Al-Aqsa and the Holy Sepulchre: Worship Under Threat in Jerusalem - Maulana Syed Muhammad Rizvi

Friday Juma KhutbaApril 3rd, 2026- Good Friday reflection introduced through remarks attributed to Pope Leo XIV about Jesus as the King of Peace- Emphasis that Jesus Christ rejects war and does not accept prayers from those who engage in violence- Qur’anic parallel from Qur’an (2:275) used to describe moral confusion driven by greed and false equivalence- Criticism of politicians using religion to justify war, including Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth- Double standard highlighted: Muslims labeled extremists for religious justification while others are not- Reference to teachings from the Gospel of Matthew advocating nonviolence and forgiveness- Incident where Christian leaders were prevented from entering Church of the Holy Sepulchre during Palm Sunday by Israeli authorities- Statement by Mark Carney criticizing violations of Jerusalem’s religious status quo- Ongoing restrictions on Palestinian Muslims at Al-Aqsa Mosque highlighted as religious injustice- Call to action encouraging advocacy and letter writing regarding denial of worship rights- Mention of Israeli military actions including attack in Lebanon’s Baqaa valley targeting worshippers- Broader moral framing of leaders acting without ethical limits compared to Qur’anic description of spiritual confusion within these types of people- Strong criticism of Donald Trump for inconsistency and lack of decorum- Tensions within NATO and criticism from Emmanuel Macron calling for stability and serious leadership- Exploring contradictions in U.S. narrative on Iran’s nuclear program and military actionsDonate towards our programs today: https://jaffari.org/donate/Jaffari Community Centre (JCC Live)