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Introducing: The Metal Detectors of Islam

Simple security measures forbidden in Jerusalem are cool in Teheran, Damascus, and Cairo.

by
Liel Leibovitz
July 25, 2017
Flickr
Al Abbas Holy Shrine, Karbala, IraqFlickr
Flickr
Al Abbas Holy Shrine, Karbala, IraqFlickr

Metal detectors are all the rage these days. Ever since they were installed earlier this month in the aftermath of a Palestinian terrorist attack that left two Israeli police officers dead, Palestinian officialdom has argued vociferously that those nefarious Zionists were trying to seize Islam’s holy site by subjecting the faithful to the humiliation of a simple security measure. Israel eventually capitulated to the Palestinian demands, removing the metal detectors earlier today.

And so ends the controversy. No longer will Muslims be subjected to such depredations as being asked to walk through a metal detector. That is, unless they visit the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad, Iran, or Sayyida Zainab, the most important Shiite shrine in Syria, or the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi, or the Ibn Tulun mosque in Cairo or any number of major pilgrimage sites. Here, for your entertainment, and courtesy of the scholar Martin Kramer, are The Metal Detectors of Islam, a handy guide to security measures that have nothing to do with the Jews. Stay safe, everyone!

Liel Leibovitz is editor-at-large for Tablet Magazine and a host of its weekly culture podcast Unorthodox and daily Talmud podcast Take One. He is the editor of Zionism: The Tablet Guide.