Faithwire
  • Watch
  • Go!
  • Podcasts
  • Newsletter
  • Contact Us
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • SCOTUS
  • Life
  • Religious Liberty
  • News
  • Politics
  • Faith
  • Opinion

After Deadly Attack, Christian Man Boldly Prays Among Thousands of Muslims in Jerusalem

Courage.
Share Tweet
By Faithwire Staff
Writer

July 25, 2017

A photograph of a Christian man among thousands of Muslims during Friday prayers in Jerusalem last week serves as a touching example of interfaith cooperation amid conflict and religious tensions.

The photo, taken by CNN, shows Nidal Aboud, holding the Bible with a cross draped around his neck, as he stood alongside Muslims for midday prayers in the Wadi el-Joz neighborhood, outside the Old City of Jerusalem, last Friday. He was the only Christian there, according to CNN.

As the Muslims around him bowed down for prayers, Aboud made the sign of the cross. As they chanted, he read the Bible to himself. And as they said “Allahu Akbar,” God is greatest in Arabic, he stood silently and respectfully. It was the first time Aboud, a 24-year-old Palestinian, ever joined the midday Muslim prayers. Aboud told CNN he wanted to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Muslims as they worshiped. “I had a dream since I was a child. I wanted to spread the world with love. I wanted to be the one who plants love in people’s hearts,” he told CNN in a recent interview.

A Christian man prays alongside Muslims outside the Old City of Jerusalem during mid-day prayers on Friday. pic.twitter.com/ixvdcpkNIY

— Oren Liebermann (@OrenCNN) July 23, 2017

The prayers took place after Israel restricted access to the al-Aqsa Mosque, the third holiest site in Islam. The mosque is located in a compound in the Old City near one of world’s most religious sites, known to Muslims as the Haram al-Sharif and known to Jews as the Temple Mount.

Following last week’s attack at the Lion’s Gate entrance to the compound that left two Israeli police officers dead, Israeli authorities have installed metal detectors and security cameras and are limiting entry to men over 50 and women. All three assailants were Israeli citizens of Palestinian origin from the northern city of Um al-Fahm, one of the largest Arab towns in Israel, according to ABC News.

The security measures in response to the attack have sparked widespread demonstrations and violent clashes between Israeli security forces and Palestinians, who view these measures as a unilateral attempt by Jewish majority Israel to control the holy site. While attending Muslim prayers last Friday, Aboud told CNN he didn’t feel out of place. “I asked my Muslim friends for their permission to pray between them. They were asking me to stand beside them,” he said. “My motivation was to stand in solidarity with my Muslim brothers and in solidarity with our Palestinian issue against the (Israeli) occupation and its policies against our holy sites, whether it’s the mosque or the church.”

Latest

  • News

    Pro-Life Activist Mark Houck Acquitted of Federal Charges

  • News

    ‘Virtue-Signaling Nonsense’: London School of Economics Cancels Christian Holidays Lent, Easter From Academic Calendar

  • Faith

    Pastor and Three Christians Shot to Death by Suspected Islamic Extremists in Sudan: Report

  • Faith

    ‘God Using Me as a Vessel’: Damar Hamlin Speaks Out in First Video Since Near-Death Experience, Says Lord Will Guide Him to ‘Great Things’

  • News

    ‘Proof That God Is Faithful’: Premature Baby Raises Hand as Father Sings Gospel Song to Him


Sponsored
Sponsored

Newsletter
Signup

Sidebar

Recent Posts

  • Pro-Life Activist Mark Houck Acquitted of Federal Charges
  • ‘Virtue-Signaling Nonsense’: London School of Economics Cancels Christian Holidays Lent, Easter From Academic Calendar
  • Pastor and Three Christians Shot to Death by Suspected Islamic Extremists in Sudan: Report
  • ‘God Using Me as a Vessel’: Damar Hamlin Speaks Out in First Video Since Near-Death Experience, Says Lord Will Guide Him to ‘Great Things’
  • ‘Proof That God Is Faithful’: Premature Baby Raises Hand as Father Sings Gospel Song to Him

Archives

  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016

Categories

  • Christian Persecution
  • Coronavirus
  • Culture
  • culture
  • Entertainment
  • Faith
  • Faith
  • Family
  • George Floyd
  • Go!
  • Israel
  • Life
  • Life
  • Lifestyle
  • Media
  • Men
  • Mission Haiti
  • News
  • News
  • Opinion
  • P.O.V
  • Politics
  • Politics
  • Sponsored
  • Sports
  • Virtue
  • Women

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

Navigation

  • Watch
  • Go!
  • Podcasts
  • Newsletter
  • Contact Us
  • Staff
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram

Subscribe to the Newsletter

Sign up to get our newsletter your inbox every day.

Newsletter Signup

Do you want to read
more articles like this?