Al-Aqsa mosque fire

Last updated

The Al-Aqsa mosque fire was an arson attack on Jerusalem's al-Aqsa Mosque, the primary prayer hall within the Al-Aqsa compound, on 21 August 1969. The attack was carried out by Australian citizen Denis Michael Rohan, who initially set fire to the pulpit. [1]

Contents

The event has been described as "an act which plunged the Middle East into its worst crisis since the June, 1967, Arab-Israel war", [2] and was a key catalyst for the creation of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation. [3]

The 12th-century minbar of the al-Aqsa Mosque was destroyed in the fire.

Initially, Israelis blamed the fire either on an accident related to ongoing renovations, or to a false flag attack by Palestinian group Fatah. [4]

Events

The minbar of Saladin in the al-Aqsa Mosque (photographed 1900-1910) Interior of Al Aqsa Mosque Jerusalem. 1900-1910 (id.22715311).jpg
The minbar of Saladin in the al-Aqsa Mosque (photographed 1900–1910)

Rohan had been in Jerusalem for almost six months, and frequently visited the area of the Temple Mount / Haram Al-Sharif / Al Aqsa, becoming friendly with the guides and guards of the Jerusalem Islamic Waqf. [5] Rohan first tried to set fire to the mosque 10 days prior, at approximately 11:30 pm on 11 August 1969. [5] Rohan poured kerosene through the keyhole of the south-east gate door, and inserted a kerosene-soaked cord into the keyhole, setting light to the end; however, his attempt failed. [5]

The Israeli report on the event stated that on 21 August 1969, at approximately 6 am, Rohan entered the gate of Bani Ghanim with two containers and a water bottle filled with benzene and kerosene hidden in a haversack. He entered the Jami'a al-Aqsa through the main entrance at about 7 am. [5] He placed the containers of benzene and kerosene below the steps of the minbar of Saladin, soaked a woollen scarf with kerosene placing one end of it upon the steps and the other end on the containers, and set alight the scarf. [5] He left the building immediately after lighting the scarf, but was seen by many witnesses. A Palestinian technical report concluded that there were two separate fires, one in the area of the mihrab and a second in the ceiling of the south eastern part of the mosque. [6]

The fire destroyed much of the southern and the southeastern parts of the mosque, including the 12th-century minbar of Saladin. 400 m2 of the southeastern ceiling was badly burnt, as were the ornamental mosaic dome and two marble pillars between the dome and the mihrab. [6] Rohan was arrested for the arson attack on 23 August 1969. He was tried, found to be insane, and hospitalised in a mental institution. On 14 May 1974 he was deported from Israel "on humanitarian grounds, for further psychiatric treatment near his family". He was subsequently transferred to the Callan Park Hospital in Australia. Some sources say that he died in 1995, [7] [8] but an investigation by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) in 2009 found that was still alive then and a few years later he spoke to an ABC journalist. [9] [10]

Reactions

The fire at Al-Aqsa was the cause of great anger in the Muslim world, [11] [7] and demonstrations and riots occurred as far away as Kashmir. [12] Many Muslims alleged Rohan's actions were part of a wider plot by Israelis, [13] while some Israelis have attacked widely-repeated claims by some Palestinians and other Muslims that Rohan was Jewish, when in fact he was Christian. [14] [15] Palestinian officials have alleged that the arson was carried out with the blessing of Israeli authorities and minimize the culpability of Rohan, while Israeli firefighters at the scene later complained that the hostility directed at them by an assembled crowd of Palestinians, some of whom believed the firefighters were dousing the flames with gasoline instead of water, interfered with their ability to put out the fire. [13] [16] [7] [15]

Chief Rabbinate of Israel

According to the Jewish Political Studies Review , author Yoel Cohen recorded that the official Israeli Chief Rabbinate adopted a mostly conservative stance toward the capture by Israel of the Temple Mount in 1967, in response to questions about whether to rebuild the Temple and reinstitute the sacrificial service, and whether Jews should be allowed by religious law to ascend the Temple Mount to pray:

