Portuguese tourist leaning against model of al-Aqsa mosque in Turkey’s Trabzon angers locals

TRABZON

Locals in the Black Sea province of Trabzon were outraged after seeing a Portuguese tourist leaning against a model of al-Aqsa Mosque, placed recently in the city during protests against U.S.’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

The locals reacted to the Portuguese woman, demanding she stops leaning against the mosque’s model.

But the tourist, who could not speak Turkish, did not change her position.

Following increasing reactions from the locals, police teams arrived at the scene.

Meanwhile, the woman’s Belgian and German friends also arrived at the scene to understand what was going on.

Police officers eventually convinced the woman to sit somewhere else.

The crowd dispersed after the woman moved somewhere else and the police left the area.

But Trabzon’s locals stressed that they would not tolerate any disrespect shown to al-Aqsa Mosque, even its model.

Protests erupted across the Arab and Muslim world on Dec. 6 when U.S. President Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

On Dec. 21, an overwhelming majority of the U.N.’s 193-member General Assembly adopted a resolution on Jerusalem, calling on the U.S. to withdraw its recognition of the city as Israel’s capital.

A total of 128 members voted in favor of the Jerusalem resolution, nine countries - Guatemala one of them - voted against and 35 others abstained. Twenty-one countries did not cast a vote.

Jerusalem is a sacred city for Muslims, Jews and Christians - and the Al-Aqsa Mosque is the Muslim world’s third holiest site, after the cities of Mecca and Medina.