Al-Aqsa mosque taken from prayer to violence: Divergent photos from one of Islam's holiest sites

Anne Godlasky, USA TODAY
·4 min read

In the waning days of Ramadan, Islam's third holiest site has become one of injury and violence, with hundreds of Palestinians sent to Jerusalem hospitals after Israeli police fired tear gas and rubber bullets on Palestinians hurling rocks in the Al-Aqsa mosque compound on Monday.

Al-Aqsa is behind only the mosques in Mecca and Medina - the Kaaba and the Al-Masjid an-Nabawi (the Prophet's Mosque) - in terms of its importance in Islam, and is believed to be where the Prophet Muhammad ascended to heaven.

United Nations envoys called on Israeli authorities to avoid escalating the situation during Muslim holy days: “We call on all sides to uphold and respect the status quo at the holy sites."

Since then, Hamas, an Islamic militant group that seeks Israel’s destruction, has fired hundreds of rockets at Israeli targets, and Israel unleashed airstrikes Tuesday. At least 26 Palestinians and two Israelis have been killed. The call for Palestinians to be evicted from the east Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah has been a particular spark in the escalating tensions.

At Al-Aqsa, many photos - some taken days, some only hours, apart - show the contradictory experiences of peace and pain taking place at the site.

Bathed in light, clouded in tear gas

Palestinian worshippers rested at Al-Aqsa mosque on May 10, 2021.
Palestinian worshippers rested at Al-Aqsa mosque on May 10, 2021.

Muslims rest above, run below, the crimson carpet obscured by gas and debris.

Palestinians inside the Al-Aqsa mosque clash with Israeli security forces at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem's Old City Monday, May 10, 2021.
Palestinians inside the Al-Aqsa mosque clash with Israeli security forces at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem's Old City Monday, May 10, 2021.

Two nighttime views

Prayers on May 8. Islamic authorities estimated 90,000 people gathered for nighttime prayers at Al-Aqsa for Laylat al-Qadr:

Palestinian Muslim worshippers pray during the Laylat al-Qadr, or the night of destiny, the holiest night of Ramadan, in front of the Dome of the Rock Mosque at the Al Aqsa Mosque compound May 8, 2021.
Palestinian Muslim worshippers pray during the Laylat al-Qadr, or the night of destiny, the holiest night of Ramadan, in front of the Dome of the Rock Mosque at the Al Aqsa Mosque compound May 8, 2021.

Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., tweeted:

"This is happening as Muslims pray tarawih & tahajud in Palestine. Families who pray all night during Ramadan, the mosque is like home. Palestinians deserve to find refuge in a mosque and peace in Ramadan. Where is the media coverage?"

Destruction on May 10:

A grab from an AFPTV video shows a tree on fire near the Dome of the Rock mosque in Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque complex on May 10, 2021, following renewed clashes between Palestinians and Israeli police at the scene.
A grab from an AFPTV video shows a tree on fire near the Dome of the Rock mosque in Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque complex on May 10, 2021, following renewed clashes between Palestinians and Israeli police at the scene.

Flags, meters apart

Palestinians placed a Hamas flag on the mosque earlier on Monday. Hamas fired more than 250 rockets from Gaza starting Monday evening, including one that hit an Israeli apartment building, wounding six, according to the Israeli army.

Palestinians place the Hamas movement flag atop al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem's Old City on May 10, 2021, ahead of a planned march to commemorate Israel's takeover of Jerusalem in the 1967 Six-Day War.
Palestinians place the Hamas movement flag atop al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem's Old City on May 10, 2021, ahead of a planned march to commemorate Israel's takeover of Jerusalem in the 1967 Six-Day War.

Fewer than 200 meters from the mosque is the holiest site for Jewish prayer, the Western Wall, where many gathered on Monday, which was also the national holiday of Jerusalem Day. The annual parade was diverted from the area in an attempt to avoid escalating tensions.

Jewish men wave Israeli flags as they gather at the Western Wall, the holiest site where Jews are allowed to pray, near al-Aqsa mosque in the Old City of Jerusalem on May 10, 2021, as Israel marks "Jerusalem Day."
Jewish men wave Israeli flags as they gather at the Western Wall, the holiest site where Jews are allowed to pray, near al-Aqsa mosque in the Old City of Jerusalem on May 10, 2021, as Israel marks "Jerusalem Day."

