The secretary-general of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation visited the Temple Mount on Monday. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

JNS.org – The secretary-general of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, a Saudi Arabia-based umbrella group representing 57 Muslim countries, visited the Temple Mount on Monday.

Madani’s first Temple Mount visit comes as Muslim-Jewish tension simmers over control of the holy site, contributing to an uptick in Palestinian terrorism in and around Jerusalem.

“Coming to the mosque is a right for me as well as every Muslim,” Madani said in reference to the Al-Aqsa Mosque, which is located on the Temple Mount. “It is our right to come here and to pray here. No occupation authority should take this right from us.”

Though it controls the Temple Mount, Israel bans Jewish prayer at the site.