2024 World Mosque Day Programs to Focus on Plight of Gaza: Official
“The main aim on this day is to voice solidarity with the resistance axis in Palestine and Gaza and condemn the Zionist regime,” Hojat-ol-Islam Seyyed Ehsan Mousavi, an official with Iran’s mosque affairs, told reporters in a press conference on Saturday.
On August 21, 1969, at seven in the morning, Al-Aqsa Mosque, the first Qiblah or direction of prayer of Muslims, was set on fire by an Australian Zionist named Michael Dennis Rohan.
The fire burned an area of nearly 1500 square meters of the mosque, including an ancient pulpit dating back eight centuries. Also burned were the altar of Prophet Zachariah, and place of worship of forty other prophets. The arches and the main foundations on which the dome rests also caught fire, making the roof of the mosque collapse.
The day is commemorated every year as World Mosque Day.
According to Mousavi, a special event will be held on Tuesday in the presence of Imams from Tehran. During the ceremony, Martyr Ebrahim Raisi and Martyr Ismail Haniyeh, who had acted as imams of mosques, will be commemorated, he added.
The topics related to mosques are vast and varied, reflecting the intellectual diversity of those who attend them, he said, adding, “Different aspects of mosque life require attention, but on World Mosque Day, which the Islamic Revolution Leader has described as a “revolutionary day,” we emphasize a specific focus.”
He noted that “Mosque; the cornerstone of resistance within the Islamic world,” has been chosen as the slogan of this year’s World Mosque Day.
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“On this day, we concentrate on the mosque’s role in defending the oppressed and condemning the Zionist regime,” he added.
The comments come as the Israeli attacks against Gaza since October last year have claimed the lives of at least 40,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children.
To encourage the presence of teenagers and young people in mosques, it's essential to recognize and embrace their roles within the mosque community, he said elsewhere, adding that mosques should be welcoming, well-maintained, and serve as hubs for all positive activities within the neighborhood. “There is a need for mosques that are open 24 hours a day and offer specialized services.”
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