Taking positions

Palestinians erected a makeshift barrier in the al-Haram al-Sharif compound.

Palestinians erect a barricade at Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque compound on May 10, 2021, ahead of a planned march to commemorate Israel's takeover of Jerusalem in the 1967 Six-Day War.
Palestinians erect a barricade at Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque compound on May 10, 2021, ahead of a planned march to commemorate Israel's takeover of Jerusalem in the 1967 Six-Day War.

Israeli authorities also took position. Palestinians threw stones, bottles and chairs and Israeli police used tear gas, stun grenades and rubber bullets.

Israeli security forces take positions during clashes with Palestinians in front of the Dome of the Rock Mosque at the Al Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem's Old City, Monday, May 10, 2021.
Israeli security forces take positions during clashes with Palestinians in front of the Dome of the Rock Mosque at the Al Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem's Old City, Monday, May 10, 2021.

Quran and clean-up

Palestinian women take part in the last Friday prayers of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan at the Dome of the Rock Mosque on May 7, 2021.
Palestinian women take part in the last Friday prayers of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan at the Dome of the Rock Mosque on May 7, 2021.
Palestinians clean the Al-Aqsa mosque compound on May 10, 2021, following renewed violence with Israeli police.
Palestinians clean the Al-Aqsa mosque compound on May 10, 2021, following renewed violence with Israeli police.

Worshippers and wounded

A man reads the holy Quran as Palestinians gather during the second Friday prayers of the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan, outside the Dome of the Rock at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, Islam's third holiest site, in Jerusalem's Old City, on April 23, 2021.
A man reads the holy Quran as Palestinians gather during the second Friday prayers of the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan, outside the Dome of the Rock at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, Islam's third holiest site, in Jerusalem's Old City, on April 23, 2021.
A Palestinian man helps a wounded fellow protester amid clashes with Israeli security forces at Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque compound on May 10, 2021, ahead of a planned march to commemorate Israel's takeover of Jerusalem in the 1967 Six-Day War.
A Palestinian man helps a wounded fellow protester amid clashes with Israeli security forces at Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque compound on May 10, 2021, ahead of a planned march to commemorate Israel's takeover of Jerusalem in the 1967 Six-Day War.

Beautiful and broken

Pieces of stained glass broken from one of Al-Aqsa mosque's windows on May 10, 2021.
Pieces of stained glass broken from one of Al-Aqsa mosque's windows on May 10, 2021.
The window of Al-Aqsa mosque is seen shattered following renewed clashes between Palestinians and Israeli police in Jerusalem's Old City on May 10, 2021.
The window of Al-Aqsa mosque is seen shattered following renewed clashes between Palestinians and Israeli police in Jerusalem's Old City on May 10, 2021.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations, the largest U.S. Muslim civil rights organization, says Americans should demand lawmakers condemn the attacks at Al-Aqsa Masjid.

Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., shared: "I was 7 years old when I first prayed at the Al Aqsa with my city. It's a sacred site for Muslims. This is equivalent to attacking the Church of the Holy Sepulchre for Christians, or the Temple Mount for Jews."

The mosque, which is more than 1,000 years old, has a long history of being shaken by violence and targeted by both Christian and Jewish extremists, particularly including the larger compound beyond the mosque itself. When Israeli leader Ariel Sharon entered al-Haram in 2000 with more than 1,000 armed guards, Palestinians went to protest and were fired on by police, sparking a five-year Palestinian uprising.

The compound is known as Al-Haram al-Sharif or "Noble Shrine" and is also a sacred place for Jews, known as Temple Mount.

“In this microcosm of humanity’s spiritual diversity, different peoples worship the same places, sometimes under different names. The recognition, use of and respect for these names is paramount. The Al Aqsa Mosque/Al-Haram al-Sharif, the sacred shrine of Muslims, is also the Har HaBayit – or Temple Mount – whose Western Wall is the holiest place in Judaism, a few steps away from the Saint Sepulcher and the Mount of Olives revered by Christians," Irina Bokova, UNESCO Director-General said of the site in 2016.

Contributing: Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Al-Aqsa mosque from prayer to violence: Photos from Islam's holy site