Conversion of non-Muslim places of worship into mosques, some untold and unknown stories:
Right now the ISLAMIC FANATICS OF ISIS AND TALIBAN ARE SYSTEMATICALLY DOING WHAT THE KORAN DEMAND THEY DO FOR AS LONG AS ISLAM HAS BEEN AROUND.
THE GROUND ZERO MOSQUE WAS TO BE AN EXAMPLE OF THE DOMINATION OF AMERICA.
The Conversion of non-Muslim places of worship into mosques occurred
primarily during the life of Muhammad and continued during
subsequent Islamic conquests and under historical Muslim rule. As a
result, numerous Hindu temples, churches, synagogues, the Parthenon andZoroastrian temples were converted into mosques.
Several such mosques in Muslim or ex-Muslim lands have since reverted or
become museums, such as the Hagia Sophia in Turkey and numerous mosques
in Spain and Israel.
Hagia
Sophia, an Eastern Orthodox church converted into a mosque after the
Fall of Constantinople; since 1943 it has been converted into a museum.
Cathedral–Mosque
of Córdoba, Built over a pagan worship place, then converted into
church and then, the Umayyad Moors built a mosque half of the site,
which was then turned into a Christian cathedral
Ka'aba:
Mecca, Saudi Arabia
In Islamic teaching, the Ka'aba was built by Ibrahim (Abraham) and his son.
Before the rise of Islam the Ka'aba was revered as a sacred sanctuary
and was a site of pilgrimage.". At the time of Muhammad (AD 570–632),
his tribe the Quraysh was in charge of the Kaaba, which was at that time
a shrine containing hundreds of idols representing Arabian tribal
godsand other religious figures. Muhammad earned the enmity of his tribe
by claiming the shrine for the new religion of Islam that he preached.
He wanted the Kaaba to be dedicated to the worship of the one God alone,
and all the idols were evicted. The Black Stone (al-Hajar-ul-Aswad),
still present at the Kaaba was a special object of veneration at the
site. According to tradition the text of seven especially honored
poems were suspended around the Ka'aba. Martin Lings' biography of
Muhammad claims that even an image of the Virgin Mary had been displayed
in the pagan shrine.
According to Islam, Muhammad's actions were not strictly a conversion
but rather a restoration of the mosque established on that site
byAbraham, who is considered to be a prophet in Islam. Howerver, outside
of Islamic scriptures, there is no historical or archaeological
evidence that suggests that Mecca or Ka'aba existed before the 4th
century A.D., when immigrants from Yemen settled the area. The Ka'aba
thus became known as the Masjid al-Haram, or Sacred Mosque, the holiest
site in Islam.
Biblical holy sites
Mosques were regularly established on the places of Jewish or
Christian sanctuaries associated with Biblical personalities who were
also recognized by Islam. This practice was particularly common in
Palestine. The Caliph Umar initially built a small prayer house, which
laid the foundation for the later construction of the Al-Aqsa mosque on
the Temple Mount, the most sacred site in Judaism, possibly by
the Umayyads. The Dome of the Rock, another Muslim mosque, was also
built on the Temple Mount which was an abandoned and disused area. Upon
the capture of Jerusalem, it is commonly reported that Umar refused to
pray in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. for fear that later Muslims
would then convert it into a mosque in spite of a treaty guaranteeing
its safety.
The mosque of Job in Ash Shaykh Sa'd, Syria, was previously a church
of Job. The Herodian shrine of Cave of the Patriarchs, the second most
holy site in Judaism, was converted into a church during the Crusades
before being turned into a mosque in 1266 and henceforth banned to Jews
and Christians. Part of it was restored as a synagogue after 1967 by
Israel.
This post I want ot specifically take a detailed look at the HINDU temples In India Temples were desecrated by ISLAM. The Indian Hindus are our natural allies in our fight against ISLAM.
REACH OUT TO THEM WHERE EVER YOU CAN. OBAMA IS THEIR ENEMY AND THEY SHOULD KNOW IT IF THE ARE HINDU OR CHRISTIAN OR SIKH..
Hindu, Jain and Buddhist temples:
The destruction of Hindu temples in India during the Islamic conquest
of India occurred from the beginning of Muslim conquest until the end
the Mughal Empire throughout the Indian subcontinent.