Given the uncertainty where the Temple building itself was located, Unterman and Nissim (Israel's chief rabbis at the time) decided to impose a complete ban on the Mount. Zerah Warhaftig, the Religious Affairs Minister, who favored preserving the "status quo", fearing that permission to Jews to pray on the Mount would inflame the Arab world, spoke to the two rabbis about the political dangers. [17]

Cohen further footnoted these remarks with comments from an interview:

Dr Warhaftig said that in 1967–68 he had favored the erection of a small synagogue in the area of El Aqsa, but once he saw the violent reactions after the Michael Rohan arson at El Aqsa in 1968, he concluded that such a step would not be possible. "Had it just been a matter of the Palestinians," Warhaftig said, he would have favored prayer facilities for those Jews who insisted on such prayer rights, even though it transgressed the decisions of the chief rabbis. But once he saw the emotional strength of feelings throughout the Moslem world, he did not pursue this idea. [17]

U.N. complaint and resolution

On 28 August 1969 a complaint was submitted to the United Nations Security Council by twenty-five Muslim countries in response to the Al Aqsa arson attempt. Speaking to the council, Mohammad El-Farra of Jordan stated:

Today, my delegation joins the 24 other members, representing 750 million adherents of the Moslem faith, which requested a meeting to consider another, more serious tragedy, namely of Al Aqsa Mosque, and the fire which severely damaged that historic Holy Place on the morning of 21 August 1969. ... The Israeli authorities introduced more than one explanation for the start of the fire and at last charged an Australian with the arson. According to news that originated from Israel sources, the Australian suspect is a friend of Israel who was brought by the Jewish Agency to work for Israel. ... The report published in The Jerusalem Post  ... casts doubt on the case and adds to the fears and worries of the Moslems about their holy shrines; it also throws light on who is the criminal and who is the accomplice. [18]

On 15 September 1969, the Security Council passed a resolution condemning Israel by 11 votes to none with 4 abstentions. Resolution 271 recalled previous resolutions regarding the Geneva Conventions, international law on military occupation and the status of Jerusalem. It "[d]etermines that the execrable act of desecration and profanation of the Holy Al Aqsa Mosque emphasizes the immediate necessity of Israel's desisting from acting in violation of the aforesaid resolutions". Furthermore, it "[c]ondemns the failure of Israel to comply with the aforementioned resolutions" and calls on Israel to refrain from hindering the operation of the Supreme Muslim Council. [19]

Yassir Arafat, by and on his behalf

Yassir Arafat later developed a regular television interview speech in which he would refer back to this act of attempted arson, while avoiding mention of Rohan by name.[ citation needed ]

The Palestinian newspaper, La Presse Palestinienne, reported the following:

During an assembly commemorating the 1969 arson attempt on the Al-Aqsa Mosque, Zakaria al-Agha, a member of the PA Executive Council, made a speech on Arafat's behalf, stressing the determination of the Palestinian people to continue along the path of Jihad until the occupation ends. [20]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Temple Mount</span> Religious site in Jerusalem

The Temple Mount, also known as The Noble Sanctuary, al-Aqsa Mosque compound, or simply al-Aqsa, and sometimes as Jerusalem's holyesplanade, is a hill in the Old City of Jerusalem that has been venerated as a holy site for thousands of years, including in Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Al-Aqsa Mosque</span> Main Islamic prayer hall at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem

The Aqsa Mosque, also known as the Qibli Mosque or Qibli Chapel, is the main congregational mosque or prayer hall in the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in the Old City of Jerusalem. In some sources the building is also named al-Masjid al-Aqṣā, but this name primarily applies to the whole compound in which the building sits, which is itself also known as "Al-Aqsa Mosque". The wider compound is known as Al-Aqsa or Al-Aqsa mosque compound, also known as al-Ḥaram al-Sharīf.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Denis Michael Rohan</span> Australian arsonist

Denis Michael Rohan was an Australian arsonist responsible for the Al-Aqsa mosque fire, which took place in Jerusalem on 21 August 1969.

