Wan Sabki Wan Saleh
President, Malaysia Branch
International Union of Muslim Scholars