RNA - Hojat-ol-Islam Saeed Karami, cultural deputy of Iran’s Center for Mosques Affairs, told IQNA that the International Mosques Day will be observed on Sunday, August 21.
He said different programs will be held to mark the occasion, including a conference in Tehran.
According to the official, 500 mosques in the Iranian capital city will also host exhibitions titled "Benchmark Islamic Mosques”.
He added that prayer leaders of mosques in their speeches on t occasion will elaborate on different aspects of the incident in Al-Aqsa Mosque in Quds (Jerusalem) that took place on August 21, 1969.
Every year, Muslims around the world are mark the anniversary of the fire in Al Aqsa mosque on August 21, 1969 which gutted the southeastern wing of al Aqsa and destroyed Saladin’s minbar.
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The fire was started by an Australian evangelical Christian named Denis Michael Rohan, who hoped that burning al Aqsa would hasten the Second Coming of Jesus, making way for the rebuilding of the Jewish Temple on the Temple Mount.
However the security of the mosque remained fragile as there were many plots and attempts to blow the mosque up including by members of the Zionist movement Gush Emunim Underground in the 1980’s.
The Second Intifada, otherwise known as the al Aqsa intifada, was triggered in September 2000 when then-Prime Minister of Israel Ariel Sharon and members of the Likud Party, along with 1,000 armed guards trespassed and entered al Aqsa.
A large group of Palestinians reacted with a demonstration which led to Israel deploying 2000 riot police and storming al Aqsa compound, killing 4 and injuring over 200 Palestinians.
Palestinians and Muslims are now calling to the UN Security Council and human rights groups to protect al Aqsa against future attacks and believe that remembering the burning of al Aqsa will ensure that neither the burning or provocative attacks will happen in the future.
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