Abstract   
This study examines the contemporary role of Palestinian women—known as “Murabitat Al-Aqsa” (Guardians of Al-Aqsa)—in defending Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque against Israeli settler-colonial encroachment. Through “ribā” (a traditional Islamic concept of guarding frontiers), these women blend spiritual resilience with political resistance, anchoring Palestinian identity to Al-Aqsa. The article analyzes their strategies to preserve the mosque’s Islamic character while resisting Israel’s systematic efforts to fragment Palestinian life.
 
 Introduction   
Sacred spaces like Al-Aqsa serve as battlegrounds for power, memory, and identity. For Palestinians, Al-Aqsa embodies both religious sanctity and national heritage. Since Israel’s occupation in 1948, the mosque has faced escalating threats: settler incursions, archaeological tunneling, and restrictions on Palestinian access. The “Murabitat” emerged in the 1990s as a grassroots movement to physically and symbolically protect Al-Aqsa, framing their presence as a form of “jihād” (struggle).
 
 Concept of Ribā   
Ribā derives from Islamic tradition, originally denoting military vigilance at borderlands. In contemporary Palestine, it signifies steadfastness (umūd) in Al-Aqsa through daily worship, education, and defiance against Israeli control. Religious texts praise ribā as a virtuous act, empowering the Murabitat to legitimize their resistance as both sacred and national duty.
 
 Evolution of the Murabitat   
The movement’s roots trace to the 1929 "Buraq Revolt" against Zionist encroachment. After Israel’s 1967 annexation of Jerusalem, Palestinian mobilization intensified. Key milestones include:
- Ariel Sharon’s provocative 2000 visit to Al-Aqsa, sparking the Second Intifada.
- The 2001 "Flag March" organized by Sheikh Raed Salah, systematizing pilgrim convoys to the mosque.
- Israel’s 2015 ban on "Murabitat activities," criminalizing acts like chanting Allāhu Akbar.
Women became central to ribāṭ as Israel restricted male access, leveraging gender to evade severe repression.
 
 Methodology   
The study employs digital ethnography, analyzing social media content, interviews, and videos produced by 11 prominent Murabitat (e.g., Hanadi Halawani, Khadija Khweis). Data was thematically coded to identify resistance strategies amid Israel’s spatial and digital surveillance.
 
 Key Strategies of the Murabitat   

Physical Presence: Daily occupation of Al-Aqsa during settler incursion hours (7–11 AM), blocking Jewish ritual performances and asserting Islamic identity through collective prayer and Quranic recitation.
Digital Activism: Documenting Israeli violations on social media, launching global campaigns (e.g., "We Are All Maryam" in 2018), and broadcasting the mosque’s spiritual life to counter Israel’s narrative.
Symbolic Reclamation:

   - Cooking maqluba (a Palestinian dish) at Al-Aqsa gates, framing its "overturning" as a metaphor for resisting occupation.
   - Palestinian embroidery exhibitions to assert cultural ownership.

Community Building:

   - Organizing study circles (maāib al-ilm) to instill attachment to Al-Aqsa.
   - Facilitating buses (āfilāt) for Palestinians fragmented by checkpoints.

Expanded Ribā: When banned from Al-Aqsa, the Murabitat hold prayers and iftars at its gates, maintaining spiritual connectivity. Others teach Quran online from exile.

 
 Resistance as Daily Life   
For the Murabitat, resistance merges sacred duty with the mundane: weddings in Al-Aqsa, bringing newborns for blessings, and economic solidarity with Jerusalem’s Palestinians. Their activism disrupts Israel’s "politics of suspension"—efforts to paralyze Palestinian life through permits, barriers, and home demolitions. By transforming Al-Aqsa into a site of communal continuity, they reclaim agency.
 
 Conclusion   
The Murabitat fuse resistance identity with Al-Aqsa by:
- Rejecting Israel’s fragmentation of time/space through unbroken presence.
- Resisting cultural erasure by performing Palestinian-Islamic traditions.
- Treating Al-Aqsa as both a public sanctuary and private "home." Their resilience demonstrates how sacred space fuels collective survival against settler colonialism.