Rabia Mayet | rabiamayet@radioislam.co.za

07 September 2024

4-minute read

In her travels alongside her work as a content writer and journalist, Umayya Theba has seen many countries around the world. Also involved in activism and humanitarian work, this past Ramadhaan, Umayya was blessed to be given the opportunity to visit the holy land of Palestine and the sanctified site of Masjid Al-Aqsa.

Visiting Palestine is an opportunity of a lifetime that many of us dream about but few get a chance to turn into a reality. The past eleven months have been tragic and traumatic for Palestinians and Gazans in particular. So while many of us dream about visiting the third holiest site in Islam, there a lot of people who are afraid to consider it as a travel destination. Umayya allayed those fears with details of her experiences.

South Africans visiting Palestine can either go through Jordan and the Allenby border or Tel Aviv. She recommends The Allenby border as it is easier as you will not get deported directly, as you could from Tel Aviv. If your entry is rejected in Jordan, you can always stay overnight in and try again the next day. After a chaotic process getting to the Allenby border post, you will be questioned extensively and then put on a bus passing through two checkpoints. Despite the short distance, this takes a very long time and eventually you will receive a visa on arrival at the checkpoint entering Jerusalem. This tiny piece of paper should be kept with your passport and carefully looked after as you may be required to show it to soldiers at any time. Coming into Jerusalem, you will get your first taste of what it feels like to be Palestinian when IOF soldiers interrogates you on the bus.

Seeing Masjid-ul-Aqsa for the first time was a surreal moment for Umayya Theba. Taking in the lay of the land, the compound itself; the crowds of people and the flow of energy allows you to appreciate its magnificence. The sight of the golden dome with sunlight reflecting off it, its intricate mosaic, and Arabic script, and then actually entering the actual masjid makes one think of all the Prophets who have been there.

Aside from being refused entry into the Al-Aqsa compound at one of the gates where she was searched and questioned by a soldier, Umayya did not experience firsthand any problems in the areas she toured. Her advice is to “walk like you belong, don’t make eye contact, keep a straight face, and hold your tongue”. There is drone surveillance around the Dome of the Rock at all times and Fridays are really tense with streets being barricaded so she suggests going early.

Some of the other places that tourists can visit include the Al-Maqaasid hospital; Dr Mustapha Barghouti’s Medical Units; the impressive city of Hebron a mere 30-minute drive from Gaza; the Ibrahimi mosque which is the resting place of so many prophets; Bethlehem with the concrete separation wall that has resistance graffiti painted all across it; and the Aida refugee camp – the most gassed place in the world where Palestinians have turned the gas tanks into works of art.

A 90yo woman who runs a girl school in Jerusalem; another lady from the Shufat camp who runs programs for women; and the former grand Mufti of Al-Aqsa who was detained and then released were all local people she met while she was there. Umayya encourages Muslims from around the world to visit Masjid-ul-Aqsa as it is a form of resistance against the Israelis, and concluded with the statement: ‘Fear is a lack of faith’.

Listen to teh full interview on teh Saturday Morning Breakfast Program.