PMW reports lead to second arrest of Antisemitic teacher at the Al-Aqsa Mosque
Palestinian Media Watch reports
lead to second arrest of Antisemitic teacher
at the Al-Aqsa Mosque
Sheikh Al-Mughrabi's defense:
I was just quoting the Quran
Antisemitic Sheikh:
"Allah can annihilate all the Jews down to the last one...
But what does Allah want?
He wants us to fulfill His command"
by Itamar Marcus and Nan Jacques Zilberdik
Sheikh Khaled Al-Mughrabi teaches Islam twice a week at the Al-Aqsa Mosque and Palestinian Media Watch has exposed that his teachings are blatantly Antisemitic. In August, PMW reports led to his arrest and questioning by Israeli Police, who banned him from the Temple Mount for a month. Last week, the Sheikh was arrested a second time, again because of PMW's documentation of his most recent Islam lessons, which PMW provided to the police.
While Palestinians are carrying out numerous stabbing attacks against Israelis and the PA and Fatah are fueling Palestinian rage, falsely claiming that Israel is fabricating the attacks as a pretext to shoot Palestinians, Sheikh Mughrabi encouraged the conflict further by stating that Allah is able to destroy all Jews, but wants Muslims/Palestinians to "fulfill His command":
"Allah can annihilate all the Jews down to the last one, throughout the world. But, what does Allah want? He wants us to fulfill His command."
[Al-Msjed Al-Aqsa YouTube channel, Oct. 27, 2015]
The Sheikh explained the fulfillment of Allah's command as carrying out Ribat in the Al-Aqsa Mosque - a concept denoting religious war/conflict over land claimed to be Islamic. To illustrate the desirability of becoming a Ribat fighter, the Sheikh compared the benefits granted a Ribat fighter in Paradise to those granted a Martyr, stating that it is far more beneficial to die while carrying out Ribat:
"The most important thing I can do to fulfill Allah's command when I am in the Al-Aqsa Mosque is Ribat... Let's compare the privileges that are bestowed upon the Ribat fighter to the privileges of the Martyr: 'The Ribat fighter marries 70 of the Dark-Eyed (i.e., virgins).'The Martyr gets two of the Dark-Eyed, while the Ribat fighter gets 70. 35 times more than the Martyr. 'He marries 70 of the Dark-Eyed, and can advocate on Judgement Day on behalf of anyone he wants.'"
[Al-Msjed Al-Aqsa YouTube channel, Oct. 27, 2015]
Israeli TV Channel 1 reported that PMW documentation of these teachings led to the arrest of the Antisemitic preacher. In the TV report, the Sheikh is shown defending his Antisemitic teachings as mere quotes from the Quran:
"It is not incitement at all. We are Muslims, we have a right to say: 'Allah said, Muhammad said.' Everything that comes from the Quran is part of our faith, what we believe."
[Israeli TV Channel 1, Nov. 4, 2015]
In another recent lesson on Islam, the Sheikh warned his listeners not to "become too excited" and kill a Jew inside the Al-Aqsa Mosque itself, because it would provide Jews with "an excuse to Allah" to build the Temple there as "a memorial" to the killed Jew:
"There is one situation I want to warn you of, in which the Children of Israel may build their Temple inside the Al-Aqsa Mosque. If we, in any way, become too excited, and kill a Jew inside the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the Children of Israel will use this as an excuse for Allah: 'In this place one of our people was killed, and we will build a memorial for him.' What will this memorial be? The Temple. However, praise Allah, everyone is aware of this matter, and this situation will not arise, and all the riots are taking place outside the Al-Aqsa Mosque, not inside it."
[Al-Msjed Al-Aqsa YouTube channel, Oct. 30, 2015]
PA media also reported on the Sheikh's arrest: "The occupation arrested a Sheikh at the Al-Aqsa [Mosque] under the pretext of 'incitement' in lessons in religion [Islam]" [Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Nov. 5, 2015]
See PMW's report on the Sheikh's teachings about Martyrs and virgins to young children.
The following are longer excerpts of the two Islam lessons taught by Sheikh Al-Mughrabi and the report on his arrest on Israeli TV 1 and in the official PA daily:
Sheikh Khaled Al-Mughrabi: "Allah can annihilate all the Jews down to the last one, throughout the world. But what does Allah want? He wants us to fulfill His command. If we ask ourselves: 'How can I fulfill Allah's command?' The most important thing I can do to fulfill Allah's command when I am in the Al-Aqsa Mosque is Ribat (i.e., religious conflict/war over land claimed to be Islamic) in the Al-Aqsa Mosque... The Prophet [Muhammad] says about the Martyr: 'His sins are forgiven with the first gush of blood.' Some privileges are bestowed upon the Martyr. The first: 'His sins are forgiven with the first gush of blood.' The Martyr's second privilege: 'He marries two of the Dark-Eyed (i.e., virgins) of Paradise.' His third privilege: 'He advocates on behalf of 70 members of his family.' [...] Let's compare the privileges that are bestowed upon the Ribat fighter to the privileges of the Martyr: 'The Ribat fighter marries 70 of the Dark-Eyed (i.e., virgins).' The Martyr gets two of the Dark-Eyed, while the Ribat fighter gets 70. 35 times more than the Martyr. 'He marries 70 of the Dark-Eyed, and can advocate on Judgement Day on behalf of anyone he wants.'"
