"Al-Thaqafiya" warns of attempts to impose a new reality in Al-Aqsa

The Cultural Department warned of the escalating dangers facing the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, and the continued attempts of the Israeli occupation to impose a new reality on the mosque and its surroundings. The department stated in a statement that what is happening targets not only the place but also the identity, history, and memory of Jerusalem, and the cultural and civilizational narrative of the Palestinian people and the Arab and Islamic nations. The head of the Cultural Department, Professor Dr. Abdul Khaliq al-Aff, said that "the battle for Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa is not just a battle over a place, but a battle over identity, history, memory, and the cultural and civilizational narrative of the Palestinian people and the Arab and Islamic nation." Al-Aff pointed out that attempts to impose temporal and spatial division of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and to erase its Islamic features, are accompanied by a Judaization project aimed at changing the identity of Jerusalem, distorting its history, and reshaping public awareness to serve the Israeli narrative. He stressed that Jerusalem and the Al-Aqsa Mosque are an integral part of the Palestinian, Arab, and Islamic memory, calling for confronting attempts to falsify history, confiscate memory, and marginalize the Palestinian presence in the holy city. The department affirmed that the Judaization project targets people, awareness, language, symbols, and cultural heritage, calling on intellectuals, writers, authors, artists, and media professionals to play their role in defending Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa through literary and artistic production, documenting Jerusalem's heritage, and confronting narratives that seek to obscure historical facts. It also called for strengthening the presence of Jerusalem in curricula and cultural, literary, and artistic programs, supporting initiatives that introduce new generations to the city's history and identity, and transforming culture into a space for awareness and protection of national consciousness. The Cultural Department reiterated that the Al-Aqsa Mosque, in its entire area of 144 dunams, is a purely Islamic mosque, and that preserving its identity and historical and legal status is a collective responsibility that includes religious, political, cultural, literary, artistic, and media institutions. It rejected all attempts to impose temporal and spatial division, change the existing historical and legal status of the mosque, or assault worshippers, those performing itikaf, and the guards of Al-Aqsa. The department called on Palestinian, Arab, and Islamic cultural institutions, unions, and literary and artistic associations to launch a continuous cultural movement for Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa, including seminars, lectures, exhibitions, poetry evenings, and literary and artistic competitions, along with producing cultural content that consolidates the presence of Jerusalem in public awareness. It called on international, Arab, and Islamic cultural institutions and bodies concerned with heritage protection to play their role in preserving holy sites and Jerusalem's cultural heritage, and exposing attempts at Judaization and falsification of history. The Cultural Department concluded its statement by affirming that "the battle for Jerusalem is a battle for awareness," stressing that protecting the Al-Aqsa Mosque begins with protecting the truth, preserving memory, and introducing generations to their history and rights, and affirming its continued defense of Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa and strengthening their presence in the Palestinian, Arab, and international cultural scene.