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90,000 Muslims attend Ramadan prayers on Temple Mt.
Some 90,000 worshippers attended prayer services on the Temple Mount on Friday, the first of the month-long Muslim holiday of Ramadan. Chief of Police Moshe Karadi said police would increase their presence on the Temple Mount to prevent disruptions and regulate the passage of worshipers during Ramadan. Speaking to Israel Radio, Karadi said that the police expected tens of thousands of Muslim worshipers to attend the Ramadan rites.On Thursday, Israel lifted a threat to limit the number of worshipers at the Temple Mount. Israeli authorities had warned they may clamp restrictions for Friday's prayers at Jerusalem's most sensitive shrine, known to Muslims as Haram al-Sharif (Noble Sanctuary), after Israeli antiquities experts said the underground chambers called Solomon's Stables were at risk of collapse. Karadi's announced the decision to lift restrictions, after inspecting the Temple Mount yesterday and seeing that sufficient measures had been taken to build scaffolding and cordon off the dangerous areas. Jordanian experts also came to Jerusalem Thursday to evaluate areas in need of future repair. Prime Minister Sharon told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Security Committee today that the government had clarified to the Jordanians, the king of Morocco and the Europeans the unequivocal need for repairs. The Waqf Muslim religious trust has taken the warnings seriously, Sharon said. Posted by: Mark Espinola 2004-10-15 |
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