Can anyone briefly tell me the story of how these yayhoos got put in charge of Israel's and Christendom's most holy place? Really! Who died and made them Alexander Haig? It's unbelievable to me that Jews and Christians can't even pray there!
It is a great story. It goes back centuries. The Temple was destroyed by the Romans, when they brutally crushed the Jewish revolt. There were some pagan temples established there, but it was mainly a ruin, then some centuries later Christian chapels were built there, after Rome stopped persecuting the Christians.
However, the ceasing of persecution was only a lull. During the reign of Julian the Apostate, a Roman Emperor who disgarded Christianity and tried to make paganism official again, Christians again became targets. Julian made an alliance with the Jews of Jerusalem, to restore the Temple. The Christians got thrown off Temple Mount, and rebuilding of the Jewish temple began. But some Rabbis were against the idea, because the Jews should not rebuild the Temple until the Messiah comes. The Rabbis' warnings seemed borne out when a disastrous explosion (natural gas?), or earth tremour, wrecked the building works and killed quite a number of people. Julian the Apostate was killed in battle, and the whole thing faded.
The Temple site was then a ruin, with a rather ambiguous reputation. Jews believed that they were forbidden to set foot there, lest they tread on the holy of holys. Christians had relocated their relics from the site, and did not go back either. The Holy Speculcre became the focus for Christianity in Jerusalem.
In the 7th century, the Muslims invaded and took over Jerusalem. The Caliph asked about the site, and was surprised it was a rubbish dump. He began clearing the area and built the basis of the present mosque (which has been renovated and redecorated many times since.)
When the Crusaders invaded Jerusalem, in the 11th century, the Dome of the Rock was the last place to fall. It was crowded with people seeking shelter. Yet, even when it was the last place to go, the Jews of Jerusalem did not flee there, as their rules forbid them. They stayed in their quarter, and died as the Crusaders cut their way through the city.
When the Crusaders reached the Dome of the Rock, the guardian surrendered to them, and asked that the lives of the people be spared. The first Crusader commander said yes, the second no. The scene was set for a massacre, and the Crusaders cut down thousands, riding into the mosque on their horses, amid flowing blood. The mosque then became a church, for 100 years. This Church was in the special care of the Knights Templar, who took their name from the site. While there, the Templars are said to have learnt secrets of the real origins of the scriptures, which separated them from ordinary Christianity.
When Saladin reconquered Jerusalem, many expected a new massacre on the site. But he merely asked the Christians to leave, and allowed them to take all their valuables with them. He then removed all statues and altars from the mosque, and washed it in rosewater. It has been a mosque, ever since.
Thanks, Daisy! I understand a little better now. Sadly, it seems like Israel is with the Palestinians the way we Repubs are with the Dimocrats. We keep trying to be nice and getting knifed in the back in exchange. I think Israel keeps compromising, hoping that the Palestinians will be equally accommodating; instead, they get p*ssed on.