Jerusalem at the epicentre of the Middle East crisis |
Every year, on the last Friday of the holy month of Ramadan, millions of people around the world mobilise to mark the International Day of Al-Quds, the Arabic name for the city of Jerusalem.
Established in 1979 by the leader of the Iranian Islamic Revolution, Imam Ruhollah Khomeini, the day is not merely a symbolic expression of solidarity with Palestine. It reflects the understanding that Jerusalem occupies a central place in the historical, political and civilisational struggle surrounding the Palestinian question.
Jerusalem is one of the oldest cities in the world. Founded around five thousand years ago, it has been ruled by many different peoples throughout history, yet Arab and Islamic presence has profoundly shaped its development.
From the seventh century onwards, the city remained largely under Arab and Islamic administration for more than twelve centuries, with the exception of the Crusader period. During this long era, Jerusalem was a space of religious coexistence where Muslims, Christians and Jews were able to practise their faiths.
This millennia-old history contrasts sharply with the ideological narrative promoted by the modern Zionist movement.
Emerging in Europe in the late nineteenth century, Zionism transformed religious interpretations into the political foundation for a project of territorial colonisation in Palestine.
Emerging in Europe in the late nineteenth century, Zionism transformed religious interpretations into the political foundation for a project of territorial colonisation in Palestine.
One of the pillars of this discourse was the claim that Jerusalem had been the capital of a powerful biblical kingdom ruled by David and Solomon, whose supposed historical legacy would legitimise the creation of a Jewish state in........