By Abdallah El-Ashaal A visit to Jerusalem by an Arab official is by its very nature controversial, more so when the official in question is the Egyptian Waqf Minister Mahmoud Hamdi Zaqzouq. Ten years ago, when then Al-Azhar grand imam Sheikh Tantawi said that it was okay for Muslims to go to Jerusalem, things were a bit different. For one thing, Israel wasn't bent on bullying the Palestinians and Judaising Jerusalem. Now, when the waqf minister says that he wants to go to Jerusalem, the statement sounds odd, especially the part in which he says that it would be okay for him to apply for an Israeli visa to do so. I have always been opposed to politics being formulated by clerics. I was particularly stunned when the Islamic Research Council, led by Tantawi, declared that Egypt's steel barrier on the borders with Gaza was religiously accepted. This is the kind of fatwa that our esteemed clerics should avoid. I know that the clerics may say things just because the government asks them to. But when Israel is bullying the Palestinians, encroaching on Jerusalem, and building settlements all over the occupied territories, the clerics should keep their mouths shut. I am not saying that Zaqzouq is politically naïve. The man studied in Germany, is married to a German woman, and has participated in discussion forums in Germany and other parts of Europe. So he's a cut above your average cleric. But listen to what he said. Zaqzouq actually drew a historical parallel between our times and the time the Prophet Mohamed asked Mecca's polytheists for permission to visit the city. For starters, the polytheists of Mecca were the original population, and the Muslims were the outsiders. So is the waqf minister arguing that the Israelis are the original population of Jerusalem and that the Palestinians are the outsiders? I cannot see the point. Not so long ago, Egypt's former foreign minister Ahmed Maher visited Al-Aqsa Mosque and was beaten by worshippers in the mosque. Is Zaqzouq risking a similar fate? I know that the waqf minister of the Palestinian Authority, Sheikh Mahmoud Al-Habbash is behind the invitation to Zaqzouq. But wait a minute. Is this really the time for Egypt to side with Fatah against Hamas? Is there anything good about this visit? If there is, I fail to see it. This week's Soapbox speaker is former deputy minister of foreign affairs.
