Israeli Jew visits Masjid-i-Nabawi in Madina

A Jew has been visiting holy sites in the Muslim world, including Masjid-i-Nabawi PBUH (the Mosque of the Prophet PBUH) in Saudi Arabia and other mosques in Iran, Lebanon and Jordan.

Ben Tzion, a Russian-born Israeli Jew, shared his photos and videos on his social media accounts from the Mosque of the Prophet in Medina — Islam’s second-holiest site — prompted angry comments from some Muslim users, leading Instagram to suspend his account on Tuesday, The Times of Israel reported. By Tuesday morning, his video from within the mosque had been viewed more than 30,000 times and garnered some 3,500 comments.

Speaking to the newspaper over phone, 31-yeat-old Tzion described his voyages as a hobby.

He said he has respect for Islam and the Arab world. Tzion added he had also respect for other cultures and faiths.

About his experience during the visits to the holy sites, he said that the people he met in Tehran, Qom, Beirut or Riyadh were overwhelmingly friendly to him, he said, even after finding out that he is an Israeli Jew.

Tzion maintained that no one in the Arab world ever approached him with hostility.

One of the photos he posted shows him wearing traditional Arab garb inside the Mosque of the Prophet (PBUH) in Medina, pointing to his name, written in Hebrew letters, embroidered on a bag containing his tefillin (phylacteries).

Muslims from across the world protested on social media, arguing that non-Muslims are not allowed in the holy sites. Others remarked that Saudi Arabia is banning Qataris from entering the country but apparently has no quarrel with Israeli Jews.