The Coming Holy War over al-Aqsa Mosque/ Temple Mount in Jerusalem

Juan Cole 04/25/2014

Events of the past week in Jerusalem are extremely troubling, and indeed for the past four months. The al-Aqsa Mosque is the third holiest site in the world for Muslims, and the Israeli authorities and their squatter movement are becoming more and more aggressive toward the site and the Muslims who try to visit and worship there.

Sixteen arrested after clashes at Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa (via AFP)

Israeli police arrested 16 Palestinians Sunday as they clashed with demonstrators at the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem, a sensitive holy site that is frequently the scene of tensions. “This morning, after the site was opened for visitors and…

About the Author

Juan Cole is the founder and chief editor of Informed Comment. He is Richard P. Mitchell Professor of History at the University of Michigan He is author of, among many other books, Muhammad: Prophet of Peace amid the Clash of Empires and The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam. Follow him on Twitter at @jricole or the Informed Comment Facebook Page