Complaints against the Jerusalem Marathon were registered long ago. The Arabs opposed the marathon, as it runs the route through parts of East Jerusalem. They claimed that the intention of the marathon was really a way of "Judaizing" the city. They tried to get Adidas, the main sponsor of the marathon, to pull their sponsorship. The mayor of Jerusalem had said he would not change the route, and Adidas never pulled out.
According to a report on INN, the General Mufti of Jerusalem Mohammed Hussein has again registered his complaint about the marathon, saying it is an attempt to Judaize the city. He said that the City of Jerusalem takes advantage of sport as a political tool in order to force its position into Palestinian areas. Israel, by way of the marathon, is trying to send a message to the world that the places holy to Islam and Christianity in East Jerusalem belong to her. As well, the name of the marathon is "The International Jerusalem Marathon", and its route runs through East Jerusalem. And the organizers are planning to shut the roads that lead to the Al Aqsa mosque on Friday, without taking into consideration the sensitivities of the Muslims who pray on Fridays in the mosque.
Hussein then called upon the whole world to respond to Israel's new policy in attempting to Judaize Jerusalem.
Sounds to me like a great reason to run tomorrow in the marathon!
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