Thousands attend rallies marking the start of Quds Week across Turkey

The Friends of Al Aqsa around the world will organize seminaries, competitions, lectures, exhibitions, and rallies during the week in order to increase people's understanding of the importance of Al-Aqsa and to spread an appreciation of how sacred it is, and the heritage it holds into the hearts of people around the world.

Muslim scholars from more than 140 organizations across the Muslim world, including the International Union of Muslim Scholars, ITTIHADUL ULEMA, and the Prophet’s Lovers Foundation, will attend and support the events.

On the occasion of the International Quds Week, rallies and demonstrations were held on Friday after Friday prayers in many cities and towns of Turkey, including Diyarbakir, Batman, Cizre, Kahta, Van, Elazig, Bingol, Kayseri, Konya, Adana Mersin, Osmaniye, Tarsus, Antep, Sanliurfa, Ankara, Istanbul, Izmir, Bursa, Yalova, Balikesir, Bilecik, Kocaeli, Sakarya, Düzce, and Gumushane.

In southeastern Diyarbakir province, thousands of people rallied in front of the Grand Mosque after Friday prayer to mark the start of International Quds (Jerusalem) Week.

During the gathering, the participants chanted takbirs and pro-Palestine slogans and expressed their support for Quds and Al Aqsa Mosque.

Many prominent scholars from across the Islamic world, including Abdul Khaliq Al-Sherif, an official of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan Salman, a member of Eritrean Islamic Scholars Union, Abdullah Zindani, Yemeni Islamic Scholars’ Union representative, Tellal Nassar, an activist from Hamas Movement, and Abdussabur Abbasi, the head of Afghanistan Islamic Scholars Union, were present at the event.

ITTIHADUL ULEMA and the Prophet’s Lovers Foundation issued a joint statement to call for participation in the events that will be organized on the occasion of the week.

The full text of the joint statement, which was read out in the rally, is as follows:

                              In the Name of Allah, the Merciful, the Beneficent

Praise to be Allah the Almighty, the Lords of all worlds. Prayers and peace be upon our Prophet, Muhammad, the magnificent and brilliant.

The first Qibla of Ummah (Islamic World) has been moaning in our cruelest enemy captivity for decades. It has been trampled under the dirty boats of zionists. Al Quds, where our Prophet performed prayer and ascended to heaven, is waiting for new Saladins. It is yearningly looking at the brave sons of the Ummah who raised the Saladin, with his eyes wide open. And it asks “when will the new Saladins come?”

O the grandsons of Saladin! O the grandsons of Mehmet the conqueror! When will you join hands to expel the Crusaders and Zionist barbarians, who occupied the Islamic world like swarming locusts, as your ancestors Saladin and Mehmet the Conquerors did? Will you send them back to where they came from?

 O Islamic Ummah! O Muslim peoples! O Kurds, Turks, Arabs, Persians, and other sons of the Ummah! O scholars, preachers, intellectuals of the Ummah! O Muslims who care about the salvation of the Ummah! The captivity of Al Quds is the captivity of all Ummah. The liberation of Al Quds is the liberation of all Ummah. Quds is the strongest bond that can unite the Ummah.

The cause of Quds is the common cause of all Ummah. It is the cause that will exalt the Ummah (Islamic World), realize unity among Muslims, and will bring humiliation on the most brutal enemy of the Ummah. It is obligatory for all Muslims to defend Al Quds, to put the cause of Al Quds on the top of the World’s agenda, to work for the liberation of it.  The cause of Al Quds is a matter of honor for all Ummah.

It is our duty to liberate our first qibla, which was under the occupation of the Ummah's greatest enemy, as the Holy Qur'an puts it, the zionists. In every time and place, we should use every means available to put the cause of Al Quds on the top of the World’s agenda and to raise awareness of our people about it.

               As the descendants and successors of Saladin, we are ready to pay every price for the liberation of Quds. This cause is not the cause of Arabs, Turks, Kurds, Persians or another nation. Al Quds is the common cause of the entire Islamic world. The freedom of Al-Quds is only possible with the unity of the Ummah.

We here call on the rulers of Islamic countries: The zionist israel is a designment of the Western Powers. It is a poison dagger that they pushed deep into the heart of the Islamic World. The Western Crusaders, who want to invade the Islamic world, plunder its wealth, take Muslim peoples prisoner, use the zionist gang to divide Muslims, sow the seeds of sedition.

The rulers of Islamic countries should end all their relationships with the treasonous network “israel” that tries to weaken Islamic countries and make them ineffectual against imperialist powers. They should not recognize this gang that has occupied Al-Quds, the sacred first qibla of Muslims, and should close all its embassies and liaison offices in their countries.

Establishing a political, military and economic relationship with this terrorist gang is an act of treason against the Islamic world, Muslim peoples, and the cause of Al Quds. The rulers of Muslim countries should not commit this betrayal against their own people, and they should put an end to this heedlessness that also put their own future at risk!

We also call on our Muslim Brothers here! You should give not only verbal support to Al Quds’ cause but also support it with your actions. Regardless of which segment, party or community you are from, you must know that the cause of Al Quds is the common cause of the Ummah, and should do your best to contribute to this cause. You should constantly put pressure on your leaders and rulers to force them to end their relationship with the zionist gang.

O our Muslim brothers! You should support this sacred cause for the liberation of our first qibla Al Aqsa Mosque and welfare of the Ummah. You must boycott the zionist gang economically, politically and in every field. You should boycott the products of the zionist gang, spread this boycott around you, and set an example for your families, friends, and neighbors in this regard. Do not be ammunition for the guns of zionist killers! Do not be an accomplice in their murders by buying their goods!

             O our Muslim brothers! Let your friendships and enmities be based on the cause of Al Quds. Deem friends of the cause of Al Quds as your friends and its enemies as your enemies. Be aware that those who betray Al Quds also betray the Ummah, and those who cooperate with the invaders of Al Quds are in collaboration with the enemies of Islam. (ILKHA)