The 1990 Temple Mount killings, or the Al Aqsa Massacre, also known as Black Monday, took place in the Al-Aqsa compound on the Temple Mount, Jerusalem at 10:30 am on Monday, October 8, 1990, before Zuhr prayer during the third year of the First Intifada. Following a decision by the Temple Mount Faithful to lay the cornerstone for the Temple, mass riots erupted, In the ensuing clashes, 17 Palestinians died, more than 150 Palestinians were wounded by Israeli security forces, and more than 20 Israeli civilians and police were wounded by Palestinians. United Nations Security Council Resolution 672, which was rejected by Israel, "condemned especially the acts of violence committed by the Israeli security forces" and United Nations Security Council Resolution 673 urged that Israel reconsider its refusal to allow United Nations Secretary-General Javier Pérez de Cuéllar to carry out an investigation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Islamic Museum, Jerusalem</span> Museum in Al-Aqsa, Jerusalem

The Islamic Museum is a museum at Al Aqsa in the Old City section of Jerusalem. On display are exhibits from ten periods of Islamic history encompassing several Muslim regions. The museum is west of al-Aqsa Mosque, across a courtyard.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Excavations at the Temple Mount</span> Archaeology of a Jerusalem holy site

A number of archaeological excavations at the Temple Mount—a celebrated and contentious religious site in the Old City of Jerusalem—have taken place over the last 150 years. Excavations in the area represent one of the more sensitive areas of all archaeological excavations in Jerusalem.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jerusalem Waqf</span> Islamic religious trust for the Al-Aqsa Mosque

The Jerusalem Waqf and Al-Aqsa Mosque Affairs Department, also known as the Jerusalem Waqf, the Jordanian Waqf or simply the Waqf, is the Jordanian-appointed organization responsible for controlling and managing the current Islamic edifices on the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in the Old City of Jerusalem, known to Jews as the Temple Mount, which includes the Dome of the Rock.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Temple denial</span> Historical assertion

Temple denial is the claim that the successive Temples in Jerusalem either did not exist or they did exist but were not constructed on the site of the Temple Mount, a claim which has been advanced by Islamic political leaders, religious figures, intellectuals, and authors.

In 2009, clashes between Muslim Palestinians and Israeli police erupted on September 27, 2009, and continued to late October. Violence spread through East Jerusalem and parts of the West Bank, and included throwing of Molotov cocktails and stones at Israeli security forces and civilians. Israeli police responded with arrests of rioters and sporadic age-based restriction of access to the Temple Mount. Several dozen rioters, police and Israeli civilians have been injured.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Temple Mount entry restrictions</span> Restrictions on entering the Temple Mount in Jerusalem

Throughout history, and in the present day, there have been various restrictions on entering the Temple Mount, which is a holy place for Muslims, Jews, and Christians. At present, the Government of Israel controls access to the Temple Mount, which is under the management of the Jordan-based Jerusalem Islamic Waqf. The government of Israel restricts entry for Jewish and Christian visitors. The Israeli government often also prohibits Palestinian Muslims under the age of 55 from entering Al-Aqsa, which makes 95% of Palestinians ineligible.


Murabitat is an Islamist political movement of Muslim women, funded by the northern branch of the Islamic Movement in Israel. The group organises classes at al-Masjid al-Aqsa on Arabic literacy and qira'at and tajweed in Qur'anic recitation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lions' Gate stabbings</span> 2015 incident in Jerusalem, Israel

On 3 October 2015, a Palestinian resident of al-Bireh attacked the Benita family near the Lions' Gate in Jerusalem, as they were on their way to the Western Wall to pray. The attacker murdered Aaron Benita, the father of the family, and injured the mother Adele and their 2-year-old son Matan. Nehemia Lavi, a resident who heard screams and came to help was also murdered and his gun taken by the assailant. The attacker, 19 year old Muhanad Shafeq Halabi was shot and killed by police as he was firing on pedestrians.

