The "Guardians of Al-Aqsa Mosque" is a group of Palestinian young women who dedicated themselves for serving the holy Al-Aqsa Mosque.

The group invited Jerusalemite young women and young women from the 1948 occupied lands and elsewhere who could reach the Al-Aqsa Mosque to volunteer in the “Discipline Committees” during the holy month of Ramadan.

Every young woman who loves the Al-Aqsa Mosque was invited to volunteer in those committees to help and serve the guests of the best place and at the best time.

As soon as the Muslim worshipers enter the Mosque during Ramadan, volunteers step forward and hold long ropes that separate the women's paths from the men. Then they spread out in the Mosque's courtyards to support the Mosque’s guards in serving the Muslim worshipers.

These committees were established in the Al-Aqsa Mosque two decades ago when volunteers were needed to maintain calm and prevent troubles inside the Mosque.

The committees’ work is limited to the month of Ramadan because the number of Muslim worshipers during this month reach around three hundred thousand, most of them come from outside Jerusalem and need to be guided.

Volunteering

Years ago, the Jerusalemite young woman and activist Aya Amr, 24, joined the Discipline Committees to serve and help women worshipers in Al-Aqsa.

Activist Amr said, “This year has differed greatly from previous years, as the corona pandemic is still spreading in the world.” She stressed the need for those who reach Al-Aqsa to adhere to the measures of safety against the fatal virus.

She described her work as interesting, despite the fact that she feels exhausted at the end of the day. “(These) Young women seek the reward from Allah. Also, they find comfort among the worshipers while they are at Al-Aqsa.”

Amr pointed out that on Friday the work is doubled in addition to the time of Tarawih (after night) prayer of each day in Ramadan.

She continues, “Our work is renewed every year with the participation of more than a hundred young women every day. For me, I will definitely continue to volunteer because I serve my Mosque, which I grew up in its corners. Despite my work as a tourist guide, I prefer during Ramadan to give my time to the Al-Aqsa Mosque and serve the worshipers in it.”

The discipline committees at Al-Aqsa Mosque are not restricted to young women only. There are other similar committees made up of hundreds of young men serving male worshipers. The only condition to join these committees is that the volunteer must be above 14 years old.

Perhaps the most notable result of the work of such committees is to ward off the occupation’s schemes of targeting the Mosque’s guards and employees in a bid to weaken their mission and pave the way for dividing the Mosque between Muslims and Jews. 

The main task of these groups this year is to help people adhere to safety measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

 

Source: The Palestinian Information Center