Israeli Jew enters Masjid-e-Nabwi, photographs spark anger

RIYADH: Images of an Israeli Jew holding Hebrew Scriptures at Masjid-e-Nabwi sparked uproar on social media platforms.

Ben Tzion, the Russian-born Israeli Jew on Monday posted photographs and videos on his social media accounts from the Mosque of the Prophet (PBUH), Islam’s second holiest site.

The 31-year-old blogger entered the Grand Mosque of the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) and posed for photos and video with fellow-worshippers, reported BBC.

“People of Saudi Arabia would stand with the Jewish nation side by side,” he wrote in a Facebook post with a photo of him performing the Saudi sword dance in a traditional ankle-length garment known as a “thobe”.

“Peace in the Middle East with respect and love towards each other,” another post stated.

Under Saudi law, non-Muslims are prohibited from entering Madina’s Nabawi Square.

In an interview with Times of Israel, Tzion said visiting Muslim countries was “a hobby” and reiterated his “respect for other cultures and faiths”.

Tzion draw strong condemnation from Muslims across the world by posting photos of himself inside Masjid al Nabawi (PBUH)

A hashtag, “#zionist_in_the_prophet_mosque” went viral in the last space of 24 hours and attracted over 90,000 tweets.

“The scholars are in prisons and the Zionists are at the Prophet’s Mosque. It is a sad thing,” said one Twitter user in Arabic.

“In the era of Al Saud [the Saudi royal family], the occupying Zionists, the enemies of Islam and Muslims… defile the mosque of the seal of the Prophet,” said another.

Another user tweeted: “The current hashtag: A Zionist at the Prophet’s Mosque; the next hashtag: A Zionist on the pulpit of the Prophet’s Mosque; and the following hashtag: A Zionist is the imam of the Mecca Mosque.”