Union of Muslim Scholars slams trial of al-Aqsa Mosque prayer leader

Sheikh Ali al-Qaradaghi stated, in a post on his social media X, that the move by Israeli regime is an endeavor for undermining the morale and silencing the voice that represents the right and freedom in al-Quds, reported Taqrib News Agency (TNA).

The message by the prominent scholar comes after the Israeli authorities have begun the trial of Al-Aqsa Mosque imam, Sheikh Ekrima Sabri, on charges of “incitement”, with the first hearing held on Tuesday.

The charges, filed in August 2024, relate to two condolence speeches the Palestinian imam delivered in 2022, as well as his mourning of former Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh following his assassination in 2024.

Sabri’s defence team says the case forms part of a broader pattern of political, religious, and ideological persecution carried out by Israeli authorities against him in recent years.

Khaled Zabarka, head of Sabri’s legal team, said, “Sabri is an important symbol. He speaks with clarity about the undisputed Islamic claim to the Al-Aqsa Mosque and is active in defending Palestinian causes more broadly”.

He added, “The persecution of preachers, imams, and religious discourse is, in my view, part of a plan designed to pave the way for a scheme directed against Al-Aqsa.”

Sabri, 86, is the former grand mufti of Jerusalem, the head of the Supreme Islamic Council, and one of Al-Aqsa Mosque’s senior imams.

He has delivered Friday sermons at Al-Aqsa, in occupied East Jerusalem, since the early 1970s and has been arrested multiple times by Israeli forces.