SOUTH AFRICAN HAJJ TO VISIT AL - AQSA

MECCA (Ma'an) -- More than 25 hajj pilgrims from South Africa will visit the Al-Aqsa mosque after completing the pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia, a Ma'an reporter said Sunday.

A South African pilgrim told Ma'an that he had established a travel agency in South Africa that encourages Muslim pilgrims to visit Al-Aqsa in East Jerusalem.

The pilgrim said that after completing hajj in Saudi Arabia around 25 South Africans will travel to the Al-Aqsa mosque to continue their pilgrimage.

Palestinian Authority Minister of Endowments and Religious Affairs Mahmoud al-Habash said he welcomed the idea of pilgrimages to Al-Aqsa in solidarity with Palestinians.

He called on all Arabs and Muslims to visit the mosque to pray and also to witness Palestinian "suffering due to Israeli practices."

Al-Habash added that he is interested in "highlighting the issue of Al-Aqsa mosque" as well in supporting such solidarity delegations "financially and materially."

The Al-Aqsa compound, which sits just above the Western Wall plaza, houses both the Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa mosque and is the third holiest site in Islam.

Al-Aqsa is located in East Jerusalem, a part of the internationally recognized Palestinian territories that have been occupied by the Israeli military since 1967.