A powerful and emotional protest took place on the night of Laylat al-Qadr, March 16, 2026, inside one of Turkey’s most iconic mosques. A group of women staged a symbolic protest at the historic Fatih Mosque in Istanbul, drawing attention to the continued closure of Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem since February 28.
The mosque was packed with worshippers, with men praying on the lower floor and women in the designated upper section. After prayers, several women removed their headscarves and dropped or threw them towards the male congregation below. Witnesses said some of the women called out to men, urging them to stand up for Al-Aqsa Mosque and describing it as the honour of Muslims.
The protest came after Israeli authorities shut Al-Aqsa Mosque on February 28, following the outbreak of the US–Israeli conflict with Iran, citing security concerns and restrictions on public gatherings. The closure has remained in place since then, preventing Muslim worshippers from accessing the site during Ramadan.
This has been the first Ramadan since Israel seized East Jerusalem in 1967 that Palestinians have been unable to perform Friday prayers at the mosque. Even during the Covid-19 pandemic, the streets were busier than they are now.
Hamas described the closure as a dangerous historical precedent, calling it a blatant violation of freedom of worship and a provocative escalation against Islamic holy sites.
Eight countries, Qatar, Jordan, Indonesia, Turkey, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the UAE, jointly condemned the closure, calling Israeli restrictions a flagrant violation of international law and the principle of unrestricted access to places of worship.
The preacher of Al-Aqsa Mosque, Sheikh Ekrima Sabri, issued a fatwa calling on Muslims to perform Eid prayers at the nearest point possible to Al-Aqsa.
The women’s protest in Istanbul reflected the deep pain and frustration felt across the Muslim world, as millions were denied access to Islam’s third holiest site during the most sacred nights of Ramadan.
