By Ola Abdallah

Sheikh Youssef el-Qaradawi, head of the International Federation of Muslim Scholars, has called for peaceful marches to be held this Friday to protest Israeli policies regarding Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque. These policies include forbidding Muslims to pray at the mosque and excavating underneath the walls of the mosque compound.

He called on Muslim preachers to address the two issues in their Friday prayer sermons.

El-Qaradawi also urged a mass boycott of Israeli and American products. "With every penny that we spend, Israel buys a bullet to kill a Palestinian," he said, defending boycotts as a valid means of peaceful protest.

He urged the media to help mobilize the public in this regard. "The Israelis must know that we object to what is being done at our most revered holy place," he said.