Kadyrov on Jerusalem clashes: ‘I’m ready to go and guard Al-Aqsa mosque for rest of my life’
Ramzan Kadyrov made the announcement on Thursday via his personal channel on the Telegram internet messenger.
“I am ready to give up my powers and serve in the structures that provide security at this site that is holy for all Muslims. To be a volunteer and guard the Al-Aqsa Mosque for the rest of my life,” he wrote.
Kadyrov also noted that he was against the situation in which the fight against terrorism was used as a tool in the political struggle aimed against Muslims.
Another proposal made by Kadyrov in the same post was to transfer all rights to the Temple Mount — home to the Al-Aqsa mosque and the Dome of the Rock — to Jordan as the king of this country bears the status of the custodian for Jerusalem’s holy sites.
The statement came amid the background of continuing tensions which started earlier this month after Israeli authorities restricted access to the Temple Mount by installing metal detectors, security cameras and additional fencing in and around the area.
The security measures have caused outrage among Muslims all over the world as well as among Palestinians. Massive protest rallies took place in Jerusalem and the head of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, ordered a freeze on all contact with Israel until the additional security measures were lifted.
The Arab League nations issued a harsh statement warning that Tel Aviv was “playing with fire and risking a major crisis with the Arab and Islamic world”
Earlier this week, Israeli security services dismantled the metal detectors in the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound to reduce the tensions in the city, but additional security cameras remain in place and the crisis remains unresolved.
Kadyrov regularly makes statements that make clear his readiness to defend his religious feelings. He has also repeatedly denounced terrorism and called for all Islamic nations to join forces against the Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) terrorist group.
He has also repeatedly accused the US and other Western nations of “spawning” IS in order to incite hatred towards Muslims all over the world, distract public attention from numerous problems in the Middle East, and destroy Islamic nations from inside.
In 2014, Kadyrov vowed to destroy IS after the group threatened to attack Russia. He also said that he had repeatedly asked Russian President Vladimir Putin to send Chechen infantry and himself to Syria to take part in the anti-IS operation.
