Trump's Jerusalem decision fuels conflict and creates discord: Muslim council

Abu Dhabi - The Grand Imam called for an urgent meeting of the Muslim Council of Elders to study the repercussions of this decision

The Muslim Council of Elders, chaired by the Grand Imam Sheikh of Al Azhar Dr Ahmed Al Tayyib, expressed its firm rejection of the US government's recognition of Occupied Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and the decision to move the US embassy in Israel to the Arab city.
"The Muslim Council of Elders stresses that this decision is illegitimate and completely unacceptable, that it is against all the laws and international conventions which stipulate that Jerusalem is an integral part of the whole occupied territories of Palestine.
"This decision destroys all the efforts of making peace and fuels conflicts in the region," the council said in a statement.
It called upon the world to stand against this decision and called the Arab and Islamic states to take firm stance against this unfair decision.
"The council underlines that it cannot stand helpless in the face of such a decision which denies the Arab identity of Jerusalem and takes it by force from both Muslims and Christians."
In this regard, the Grand Imam called on to holding an urgent meeting of the Muslim Council of Elders to study the repercussions of this decision and coordinate the efforts on the Arab, Islamic and international levels.
Dr Al Tayyib had earlier warned against the dangerous repercussions of the move. "Such a decision constitutes an injustice and denial to the Palestinian and Arab proven right in the third holiest Islamic site in the world and the place of the Ascension of the Prophet (PBUH).
"It ignores the feelings of over 1.8 billion Muslims and millions of Christians who also have many houses of worship in the city of Jerusalem."
The Grand Imam called the Committee of Senior Scholars within Al Azhar Al Sharif and the Muslim Council of Elders to an urgent meeting to discuss the repercussions of the US decision. He also called on to holding an urgent international conference on Jerusalem with the participation of senior scholars and representatives of the Muslim and Christian faiths, in addition to many regional and international organisations to study the steps to support the struggle of Palestinian people and nullify the unacceptable decision that touches their standing right in their land and holy sites."
- ahmedshaaban@khaleejtimes.com