Protests in Cairo's Tahrir Square in February
Protests in Cairo's Tahrir Square in FebruaryAFP/File

Dozens of Islamist protesters gathered at the Al-Azhar Mosque in Cairo after noon prayers on Friday, to denounce the alleged Israeli airstrikes on Syria and the arrest of the Mufti of Jerusalem this week, the website of the Al-Ahram daily reports.

Muslim Brotherhood figure Mohamed El-Beltagy lead chants of “To Jerusalem we go, millions of martyrs” and “One Islamic Nation.”

“The issue of Jerusalem and Palestine will always be an issue for the whole Arab and Muslim nation,” El-Beltagy said during the protest, according to Al-Ahram.

The protest was sparked by the arrest of the Mufti of Jerusalem, Mohamed Hussein, by Israeli police on Tuesday. He was questioned and released for suspected involvement in throwing chairs at a group of Jews on the Temple Mount.

In response to the incident, Jordanian MPs unanimously demanded that the government expel Israeli Ambassador Daniel Nevo. The U.S., meanwhile, called on both sides to exercise restraint.

"The Brotherhood appeals to all Egyptians to take part in ‘Jerusalem Solidarity Friday’ in support of Palestinians and against the latest Israeli aggression at Al-Aqsa Mosque and the unjustifiable arrest of Jerusalem’s Grand Mufti,” read a statement released early Friday by Muslim Brotherhood spokesman Yasser Mehrez.

Protesters also denounced the alleged Israeli attacks on Syrian military sites near Damascus this week.

The Brotherhood’s participation in the protest was mocked by Tharwat El-Kharabawy, a former senior member of the group.

“Please, whoever is in touch with the Muslim Brotherhood, let them know that Al-Aqsa Mosque is in Jerusalem not Al-Azhar,” said El-Kharabawy, who was expelled from the Brotherhood in 2002 and later became a vocal critic of the group, according to Al-Ahram.

Alexandria witnessed a similar protest in front of the iconic Al-Qaed Ibrahim Mosque, the report said. Protesters in the coastal city were critical of the stance of Egyptian authorities towards the situation in Palestine and Syria.

“The silence of the Egyptian regime towards Zionist crimes against Al-Aqsa and Syria is unjustifiable... and reminds us of the old regime,” said Hussein Gomaa, coordinator of the Leftist Youth Movement in Alexandria.

(Arutz Sheva’s North American Desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Arutz Sheva articles, however, is Israeli time.)