On 14 July 2017, three Arab-Israeli men left the Temple Mount, and opened fire on Israeli border police officers stationed near the Gate of the Tribes which is close to the Lions' Gate. Two Israeli border police officers were killed and two more were injured in the attack. All three attackers were shot and killed by Israeli police after fleeing back into the complex.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2017 Temple Mount crisis</span>

The 2017 Temple Mount crisis was a period of violent tensions related to the Temple Mount, which began on 14 July 2017, after a shooting incident in the complex in which Palestinian gunmen killed two Israeli police officers. Following the attack, Israeli authorities installed metal detectors at the entrance to the Mount in a step that caused large Palestinian protests and was severely criticized by Palestinian leaders, the Arab League, and other Muslim leaders, on the basis that it constituted a change in the "status quo" of the Temple Mount entry restrictions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Minbar of the al-Aqsa Mosque</span> Minbar (pulpit) in the Al-Aqsa Mosque, Jerusalem

The Minbar of the al-Aqsa Mosque, also known as the Minbar of Saladin, was a notable historic minbar inside the al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. It was originally commissioned by Nur al-Din in 1168-69 CE in Aleppo, Syria and was later moved to Jerusalem after the city was conquered in 1187 by Salah ad-Din (Saladin). It was one of the most famous historic minbars of the Muslim world and was considered by scholars to be a highly significant object of medieval Islamic art.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 Al-Aqsa clashes</span> Part of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict

On 15 April 2022, clashes erupted between Palestinians and Israeli Security Forces on the Al-Aqsa compound in the Old City of Jerusalem. According to the United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, the clashes began when Palestinians threw stones, firecrackers, and other heavy objects at Israeli police officers. The policemen used tear gas shells, stun grenades and police batons against the Palestinians. Some Palestinians afterwards barricaded themselves inside the Al-Aqsa Mosque and proceeded to throw stones at the officers. In response, police raided the mosque, arresting those who had barricaded themselves inside. In addition, some damage was done to the mosque's structure.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Al-Aqsa</span> Islamic religious complex atop the Temple Mount in Jerusalem

Al-Aqsa or al-Masjid al-Aqṣā is the compound of Islamic religious buildings that sit atop the Temple Mount, also known as the Haram al-Sharif, in the Old City of Jerusalem, including the Dome of the Rock, many mosques and prayer halls, madrasas, zawiyas, khalwas and other domes and religious structures, as well as the four encircling minarets. It is considered the third holiest site in Islam. The compound's main congregational mosque or prayer hall is variously known as Al-Aqsa Mosque, Qibli Mosque or al-Jāmiʿ al-Aqṣā, while in some sources it is also known as al-Masjid al-Aqṣā; the wider compound is sometimes known as Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in order to avoid confusion.

<i>Al-Aqsa is in danger</i> Islamic political slogan

"Al-Aqsa is in danger" is an Islamic political slogan that has been used in the context of the Arab–Israeli conflict, referring to the Al-Aqsa mosque compound, a site also known as the Temple Mount. The slogan is a rallying call for Muslims to oppose the presence of Jews and Israelis at the compound under the pretext that they are seeking to take it over for the construction of the Third Temple. It also opposes archaeological investigations at the site, which are perceived as undermining the structural foundations of the area; many biblical excavations, particularly by Christian organizations, have sought to unearth more evidence of the Temple in Jerusalem and the true site of Jesus' crucifixion, among others. In mainstream Orthodox Judaism the rebuilding of the Temple is generally left to the coming of the Jewish Messiah and to divine providence.

