former custodian of the Temple Mount admits Jewish Temple existed

JERUSALEM - Contradicting most of his colleagues, a former senior leader of the Waqf, the Islamic custodians of the Temple Mount, told WorldNetDaily in an exclusive interview he has come to believe the first and second Jewish Temples existed and stood at the current location of the Al Aqsa Mosque.The leader, who was dismissed from his Waqf position after he quietly made his beliefs known, said Al Aqsa custodians passed down stories for centuries from generation to generation indicating the mosque was built at the site of the former Jewish Temples....The former leader, who is well known to Al Aqsa scholars and Waqf officials, spoke on condition his name be withheld, claiming an on-the-record interview would endanger his life.While the Islamic leader's statements may seem elementary to many in the West, especially in light of overwhelming archaeological evidence documenting the history of the Jewish temples and description of services there in the Torah, his words break with mainstream thinking in much of the Muslim world, which believes the Jewish temples never existed."I am mentioning historical facts," said the former leader. "I know that the traditional denial about the temple existing at the same place as Al Aqsa is more a political denial. Unfortunately our religious and political leaders chose the option of denial to fight the Jewish position and demands regarding Al Aqsa and taking back the Temple Mount compound. In my opinion we should admit the truth and abandon our traditional position."

his words break with mainstream thinking in much of the Muslim world, which believes the Jewish temples never existed

Muslims worldwide deny the Jewish temples ever existed

I know that the traditional denial about the temple existing at the same place as Al Aqsa is more a political denial.

Where is it documented that Muslims doubt that the Jewish Temples existed ? From what's quoted it looks more like the issue is WHERE the Jewish Temples stood.

Yassar Arafat writes:For 34 years [the Israelis] have dug tunnels [around the Temple Mount] . they found not a single stone proving that the Temple of Solomon was there, because historically the Temple was not in Palestine [at all].(and at another time)Not only this, but [the Israelis] have also been trying to take over houses, shops, lanes and streets, either under the pretext of exploration or, as they recently did by closing the major gates of the mosque to conduct the so-called exploration operation of what they called the remains of the Solomon Temple when all the historical evidence, Your Majesty, proved that it was not there at all in another place far away from this spot. This is what historians had been saying

While the Islamic leader's statements may seem elementary to many in the West, especially in light of overwhelming archaeological evidence documenting the history of the Jewish temples..

While the Islamic leader's statements may seem elementary to many in the West, especially in light of overwhelming archaeological evidence documenting the history of the Jewish temples and description of services there in the Torah, his words break with mainstream thinking in much of the Muslim world, which believes the Jewish temples never existed.

only to question assertion that Muslims deny that the Jewish Temples ever existed - an assertion that is not supported in the article.

Muslims worldwide deny the Jewish temples ever existed

his words break with mainstream thinking in much of the Muslim world, which believes the Jewish temples never existed

I know that the traditional denial about the temple existing at the same place as Al Aqsa is more a political denial.