In his controversial book "Hindu Temples - What Happened to Them",
Sita Ram Goel produced a politically contentious list of 2000 mosques
that it is claimed were built on Hindu temples. The second volume of the
book excerpts from medieval histories and chronicles and from
inscriptions concerning the destruction of Hindu, Jain and Buddhist
temples.
In Indonesia, where popular conversion from Hinduism to Islam was
more widespread, it is believed that the minaret of the Menara Kudus
Mosque, in Java, was originally part of a Hindu temple.
Ram Janmabhoomi:
Ram Janmabhoomi refers to a tract of land in the North Indian city of
Ayodhya which is claimed to be the birthplace of Lord Rama.
Archeological Survey of India (ASI), after conducting excavations at the
site reported that prior to 1528, filed a report that stated that a
temple stood at this site before the arrival of Mughals who
constructed Babri Mosque at its present site.[6] Critics of the report
claim that the "presence of animal bones throughout as well as of the
use of 'surkhi' and lime mortar" that was found by ASI are all
characteristic of Muslim presence, which they claim "rule out the
possibility of a Hindu temple having been there beneath the mosque".
A view of the "Janmasthan (Birthplace) Mosque"/ Babri Mosque, 1528-1992
The Sangh Parivaar, along with VHP and the main Indian opposition
party, the Bharatiya Janata Party, sought to erect a temple dedicated to
Lord Rama at this site. Nobel Laureate novelist V. S. Naipaul has
praised Hindu nationalists for "reclaiming India's Hindu heritage".
Naipaul added that the destruction of Babri structure was an act of
historical balancing and the reclaiming of the Ramjanmabhoomi was a
"welcome sign that Hindu pride was re-asserting itself".
The 1986 edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica stated that "Rama’s
birthplace is marked by a mosque, erected by the Moghul emperor Babar in
1528 on the site claimed of an earlier temple".
Archaeological excavations at the site by the Archeological Survey of
India reported the existence of a 10th century temple. " The report
stated that scientific dating indicated human activity at the site as
far back to the 17th century BC.
On 30 September 2010, Allahabad High Court ruled that the 2.7 acres
disputed land in Ayodhya, on which the Babri Masjid stood before it was
demolished on December 6, 1992, will be divided into three parts: the
site of the Ramlala idol to Lord Ram, Nirmohi Akhara gets Sita Rasoi and
Ram Chabutara, Sunni Wakf Board gets a third.
Krishna Janmabhoomi (Mathura):
The great temple of Keshava Rai at Mathura was built by Bir Singh Deo
Bundela during Jahangir’s time at a cost of thirty-three lakhs of
rupees. The Dehra of Keshava Rai was one of the most magnificent temples
ever built in India and enjoyed veneration of the Hindus throughout the
land. Alberuni also states that this temple was approximately 20 times
large than the largest mosque he ever saw in his life. Prince Dara
Shukoh, who was looked upon by the masses as the future Emperor, had
presented a carved stone railing to the temple which was installed in
front of the deity at some distance; the devotees stood outside this
railing to have ‘darshan’ of Keshava Rai. The railing was removed on
Aurangzeb’s orders in October 1666.
The Dehra of Keshava Rai was demolished in the month of Ramzan, 1080
A.H. (13 January – 11 February 1670) by Aurangzeb’s order. “In a short
time, by the great exertion of the officers, the destruction of this
strong foundation of infidelity was accomplished and on its site a lofty
mosque was built at the expenditure of a large sum”. To the author of
Maasir-i-‘Alamigiri, the accomplishment of this “seemingly impossible
work was an “instance of the strength of the Emperor’s faith”.
Somnath Temple:
A century later the third temple was constructed in red sandstone by the Pratihara king, Nagabhata II.
Soon the temple regained its old glory and wealth, the descriptions
of which were carried to the Middle East. In particular, the accounts of
the Arab Al Biruni impressed Mahmud of Ghazni. In AD 1025, Ghazni
destroyed and looted the temple, killing over 50,000 people who tried to
defend it. The defenders included the 90-year-old clan leader Ghogha
Rana. Ghazni personally broke the gilded lingam to pieces. He took them
back to his homeland and placed them in the steps leading to the newly
built Jamiah Masjid, so that they would be stepped upon by those going
to the mosque to pray. It is also known that Mahmud of Ghazni slipped on
those very stones and died there when he was going to enter the mosque.
