Occupation Bans Al-Aqsa Preacher Sheikh Ikrima Sabri from Mosque for 6 Months
Israeli occupation authorities have issued a six-month ban preventing Sheikh Ikrima Sabri, the prominent preacher of Al-Aqsa Mosque, from accessing the compound or leading prayers there.
The order extends what rights groups describe as a systematic campaign by the Israeli regime to silence influential Palestinian religious figures in occupied al-Quds.
In a statement, the Supreme Islamic Council said: “The Israeli occupation issued a decision banning Sheikh Ikrima Sabri from entering Al-Aqsa Mosque and praying there for six months; this decision is an extension of a series of decisions and violations against Sheikh Sabri.”
The council said the move represents “a serious and unacceptable transgression,” stressing that the preacher “serves as a key Islamic authority in Palestine,” Jordan News reported.
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The council warned that the ban carries dangerous religious and political implications and urged Arab and Islamic nations to take a stand against ongoing Israeli violations of religious freedom. It called on international legal and religious bodies to uphold protections guaranteed under international law for clerics and worshippers.
The statement further said the regime has been “stoking a religious war” through its actions at holy sites, noting that restrictions on Al-Aqsa clerics and worshippers have intensified under the current far-right coalition.
Sheikh Sabri’s defense committee said that pressure and harassment against him have persisted for years despite his high standing in the Muslim world.
The committee said Israel “continues to target Sheikh Sabri without meaningful international accountability,” adding that incitement in Israeli media against him has sharply escalated. “Some extremist commentators have even urged security forces not to interrogate him but to eliminate him,” the committee warned, describing the rhetoric as “a police cover-up, a breach of law, and a grave human rights violation.”
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Sheikh Sabri, who has served as a senior Islamic authority for more than five decades, has been repeatedly detained and banned from Al-Aqsa in recent years. He has been a vocal critic of Israel’s occupation of Palestinian land and has expressed unwavering support for the people of Gaza, who remain under relentless Israeli bombardment.
The defense committee reiterated that Sheikh Sabri “must not be punished for fulfilling his religious duties,” emphasizing his role as a respected spiritual leader whose voice represents al-Quds’ Islamic heritage.
Source: Agencies
