In the face of massive Palestinian protests, Israel this week agreed to remove the metal detectors that it installed at the Temple Mount in Jerusalem after the terrorist murder there of two Israeli policemen. The episode, Martin Kramer writes,
has raised the question of just what constitutes legitimate security measures at Islamic holy shrines and iconic mosques. We live in a time when the primary threat to the security of these sites arises from Muslims themselves—notably, extremists bent on using them as launching pads for violent acts designed to destabilize and terrorize. Across the Muslim world, governments are acutely aware of the vulnerabilities of these sites, and have taken measures to secure them. In particular, they have resorted to a commonplace technology: metal detectors.
Here I provide some prime examples from Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and the United Arab Emirates. . . . Off we go on a quick tour—with photographs—of Islam’s bucket list of top sites. Please place your keys and camera in the basket.
Read more on Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/martin_kramer/galleries/72157684398440390/