Work on the fourth temple was started immediately by the Paramara
King Bhoj of Malwa and the Solanki king Bhima of Patan and the temple
was ready by AD 1042. This temple was destroyed in AD 1300. At that time
Allaudin Khilji occupied the throne of Delhi and he sent his general,
Alaf Khan, to pillage Somnath. The fifth temple was built by King
Mahipala of the Chudasama dynasty.
Somnath temple ("today"; as reclaimed by Hindus), Somnath, India
Somnath was repeatedly attacked in the succeeding centuries. The last
of these attacks was by the Mughal emperor Aurangazeb in AD 1701. A
mosque was built at the site of the temple.
In AD 1783 queen Ahilyabhai Holkar built the sixth temple at an
adjacent site. The temple still stands and worship is carried out there.
After independence, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel pledged on November 13,
1947, that the seventh temple would be reconstructed. According to
prescribed Hindu rituals, pledges are made by taking holy water in one’s
fist. Leaders like Morarji Desai, Dr. Rajendra Prasad (the first
President) and Kanhaiyalal Munshi joined in and the work was entrusted
to the Sompura Shilpakars, whose ancestors rebuilt each new temple
through the ages. The mosque built by Aurangazeb was not destroyed but
carefully relocated. In 1951 Dr. Rajendra Prasad performed the
consecration ceremony with the words “The Somnath Temple signifies that
the power of creation is always greater than the power of destruction.”
The temple construction was completed on December 1, 1995, long after
the demise of Sardar Patel. The then President of India, Dr. Shankar
Dayal Sharma, dedicated it to the nation.
Converted structure at the site of Somnath temple, 1869
Kashi Viswanath (Benaras/Varanasi) :
Kashi or Varanasi is the most sacred site in Hinduism and the worship
of Lord Shiva as Vishveshvara goes back to ancient times. According to
the Puranas, every step taken in Kashi Kshetra has the sanctity of
making a pilgrimage to a tirtha. Lord Vishvanath is regarded as the
protector of Kashi and the belief is that one earns great religious
merit by having a vision of the deity after having bathed in
the Ganges.The temple was demolished several times by Muslim invaders,
and was reconstructed again and again by Hindu kings. After destruction
of the original temple on the orders of Mughal emperorAurangzeb's
orders, a mosque was built which still stands.
The Gyanvapi Mosque built by Aurangzeb on the original site of the Kashi Vishwanath temple.
Kuragala Cave Temple:
Kuragala Cave Temple is an ancient Buddhist holy site in the
Sabaragamuwa province of Sri Lanka which has roots in the preChristian
era and declared at the beginning of 20th century as a protected place
by the department of archeology of the country.
There is small mosque and a shrine at the place used by Dafthar
Jailany for prayer. The mosque and the temple have co-existed since 10th
century AD.
Other references:
An inscription at the Quwwat Al-Islam Mosque adjacent to Qutb
Minar in Delhi states: "This Jamii Masjid built in the months of the
year 587 (hijri) by the Amir, the great, the glorious commander of the
Army, Qutb-ud-daula wad-din, the Amir-ul-umara Aibeg, the slave of the
Sultan, may God strengthen his helpers! The materials of 27 idol
temples, on each of which 2,000,000 Deliwal coins had been spent were
used in the (construction of) this mosque".However as the inscription
depicts, the mosque was built from the material remnants of Hindu
temples which was destroyed by Muslims.
During the reign of Aurangzeb, tens of thousands of temples were
desecrated: their facades and interiors were defaced and their murtis
(divine images) looted. In many cases, temples were destroyed entirely;
in numerous instances mosques were built on their foundations, sometimes
using the same stones. Among the temples Aurangzeb destroyed were two
that are most sacred to Hindus, in Varanasi and Mathura. In both cases,
he had large mosques built on the sites.
Alberuni in his India writes about the famous temple of Multan:
A famous idol of theirs was that of Multan, dedicated to the sun, ..
When Muhammad Ibn Alkasim Ibn Almunabbih, conquered Multan, he inquired
how the town had become so very flourishing and so many treasures had
there been accumulated, and then he found out that this idol was the
cause, for there came pilgrims from all sides to visit it. Therefore he
thought to build a mosque at the same place where the temple once stood.
When then the Karmatians occupied Multan, Jalam Ibn Shaiban, the
usurper, broke the idol into pieces and killed its priests. .. When
afterwards the blessed Prince Mahmud swept away their rule from those
countries, he made again the old mosque the place of the Friday-worship.
