The Police of Jerusalem informed on Wednesday, July 31, that the Temple Mount will be closed to all non-Muslims (both Israeli Jews and non-Muslim tourists). Only Muslims are allowed to attend the Temple Square where the Al-Aqsa Mosque is situated until at least Sunday (when the Night of Power is).
Muslims all over the world are expecting Laylat al-Qadr (variously rendered in English as the Night of Destiny, Night of Power, Night of Value, the Night of Decree or Night of Measures) on the night of August the 3rd/4th. The believers spend this night in worshiping Allah as a rule; they perform prayers and supplicate.
Outside of Ramadan, the Temple Mount is usually open to non-Muslims for three hours every morning and one hour in the afternoon, while during Ramadan it has previously been open only in the morning.
This year, however, all access to non-Muslim visitors has been prohibited in the two final weeks of Ramadan. The police refuse to elaborate on the reasons of this decision.
It is worth mentioning that the non-Muslims’ access to the Temple Mount is usually constrained to certain hours of the day, but at the same time they are officially prohibited from praying there. They can attend the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock for the tourism purpose only. There have been occasional brushes between Muslims and radical Jews because of this rule.
Source: korrespondent.net
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