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Click here to watch: US Congressmen the Latest Victims of Temple Mount Discrimination
In what has become something of a trend, two US congressmen participated in a fact finding mission on the Temple Mount early Wednesday morning, to witness firsthand the discriminatory treatment meted out to non-Muslims on Judaism's holiest site. Congressmen Andrew Harris (R- Maryland) and Ron DeSantis (R-Florida) were taken on a tour of the holy site in Jerusalem by Rabbi Chaim Richman, International Director of the Temple Institute, who pointed out religious and historical landmarks along the way. The American lawmakers were also accompanied by their wives. The group witnessed how Jewish groups are singled out and closely followed by "guards" from the Islamic Waqf trust which administers the site, as well as Israeli police officers, both of whom scrutinize their behavior for any signs that they might be engaging in Jewish prayers or any other non-Muslim form of worship. In addition to the usual entourage, the Congressmen were also followed by an Israeli intelligence officer who filmed their every move for much of the visit - perhaps an indication of the attention which previous visits by US lawmakers to the site has drawn.
Both were clearly moved by the experience and expressed concern at the lack of religious freedom for both Jews and Christians on the site. The Temple Mount is Judaism's holiest site, where the ancient Temples of Jerusalem once stood and where some Jewish traditions say the creation of the world began. Today, the vast Al Aqsa Islamic complex stands on the ruins of the Temples. The complex is administered by the Jordanian-controlled Waqf, which has been accused of heading a systematic campaign to "Islamize" the site by destroying ancient Jewish artifacts. Despite its status for Jews worldwide, those Jews who wish to ascend are subjected to a range of restrictions, including time-limits on their visits and the number of Jews allowed to ascend at one time. Most notably, caving in to pressure by the Waqf and other Islamist groups, Israeli police forbid Jews from praying or carrying out other forms of worship there, in what Temple Mount groups have slammed as discrimination and a capitulation to Muslim extremists. Those suspected of breaking the rules are often arrested and banned from visiting for a period of time - this despite numerous court rulings stating that such measures contravene Israel's Basic Laws concerning religious freedom.
Source: Arutz Sheva - Twelve Tribes Films
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