(Jerusalem Post) Juliane Helmhold - Prominent Egyptian philosopher Dr. Youssef Ziedan told Israel's Army Radio on Tuesday he wants to lecture in Israel "where they are more interested in [my] views than in Egypt." Winner of the International Prize for Arabic Fiction, Ziedan said it was "in Egypt's interest to enter a genuine dialogue with Israel." The Islamic studies expert told Egyptian TV in 2015 that Muslim claims about the al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem were baseless. "Al-Aqsa Mosque didn't exist back then [when Muhammad lived]. There was no city named 'al-Quds' and modern teachings claiming this are disastrous." Instead, "al-Aqsa" refers to a mosque on the outskirts of Ta'if, west of Mecca. He bases this on the teachings of the ancient Muslim historian Al-Waqidi, who was born 100 years after the appearance of Muhammad.
2018-10-03 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive