In 2005 Wikipedia's first sentence called it “grand mufti of jerusalem and palestine”. Today it says “religious leader and former grand mufti of jerusalem and palestine from october 1994 to july 2006”.
Measured, not asserted. Every count, date and revision on this page was taken from Wikipedia's own history and checked against the live article. The words quoted are theirs.
Machine-checked against the full current article on 2026-08-02. In 2005 Wikipedia's first sentence called it “grand mufti of jerusalem and palestine”. Today it says “religious leader and former grand mufti of jerusalem and palestine from october 1994 to july 2006”.
We saved snapshots of this article over twenty years; you are reading the 2005 one. Red dashes: removed from Wikipedia since.Pale dots: rewritten; the numbered note shows what it says now.Red text: written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot.1 tap a number or a side note to jump between them
The opening as it read in 2005
Ekrima Sa'id Sabri is the grand mufti of Jerusalem and Palestine, appointed by Yasser Arafat .1[1] He has agreed to let an interfaith group, associated with Reverend Sun Myung Moon , hold a peace rally in the Al Aqsa Mosque on December 22, 2003.2
This is Wikipedia's own text, saved in our repository. Their copy of it is revision 16259158.
The opening as it stood in 2010 1 passage from the previous snapshot no longer appear
He was appointed by Yasser Arafat .He has a doctorate from Al Azhar University in Egypt on the “Islamic Endowment Between Theory and Practice”.According to the Middle East Media Research Institute , a pro-Israeli media watchdog group run by former Israeli military intelligence officers, in an interview in March 2000, Sabri expressed doubts about the number of Jewish Holocaust victims, calling it a "fairytale exploited by Israel to capture international solidarity," and refused to meet with rabbis in honour of the Pope’s visit to Jerusalem.MEMRI cites Sabri claiming that the Wailing Wall as an integral part of the Al Aqsa mosque and not holy to Jews, and adding that "It is true that we have lived in harmony with the Jews also, until 1917, when the Balfour Declaration recognized their right to a 'home' in Palestine, and the Jews ended up taking it all.Today we do not fight against the Jews over religious issues.The conflict is only political." six months before Ariel Sharon 's visit to the Temple Mount and the Second Intifada .Again according to MEMRI, In October 2000 Sabri stated, "Our campaign is definitely religious and emanates from belief, although we try to avoid this slogan.The current Intifada [...]is a religious outburst, because it relates to the Al-Aqsa mosque." He backed continuing the Intifada, adding that "I think we must try to reduce the number of casualties by reducing the clashes.Nevertheless, the Intifada is necessary so that everybody will know that we are not going to sit still about this." Sabri agreed to let an interfaith group, associated with Reverend Sun Myung Moon , hold a peace rally in the Al Aqsa Mosque on December 22, 2003.On February 20, 2005, he appeared on Al-Majd Saudi Arabian satellite TV to comment on the assassination of Rafik Hariri , the former Lebanese Prime Minister.Sabri stated, "Anyone who studies The Protocols of the Elders of Zion and specifically the Talmud will discover that one of the goals of these Protocols is to cause confusion in the world and to undermine security throughout the world." Ekrima Sabri is on the coordinating board overseeing the Al-Quds University of Jerusalem.On July 1, 2006 the Jerusalem Post reported that Ekrima Sa'id Sabri had been fired from his post the previous week by Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas .He has been denied entry into the Netherlands in 2007 and 2008.Ekrima Sa'id Sabri still is a frequent preacher in Al Aqsa Mosque.
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The opening as it stood in 2015 12 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
Sheikh Ekrima Sa'id Sabri ( ) was the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem and Palestine from October 1994 to July 2006. He was appointed by Yasser Arafat . He has a doctorate from Al Azhar University in Egypt on the “Islamic Endowment Between Theory and Practice”. In July 2006, Mahmoud Abbas reportedly removed Sabri as mufti for his growing popularity and open expression of highly contentious political views.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 650891661.
The opening as it stood in 2020 3 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
He was appointed by Yasser Arafat . Mahmoud Abbas removed Sabri as mufti In July 2006, reportedly for his growing popularity and open expression of racially charged, one sided political views.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 959123316.
The opening as it stood on October 6, 2023
Grand Mufti of Jerusalem (1994–2006) Sheikh Ekrima Sa'id Sabri ( ) (born 1939) was the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem and Palestine from October 1994 to July 2006. He was appointed by Yasser Arafat . Mahmoud Abbas removed Sabri as mufti in July 2006, reportedly for his growing popularity and open expression of racially charged, one sided political views. Israel has arrested Sabri several times, latest in March 2021."Ekrima Sabri: The inclusive sheikh who was injured in the protests" . 19 August 2017.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1167790192.
The opening as it stood in 2025 1 passage from the previous snapshot no longer appear
1994–2006 Grand Mufti of Jerusalem Sheikh Ekrima Sa'id Sabri ( Arabic : عكرمة سعيد صبري ; born 1939) is a religious leader and former Grand Mufti of Jerusalem and Palestine from October 1994 to July 2006. He was appointed by Yasser Arafat . Mahmoud Abbas removed Sabri as mufti in July 2006, reportedly for his growing popularity and open expression of racially charged, one-sided political views. Israel has arrested Sabri several times, most recently on August 2, 2024 after allegedly mourning Ismail Haniyeh 's assassination .
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Today
In 2005 Wikipedia's first sentence called it “grand mufti of jerusalem and palestine”. Today it says “religious leader and former grand mufti of jerusalem and palestine from october 1994 to july 2006”. Read the current article and compare.
2005
2010
2015
2020
Oct '23
2025
Counts in the opening at each snapshot. Green: the word gained ground. Red: it was cut. Grey: no change.
What Wikipedia says this is
Every article opens by defining its subject. This one was redefined between 2005 and 2025.
Then
grand mufti of jerusalem and palestine
Now
religious leader and former grand mufti of jerusalem and palestine from october 1994 to july 2006
Struck red text is no longer in the article; dotted amber text was rewritten. Every revision id links to Wikipedia's copy; the text shown is our own saved copy. Data: /data. Wikipedia text is CC BY-SA; quoted for the record; not affiliated with Wikipedia.