Al Azhar to dedicate lessons on Jerusalem’s history

CAIRO – 7 December 2017: Abbas Shoman, deputy of Al Azhar, directed all Azhar institutions to designate time every morning for a commentary to be delivered to students on Jerusalem and its history for the coming week.

In addition, the first three classes on Sunday in all Azhar institutions of all key stages will be dedicated to discussing the Jerusalem issue and its consequences.

The move comes with the aim to instill awareness of Jerusalem’s importance to Muslims, as it is considered the first of the Qeblatayn (the two directions worshippers face during prayer in Islam) and the third holiest site.

The move also comes following U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement that the U.S. officially recognizes Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

"It is the headquarters of many government ministries. For many years, visiting American diplomats met their Israeli counterparts in Jerusalem… It is now the heart of one of the most successful democracies in the world," U.S. President Donald Trump has stated during his speech Wednesday.

"Through all of these years, presidents representing the United States have refused to acknowledge Jerusalem as the Israeli capital. Today, we acknowledge that Jerusalem is the Israeli capital. It is the right thing to do. It is something that has to be done," Trump continued.