During a recent visit to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, Republican Florida congressman Dennis Ross was harassed by a group of women in Islamic garb yelling “Allahu Akbar” and “leave” in Arabic. (VIDEO: French Muslims Defend Charlie Hebdo Attacks, Blame The Jews )
In a recently released video, Ross can be seen taking the harassment in stride. “It’s a little bit of a different reception than what I am used to,” he jokes, “but coming from a country that respects freedom of religion, we respect what they are doing.”
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The recent history of the Temple Mount, a holy location in both Islam and Judaism, is long and contentious. Most recently, the Second Palestinian Intifada began in earnest after then Israeli-opposition leader Ariel Sharon visited the holy site in 2000. The Israeli organization that produced and released the video, The Temple Institute, is controversial for its goal of creating a Jewish temple on the Mount.