An inscription of 1462 A.D.at Jami Masjid at Malan, in Banaskantha
District of Gujarat states: The Jami Masjid was built by Khan-I-Azam
Ulugh Khan, who suppressed the wretched infidels. He eradicated the
idolatrous houses and mine of infidelity, along with the idols with the
edge of the sword, and made ready this edifice. He made its walls and
doors out of the idols; the back of every stone became the place for
prostration of the believer.
Mughal Emperor Jahangir wrote in his Tujuk-i-Jahangiri:
"I am here led to relate that at the city of Banaras a temple had
been erected by Rajah Maun Sing, which cost him the sum of nearly
thirty-six laks of five methkaly ashrefies. ...I made it my plea for
throwing down the temple which was the scene of this imposture; and on
the spot, with the very same materials, I erected the great mosque,
because the very name of Islam was proscribed at Banaras, and with God’s
blessing it is my design, if I live, to fill it full with true
believers".
Zoroastrian temples:
After the Islamic conquest of Persia, Zoroastrian fire temples, with
their four axial arch openings, were usually turned into mosques simply
by setting a mihrab (prayer niche) on the place of the arch nearest to qibla (the
direction of Mecca). This practice is described by numerous Muslim
sources; however, the archeological evidence confirming it is still
scarce. Zoroastrian temples converted into mosques in such a manner
could be found in Bukhara, as well as in and near Istakhr and other
Iranian cities.
Synagogues:
Intricate stone carvings on the cloister columns at Quwwat ul-Islam Mosque, Qutb complex, Delhi
The ancient synagogue of Katzrin was converted to a mosque in the Mamluk period. It is now a museum in the state of Israel.
After the expulsion of all Jews from Algeria, the Great Synagogue of Oran was confiscated for use as a mosque.
The practice today:
The conversion of non-Islamic places of worship into mosques has
abated since no major territorial acquisitions have been made by Islam
in recent times. However, some of the Greek Orthodox churches
inTurkey that were left behind by expelled Greeks in 1923 were converted
into mosques, and a number of synagogues were confiscated and converted
to mosques after the expulsions of the Jews from Arab lands during the
1950s and 60's.
A relatively significant surge in church-mosque conversion followed
the 1974 Turkish Invasion of Cyprus. Many of the Orthodox churches
in Northern Cyprus have been converted, and many are still in the
process of becoming mosques.This practice has sparked considerable
contempt in the Greek Cypriotcommunity, and is likely to complicate
reconciliation with the Turkish Cypriots.
In Iran, all holy places of the Bahá'í religion have been demolished.
The House of the Báb in Shiraz was turned to rubble in 1979, soon after
the Islamic Revolution, and a mosque dedicated to the Imam Mahdi was
built on the site.
The defunct Hagia Sophia Church in İznik (ancient Nicaea) was
re-converted into a mosque on the Eid al-Adha of 2011. The prayer
session was attended by the ruling AK Parti deputies as well as an
immense Muslim congregation.
The Great Synagogue of Oran in Algeria was confiscated and turned into a mosque.
Churches and synagogues in non-Islamic countries re-arranged as mosques:
In areas that have experienced Islamic immigration, such as parts of
Europe and North America, some church buildings, and those of other
religious congregations, that have fallen into disuse have been
converted into mosques following a sale of the property.
In London, the Brick Lane Mosque has previously served as a French Protestant chapel and a synagogue.
The Aksa mosque in The Hague, Netherlands, was formerly a synagogue.
Churches of Istanbul:
Hagia Sophia:
Interior view of the Hagia Sophia, showing Islamic elements on the top of the main dome.
(from the Greek: Ἁγία Σοφία, "Holy Wisdom"; Latin: Sancta Sophia or Sancta Sapientia; Turkish: Ayasofya)
is a former Orthodox patriarchal basilica, later a mosque, and now a
museum in Istanbul, Turkey. From the date of its dedication in 360 until
1453, it served as the Greek Patriarchal cathedral of Constantinople,
except between 1204 and 1261, when it was converted to a Roman Catholic
cathedral under the Latin Patriarch of Constantinople of the Western
Crusader established Latin Empire. The building was a mosque from 29 May
1453 until 1931, when it was secularized. It was opened as a museum on 1
February 1935.
