Dubai: Hundreds of Palestinian worshippers shouted at Sheikh Mohammad Ahmad Hussein, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem and Occupied Territories and preacher of Al Aqsa Mosque while delivering the Friday sermon at Al Aqsa Mosque yesterday for not speaking about the Israeli attacks on Gaza.
A video of the worshippers’ attempts to drive the Imam out of the mosque has gone viral on social media. In the video, many worshippers are heard chanting against Sheikh Mohammad with phrases like 'Out Out Out' and some obscenities at against President Mahmoud Abbas's Palestine Liberation Organisation.
Many social media users accused the mufti of taking sides with the PLO, especially as he was lauding the Palestinian National Authority in Ramallah, including Abbas, ignoring what was happening in Gaza. This seems to have angeredworshipers and prompted them to interrupt him while he was delivering the sermon and expelling him from the mosque.
Commenting on what happened to him, the 55-year-old mufti said the attacks against him while giving the sermon were aimed at stirring up chaos inside the mosque. “Such actions will not make us deviate from our main goal, which is to protect the Al Aqsa Mosque, which is still being trespassed by the Israeli occupation,” he said.
Hussein has been the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem since July 2006, when he was appointed by Mahmoud Abbas. Previously, he had been the manager and imam of the Al Aqsa mosque. He is an outspoken critic of Israeli occupation and has personally defended the Al Aqsa Mosque from colonists and the Israeli army. Hussein replaced Sheikh Ekrima Sa’id Sabri, who was reportedly fired by Abbas.
