Mansoor Hussain Laghari, a Muslim Zionist and a US Army veteran, was detained during his visit to al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem after refusing to remove a yellow pin he was wearing as a symbol of support for the hostages, he posted on LinkedIn last week.
Laghari, an award-winning writer and human rights activist, was part of a delegation visiting the mosque. He wore the yellow pin as part of his personal mission to raise awareness about the plight of hostages, all but one of whom have returned from Gaza captivity, explaining that the pin represented innocent lives rather than a political statement.
"I refused to remove my hostage pin. I wore it deliberately, because hostages are not politics. They are human beings," he stated.
As he prepared to pray at the Dome of the Rock, Laghari was approached by a man who identified himself as the security chief. According to Laghari’s account, the security official demanded to see his US passport and then questioned if he was a Muslim.
The officer allegedly told Laghari that he should not be supporting Jews by wearing the pin, and insisted that the pin be removed if he wanted to remain in the mosque.
“So why are you wearing that yellow pin? You are supporting Jews. If you want to stay here, you must remove it,” Laghari was told.
Laghari attempted to explain that the pin symbolized hostages, not a political stance. However, his explanation was reportedly dismissed, and he was escorted out of the mosque. Laghari was told that his actions had provoked other Muslims, and the guard who allowed him entry was reprimanded.
Feelings of anger and disillusionment
Laghari expressed feelings of anger and disillusionment following the detainment, noting that while he was free to move around Israel, he was restricted only in the area under Muslim-controlled authority at Al-Aqsa and the Dome of the Rock.
"Here is the bitter irony: I can move freely everywhere in Israel. The only place I was restricted and detained was an area under Muslim-controlled, Jordan-supervised authority at Al-Aqsa and the Dome of the Rock," he wrote in his post.
In the post, Laghari emphasized that his intent was to highlight the suffering of innocent people, regardless of religion, and called for a more empathetic approach to human rights issues. He also reaffirmed his commitment to peace and stated his opposition to antisemitism in all forms.
"If acknowledging innocent Jewish hostages is considered 'provocation,' then we must ask ourselves: What have we done to our faith?"