Dear Friend, This year Democracy Now! is celebrating our 25th anniversary—that's 25 years of bringing you fearless, independent reporting. Since our very first broadcast in 1996, Democracy Now! has refused to take government or corporate funding, because nothing is more important to us than our editorial independence. But that means we rely on you, our audience, for support. Please donate today in honor of our 25th anniversary and help us stay on air for another 25 years. We can't do our work without you. Right now, a generous donor will even TRIPLE your gift, which means it’ll go three times as far! This is a challenging time for us all, but if you're able to make a donation, please do so today. Thank you and remember, wearing a mask is an act of love. -Amy Goodman<doc-sep>Blaze Erupts at Jerusalem's Historic al-Aqsa Mosque Jakarta (ANTARA) - A fire broke out in al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem, the third-holiest site in Islam, on Monday. The blaze didn’t cause significant damage, but it did endanger a part of the worship site that’s over 2,000 years old. Notre Dame de Paris wasn't the only beloved house of worship that caught fire Monday. Part of the Haram ash-Sharif, the huge Jerusalem mosque built where a pivotal event in the prophet Muhammad's life is believed to have occurred, also caught fire, damaging a part of the structure dating to Judean King Herod the Great's reign. The fire broke out in the guard room outside the al-Marwani Prayer Room Monday evening, according to a statement by the mosque's Islamic Waqf (Endowments) Department. According to The New Arab, a guard reported a short gap in guard rotations between 7:15 and 7:30 p.m. local time. The waqf department praised the responsiveness of staff firefighters, who quickly put out the blaze. The fire seems to have been started by children fooling around, and the waqf's statement urged worshipers "who live around the mosque and in the Old City to educate their children not to tamper with fire, especially inside al-Aqsa mosque." Israeli police told al-Araby they were opening an investigation into the incident. Israel has governed the entire city since 1967, when it seized the territory from Jordan. The United States has recently recognized Israel's claim that Jerusalem is its capital, but few nations have followed suit, with most sticking by the many United Nations resolutions condemning Israel's annexation of the Palestinian territory. Al-Aqsa means "the farthest" in Arabic; a house of worship was built in the site because of a verse in the Quran describing the prophet Muhammad's "Night Journey," which says he went to the farthest mosque before ascending to heaven atop a flying horse named Buraq ("lightning, in Arabic). It's unclear which caliph founded the modern structure, but it was almost certainly built in the late seventh century and steadily expanded ever since. Also known as "Solomon's Stables," al-Marwani was most likely built by Herod the Great, a Judean client king of the Roman Empire during the first century BC. While a Muslim caliph named Marwan I is credited with turning the stables into usable rooms, it wasn't until 1996 that the Palestinian Waqf converted the structure into a modern mosque capable of holding 7,000 worshipers.<doc-sep>France's iconic Notre Dame Cathedral was not the only holy site that caught fire Monday. While a massive blaze was ravaging the Cathedral, a fire also broke out at al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, the third-holiest site in Islam. The fire endangered a part of the worship site while not causing significant damage, according to reports. "The fire broke out in the guard's room outside the roof of the Marwani Prayer Room," Palestinian news agency WAFA said, noting that the "fire brigade of the Islamic Waqf handled the matter successfully." It said the fire was caused by youths playing with fire, without providing further details. Responding to the incident, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas underscored the need to preserve the compound's "great religious and humanitarian value." Al-Aqsa Mosque is considered to be the third-holiest place by Muslims, after Mecca and Medina. Muslims believe that the first qiblah, the direction which Muslims turn to during their daily prayers, was Al-Aqsa until it was changed to Mecca. Moreover, the existence of the Qubbat-us Sahra within the compound makes it more special as it is believed that the Prophet Muhammad started his spiritual journey to the heavens (miraj) from that place. Since Israel occupied Jerusalem in 1967 the conflict has continued between Palestinians and Israelis, as the latter believe that the holy temple of Solomon is beneath the mosque. There are several rumors claiming that Israelis were digging canals to reach the temple's ruins.<doc-sep>
A fire broke out at the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem - at the same time as the devastating Notre Dame fire. Footage shared on Twitter shows smokes and flames emerging from the roof of a guard booth on the rooftop of the Marwani prayer room, according to the Palestine News Agency. Firefighters can be seen putting out the flames using fire extinguishers at an open area. Israel Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said firefighters arrived the scene and put out the fire within seven minutes. The fire did not cause any injury or damage to the structures of the mosque, said Waqf official Bassem Abu Labda. (Image: Twitter) (Image: Getty Images) "We only lost a mobile guard booth that guards would sit in when it rains. We did not lose anything important," he added. Police are investigating the cause of the fire but there are information suggested that it may have been caused by children playing around and setting the fire. The Al-Aqsa, known to the Jews as the Temple Mount, is Islam's third holiest site and central to the ongoing Arab-Israeli conflict. (Image: Getty Images) (Image: AFP/Getty Images) The incident, however, was overshadowed by the much serious blaze in the Notre Dame Cathedral at the same time. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas reportedly condemned the fire at Al-Aqsa as he said represents 'great religious and humanitarian value to us', according to Wafa. He also expressed deep sorrow in the fire that broke out in Notre Dame Cathedral as he stressed his 'solidarity and sympathy with France and its friendly people for this incident that is painful to all of us because of what this historic place means to civilisation, to the history of France and to world heritage'.