Turkey and webcams survey al-Aqsa

[oberliner]

Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish prime minister, has said Turkey is to send a team of experts to Jerusalem to survey archaeological work near al-Aqsa mosque, which has triggered protests across the Muslim world.

Ehud Olmert, his Israeli counterpart, on a visit to Ankara on Thursday, welcomed the decision, saying: "We have nothing to hide."

The excavation has provoked anger and at least 20 Palestinians and 15 Israeli police were injured last Friday in protests at the site, the third holiest in Islam.

Olmert insisted that the work would not the damage the compound.

He said: "We are very happy to host the prime minister's team and therefore the right and correct and exact story will come out."

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/22824AAD-E2A3-4519-8565-633DA3FF8529.htm

[Behind the Aegis]

1. Webcam site.

http://www.antiquities.org.il/home_eng.asp

[Emit]

2. oberliner, if I may ask

what are your personal thoughts on this matter of al-Aqsa mosque? Thanks for any insight you can offer.

[oberliner]

3. call me naive, but

It appears to me that the Israelis are doing this work in a very transparent way and that no harm will come to the al-Aqsa mosque as a result of it.

However critical one is of Israel, I think one has to admit that it has done a pretty good job of ensuring that Islamic holy sites have remained intact and administered by Islamic religious authorities.

The protests against the construction are understandable, though. I can see why others, already wary of the Israeli government, may not believe that Israel will take the necessary precautions to ensure that the mosque in not damaged in any way.

I am hopeful that the inspection by representatives from Turkey and the live feeds being broadcast via webcam will help to assuage those concerns.

What are your thoughts on the matter?

[pelsar]

4. its pure BS

the accusation that the "jews/zionists/israelis" are somehow threatening the mosque is an 80yr old cry:

Members of the Islamic Council traveled around Muslim countries in the 1920s to gain support, with one delegation to Mecca stating: "The Islamic Palestine Nation, which has been guarding al-Aqsa and (the) Holy Rock ever since 1300 years, declares to the Muslim world that the Holy Places are in great danger on account of the horrible Zionist aggressions.

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3361820,00.html


April 1929 , Haj Amin helped stoke riots by issuing a Friday afternoon sermon at the al-Aqsa Mosque, reemphasizing the charge of a Jewish bid to take over the Islamic holy sites.

1997 , Yasser Arafat declared: "I am ringing the bell of danger to warn against the Jewish plan to build the Temple of Solomon in the place where today stands Al Aqsa Mosque, after removing the mosque."

Letter dated 8 September 1981 from the Permanent
Representative of Jordan to the United Nations
addressed to the Secretary-General

http://domino.un.org/UNISPAL.NSF/9a798adbf322aff38525617b006d88d7/d889d5cd958cf97c852563b700593ca1!OpenDocument
The collapse of this holy sanctuary would be nothing less than a cultural, political and spiritual genocide against this legacy and its innermost and immortal soul.

So serious are these Israeli transgressions against hundreds of millions of adherents of the Islamic faith that it poses a real and inevitable threat to world peace and security.

The latest clandestine Israeli desecrations have reached a stage where the Al-Aqsa Mosque is presently in danger of total collapse. The religious Islamic institutions in the occupied territories have condemned these most serious underground Israeli excavations and the claims of finds announced on 25 August 1981

need i go on?

the webcam will do little to quiet the accusation to those who were its targets...for others, well some might recognize the BS involved.

[Emit]

5. I think it is a fascinating subject, in general,

as I've always had a curiosity about religion and history -- what motivates persons where their religiosity is concerned, religious conspiracies, etc. That is why I found Michael and Barbara Ledeen's article on the subject so interesting:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=124&topic_id=166764&mesg_id=166782

What also is of interest to me, though, is the emphasis in these posted articles on the fanaticism of the Muslims, with nary a word about the fanatical Christian and Jewish fundamentalists who have been interested in rebuilding the Temple in order to fulfill their version of biblical prophesy for some time now. Certainly, these movements must concern the Muslims to a degree, and possibly stand to reinforce the Muslims' concerns, no?

Anyway, thanks for your insight.

Edited spelling

[pelsar]

6. the article takes an extremist view..

Historically, messianic movements tend to be strongest in periods of intense internal turmoil and external threat. Both of these elements are present in contemporary Israel, and the Israelis' anxieties are largely shared by the American "Christian Zionists.

all democracies (all societies) have their extremists, religious and other wise. In the IP conflict the extremists also get outside help to substain their movements. But to claim that israeli sociey has anxieties over the temple mount is simply not true.

for the jews and christians who claim it as their own, their are other groups that claim other parts of israel and or palestine as their own....its a given in this part of world.

Those few jews who claim it as their own are very few in number (100?)...and are hardly a real threat......the problem as seen in my previous posts is the hyperbole by the arabs to use the "threat" as a railing cry...and its been working for the last 80+ years....that, from my point of view is far more interesting

[Emit]

7. There are only 100 Jewish fundamentalists who are into this Temple Mount thing?

And, um, you know this for a fact?

How many Jewish people who do not consider themselves extremists believe biblical prophesy of the Temple Mount? Can you give me that number?

Actually, what I find interesting is that Ledeen even wrote the article. He must really think there's something to it all in order to write such a detailed piece about these extremists, especially when most of his articles relate to foregin policy -- you know, invading countries to rid the world of evil and all. But, now that I ponder that further, he always has been into Machiavelli, so fanning the flames of religiosity in order to motivate the masses is likely of keen interest to him.

[pelsar]

8. there are "believers" and activists..

i would say probably most jews who know the history would agree that the temple mount was where the mosque now sits (but seems to happen a lot-synagogues on past churches, mosques on past churches etc).

but from that historical fact to activily wanting to blow it up and replace it with the temple is another story. Dont forget what it entails, the whole idea of the 3rd temple and restoring the old kingdom means removing the israeli democracy and replacing it with a theocratic govt (see iran for that type of implementation).

Only the far religious extemists want that.....

when in the news here (when ever there is lull in usual crises), they never seem to be more than the same few, with the same mantra