Al-Aqsa has been the site of frequent clashes between Palestinian Arab visitors and both Israeli security forces and Israeli groups, beginning with the 1990 Temple Mount killings, or Al-Aqsa Massacre, and most recently culminating in the 2023 Al-Aqsa clashes.

References

Notes

  1. ↑ Jews and Muslims to share al-Aqsa Mosque? (Report). Al Jazeera English. 13 November 2013.
  2. ↑ "Rohan Trial Ends". The Australian Jewish News. 9 January 1970. Retrieved 25 December 2021.
  3. ↑ Stan Correy (23 August 2009). "Rohan and the Road to the Apocalypse". Background Briefing . Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 04:52 minutes in. Radio National. Retrieved 25 December 2021. In 1969 there was an Islamic political consciousness but it wasn't well organised. None of the Muslim countries could even agree on getting together, to talk about anything. That changed forever after August the 21st 1969, and the fire lit by Rohan.
  4. ↑ "World: The Burning of Al Aqsa". Time . 29 August 1969. At first the Israelis maintained that the fire was accidental. A welding torch was found beneath the roof, where work men had been repairing old timbers treated with inflammable linseed oil. Some angry Israelis suggested that, just as the Nazis had burned down the Reichstag and blamed it on the Communists, Al-Fatah terrorists had set fire to the shrine so that the Israelis could be blamed and emotions aroused throughout the Arab world.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Saleh 2006, p. 415.
  6. 1 2 Saleh 2006, p. 414.
  7. 1 2 3 Druckman, Yaron (23 August 2015). "The 'king of Jerusalem' who almost burnt down Al Aqsa" . Retrieved 18 November 2017.
  8. ↑ "How an Australian sheepshearer's al-Aqsa arson nearly torched Middle East peace". The Times of Israel .
  9. ↑ Stan Correy (23 August 2009). "Rohan and the Road to the Apocalypse". Background Briefing . Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Radio National. Retrieved 10 February 2020.
  10. ↑ "Apocalypse Now: The political legacy of Denis Michael Rohan". Australian Broadcasting Corporation . 21 August 2019.
  11. ↑ Caplan, Gerald; Caplan, Ruth B. (1980). "2.Relations after the Mosque Fire". Arab and Jew in Jerusalem: Explorations in Community Mental Health. Harvard University Press. ISBN   9780674043152.
  12. ↑ Gonen, Rivka (2015). "2. One Day Kashmir Will Become Part of Pakistan". A Long Dream of Home: The persecution, exile and exodus of Kashmiri Pandits. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN   9789386250254.
  13. 1 2 "The al-Aqsa Mosque fire of 1969". Palestine Facts. Retrieved 18 November 2017.
  14. ↑ Pipes, Daniel (21 August 2004). "Who Set Fire to Al-Aqsa Mosque in 1969?". danielpipes.org. Retrieved 18 November 2017.
  15. 1 2 Levitt, Joshua (21 August 2013). "Arab Media Outlets Falsely Claim Christian Who Tried to Burn Al-Aqsa Mosque in 1969 Was a Jew". Algemeiner. Retrieved 18 November 2017.
  16. ↑ "Remembering the Arson Attack on Al-Aqsa Mosque". MEMO. 21 August 2017. Retrieved 18 November 2017.
  17. 1 2 Cohen, Yoel (1999). "The Political Role of the Israeli Chief Rabbinate in the Temple Mount Question". Jewish Political Studies Review. 11.
  18. ↑ Security Council Official Records, 24th year, 1509th meeting, 11 September 1969, S/PV.1509(OR)
  19. ↑ Security Council Official Records, 24th year, 1512th meeting, 15 September 1969, S/RES/271(1969)
  20. ↑ La Presse Palestinienne Archived 15 March 2005 at the Wayback Machine . La Presse Palestinienne. 22 August 2001.

Sources

31°46′34″N35°14′09″E / 31.77624°N 35.235908°E / 31.77624; 35.235908

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.