Address by His Eminence

Sheikh Nader Abdulaziz An-Nuri(*)

Praise be to Allah and peace be upon our Prophet Mohammed (PBUH)

Excellency Dr. Ahmed Heleel, Minister of Islamic Waqf and Religious Affairs and Holy Sites, Representative of His Majesty King Abdullah II, may Allah preserve him,

Excellency Dr. Abdulaziz Othmane Altwaijri, Director General of the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation,

Excellency Dr. Khaled Tawqan, Minister of Education in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,

Excellency Dr. Yahya Yakhlef, Minister of Culture in the State of Palestine,

Excellencies and Eminencies,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatu Allah taala wa Barakatuh.

The Second International Conference on the Protection of Islamic and Christian Holy Sites in Palestine, organised by the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, in co-ordination with the International Islamic Charitable Organization of Kuwait (Palestine Charity Commission), is taking place at a critical and difficult juncture marked by the onslaught on Islamic sanctities in the place of the hour of judgement and the ultimate place where all mankind shall come together, the first of the two qiblas and the third of the holiest places, the cradle of prophecy and the source of all messages.

The rationale behind this important Conference lies in the aggressions waged against these holy sites and the repeated attempts by the Zionist entity, over the past thirty-five years, to twist the facts of history, distort the latter and perpetrate acts of aggression against religions. We, as Muslims, should not forget the importance of Islamic and Christian holy sites and our duty towards their protection, nor should we forget the commitment which Caliph Omar Ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, made on our behalf as Muslims to preserve them, when he granted the Patriarch of Jerusalem a covenant of peace which reads: “Their churches shall not be occupied, demolished and taken away wholly or in part. None of their crosses or property shall be seized. They shall not be coerced in their religion, nor shall any of them be harmed. None of the Jews shall reside with them in Aelia.” It is therefore our duty to adhere to and respect the covenant of the virtuous companions who watered the soil of Palestine with their blood. Nine thousand of them marched to Palestine and more than four thousand died, a good many of whom, such as Shaddad Ibn ‘Aws and ‘Ubada Ibn Samet, were laid to rest in Bayt Al Maqdis.

With this in mind, we can only appreciate the enormity of the responsibility placed on our shoulders. The magnitude of the task at hand entails that we activate the local laws and international conventions, stimulate the interest of regional and international institutions in holy sites, and bolster the efforts they exert along with community institutions, to foil the attempts aimed at undermining these holy sites. There is also an urgent need to devise an information plan for popularising the issues of Al Quds and the protection of holy sites.

To conclude, I wish to express our appreciation of the blessed efforts to protect Islamic holy sites made by the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, with His Majesty King Abdullah Ibn Al Hussein at its head, through the parts this country has played in the past and will play in the future in supporting holy sites in Palestine. Our thanks and gratitude also go to the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation for its co-ordination with the International Islamic Charitable Organization of Kuwait in promoting the causes of the Ummah, to its Director General, His Excellency Dr. Abdulaziz Othman Altwaijri, and his assistants for all their praiseworthy efforts to consolidate cooperation, foster understanding and complementary between the peoples of the Islamic world, co-ordinate the action of institutions and organisations, support Islamic culture, protect the identity of the Ummah against all alienation and distortion factors, and preserve the sanctities and landmarks of the Islamic civilisation and its distinct features.

May Allah grant us success. 

(*) Representative of the International Islamic Charitable Organization based in Kuwait, and President of the Palestine Charity Committee.