In 1453 Sultan Mehmed laid siege to Constantinople, driven in part by
a desire to convert the city to Islam, Constantinople was conquered by
the Ottoman Turks under Sultan Mehmed II, who subsequently ordered the
building converted into a mosque. The bells, altar, iconostasis, and
sacrificial vessels were removed and many of themosaics were plastered
over. Islamic features – such as the mihrab, minbar, and four minarets –
were added while in the possession of the Ottomans. It remained a
mosque until 1931 when it was closed to the public for four years. It
was re-opened in 1935 as a museum by the Republic of Turkey.
Hagia Irene:
Hagia Irene or Hagia Eirene (Greek: Ἁγία Εἰρήνη, "Holy Peace", Turkish: Aya İrini), often erroneously rendered in English as St Irene, is a former Eastern Orthodoxchurch located in the outer courtyard of Topkapı Palace in Istanbul, Turkey.
Today, the Church serves mainly as a concert hall for classical
music performances, due to its extraordinary acoustic characteristics
and impressive atmosphere. Many of the concerts of the Istanbul
International Music Festival have been held here every summer since
1980.
Hagia Eirene in 2007
Jerusalem and the Temple Mount
Pre-Islam
The Dome of the Rock is situated in the center of the Temple Mount, the site where once the Jewish Second Temple had stood. The Temple was destroyed in 70 CE by the Romans, who built a temple to Jupiter on the site.[citation needed] During the Byzantine
era, Jerusalem was primarily Christian, and pilgrims came by the tens
of thousands to experience the first church of Christianity and places
where Jesus walked
Jewish reverence for the Temple Mount (Har HaBayit) long predates the building of the Dome of the Rock and Al Aqsa Mosque in the 7th century CE, and even predates the construction of the first Jewish Temple (Beit HaMikdash) by King Solomon almost 2000 years earlier in 954 BCE and which was destroyed in 587 BCE.
The Beit HaMikdash was built, according to Jewish tradition, on the Even Hashtiya,
the foundation stone upon which the world was created. This is
considered the epicenter of Judaism, where the Divine Presence (Shechina)
rests, where the biblical Isaac was brought for sacrifice, where the
Holy of Holies and Ark of the Covenant housing the Ten Commandments once
stood, and where the Temple was again rebuilt in 515 BCE before being
destroyed by the Romans in 70 CE. The Temple Mount is also known as
Mount Moriah (Har HaMoriah), mentioned frequently in the Torah.
Jerusalem, Judaism’s holiest city, is mentioned hundreds times in the Tanakh. It
was the capital city of ancient Israeli kingdoms and home to Judaism’s
holiest Temple. Jews from all over the ancient world would make
pilgrimages to the Beit HaMikdash three times a year to participate in
worship and festivities, as commanded in the Torah. Jerusalem and the
Beit HaMikdash have remained the focus of Jewish longing, aspiration,
and prayers. Daily prayers (said while facing Jerusalem and the Temple
Mount) and grace after meals include multiple supplications for the
restoration of Jerusalem and the Beit HaMikdash. Jews still maintain the
9th day of the Hebrew month of Av, the date on which both the First and
Second Temples were destroyed, as a day of mourning. The Jewish wedding
ceremony concludes with the chanting of the biblical phrase, “If I
forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget its cunning,” and the
breaking of a glass by the groom to commemorate the destruction of the
Temples. And Yom Kippur services and the Passover Seder conclude each
year with the phrase “Next Year in Jerusalem.”
The Western Wall (Kotel Hama’aravi, known simply as the Wall or Kotel) is
the remnant of the outer retaining wall built by Herod to level the
ground and expand the area housing the Second Jewish Temple. Its
holiness derives from its proximity to the Temple site and specifically
its proximity to the Western Wall of the Temple’s Holy of Holies (Kodesh Hakodashim---the inner sanctuary that housed the Ark of the Covenant–Aron HaBrit–and where the High Priest–Kohen Gadol--
alone was permitted to enter on Yom Kippur). According to Midrashic
sources, the Divine Presence never departed from the Western wall of the
Temple’s Holy of Holies.
For the last several hundred years, Jews have prayed
at Herod’s Western Wall because it was the closest accessible place to
Judaism’s holiest site. According to Jewish tradition, the third and
final Temple will be rebuilt with the coming of the Messiah.
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