[Al-Msjed Al-Aqsa YouTube channel, Oct. 27, 2015]
Sheikh Khaled Al-Mughrabi: "One hundred rabbis signed a decision, or petition, saying: 'In our opinion, this is not the appropriate time to invade Al-Aqsa (i.e., the Temple Mount). It is not the duty of the Children of Israel.' I promise you that soon, we will see an additional petition from the religious [Jews] that will allow the religious [Jews] to build the Temple outside the walls of the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Because it is not possible to build it inside the Al-Aqsa Mosque. There is one situation I want to warn you of, in which the Children of Israel may build their Temple inside the Al-Aqsa Mosque. If we, in any way, become too excited, and kill a Jew inside the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the Children of Israel will use this as an excuse for Allah: 'In this place one of our people was killed, and we will build a memorial for him.' What will this memorial be? The Temple. However, praise Allah, everyone is aware of this matter, and this situation will not arise, and all the riots are taking place outside the Al-Aqsa Mosque, not inside it."
[Al-Msjed Al-Aqsa YouTube channel, Oct. 30, 2015]
Israeli TV 1 news report on Sheikh Khaled Al-Mughrabi's second arrest:
Israeli TV 1 newsreader: "The inciting preacher from the Temple Mount has been arrested. Last week, we reported that Sheikh Khaled Al-Mughrabi incites freely. And on this topic, here is the report by Dana Ben Shimon."
Sheikh Al-Mughrabi: "It is not incitement at all."
Israeli TV 1 reporter: "So [said] Sheikh Khaled Al-Mughrabi, the preacher from Al-Aqsa, this evening in court."
Sheikh Al-Mughrabi: "We are Muslims, we have a right to say: 'Allah said, Muhammad said.' Everything that comes from the Quran is part of our faith, what we believe."
Israeli TV 1 reporter: "Last night, he was arrested in his home in the Old City [of Jerusalem] as a result of sermons he has given at the Temple Mount that incite against Israel and the Jews. It reached its peak during the last religious lesson he gave at the Al-Aqsa Mosque."
PMW video exposing the Sheikh's Antisemitic teachings:
Sheikh Al-Mughrabi: "Allah can, in the blink of an eye, ''He only says, 'Be,' and it is'' (Quran), Allah can annihilate all the Jews, down to the last one, throughout the world. However, what does Allah want? He wants us to fulfill His command."
Israeli TV 1 reporter: "This wild incitement was already exposed several months ago by the research institute Palestinian Media Watch. The organization Honenu submitted a complaint to the police, and as a result, the Sheikh was arrested this August and banned from the Temple Mount for 30 days. At the end of the investigation, the police even recommended indicting him, but the state attorney said the matter was still being examined. However, in the meantime it turns out that the Sheikh continued. No measures were taken against him, and no limitations were imposed on him, and he continued inciting. Here is a reminder of what we showed last week:"
Sheikh Al-Mughrabi: "[At the End of Days] we will follow the Jews everywhere. They will not escape us. They will not be able to escape us. The Children of Israel will all be exterminated, the Anti-Christ will be killed and the Muslims will live in comfort for a long time."
Israeli TV 1 reporter: "The arrest of the Sheikh will be extended until tomorrow [Nov. 5, 2015]. Al-Mughrabi is almost certainly not the only Sheikh preaching hatred at the Temple Mount. The question is whether this arrest will lead to arrests of other preachers."
[Israeli TV Channel 1, Nov. 4, 2015]
Headline: "The occupation arrested a Sheikh at the Al-Aqsa [Mosque] under the pretext of 'incitement' in lessons in religion [Islam]"
"The occupation police arrested a [Palestinian] resident of Jerusalem yesterday [Nov. 4, 2015] at the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque on the grounds of 'incitement.' The occupation police claimed that they arrested a Jerusalem Sheikh in his fifties (i.e., Sheikh Khaled Mughrabi), a resident of the old city of Jerusalem, on the grounds of 'incitement' during lessons in religion [Islam] and Shari'ah in the Noble Sanctuary of Jerusalem (i.e., the Temple Mount). Police noted that he was transferred to the Jerusalem Magistrates Court for extension of his custody for the purpose of investigation."
[Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Nov. 5, 2015]