Pilgrimage to Detention:
24 Hours in Israeli Immigration Custody

As the world waits to see whether Donald Trump’s Gaza plan can lead to lasting peace, Zimarina Sarwar recounts how her lifelong dream of praying at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem recently turned into a far darker experience

It is fair to say that Israel probably is not top of the holiday bucket-list for most British Muslims. Jerusalem, however, is different.

It is considered one of the earliest homes of monotheism on Earth. Muslims view it as the land Prophet Abraham migrated to and settled in; where Prophet David reigned over his sprawling kingdom; where Prophet Solomon constructed the first temple; where Prophet Jesus’ entire life’s mission was carried out. Prophet Muhammad honoured it as the original direction of prayer.

There is a certain spiritual significance that the iconic gold-topped Dome of the Rock, at the centre of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, holds for even the most lapsed Muslim, with its distinctive octagonal structure and intricate blue and turquoise tiling.