Islam in Palestine

Islam is the religion of the majority of the Palestinian population residing in the Palestinian territories, with Muslims comprising 75% of the population of the West Bank,[1] and 99% of the population of the Gaza Strip.

Jerusalem is Islam's third holiest city after Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia.[2] The Haram al Sharif (Temple Mount) of Jerusalem is believed by Muslims to be the location from which Muhammad ascended to Jannah (paradise); there is no mention of Jerusalem in the Koran, however.

This widely accepted Islamic belief raises the religious and spiritual importance to them of the Dome of the Rock and the adjacent al-Aqsa Mosque. Muslims are sensitive to and mindful of the circumstance that two mosques along with the rest of East Jerusalem are claimed and illegally occupied by the state of Israel.

References

  1. ↑ West Bank Archived 2019-01-06 at the Wayback Machine. CIA Factbook
  2. ↑ "From the article on Islam in Palestine and Israel in Oxford Islamic Studies Online". Archived from the original on 2013-12-02. Retrieved 2011-09-08.