A group of Palestinian Jerusalemite Muslim women, numbering in the hundreds, who consider it their religious and sacred duty to serve as self-appointed volunteer protectors of al-Aqsa Mosque. Deriving their name from the Arabic word ribat, “fortress,” the Murabitat (sing. Murabita) work as a civic committee and dedicate their lives to protecting al-Aqsa. They also organize Arabic literacy and Quranic recitation classes in the mosque and arrange daily transportation services between the mosque and several surrounding Palestinian towns.
Some Murabitat also monitor Jewish visitation to al-Aqsa, trying to prevent Jewish prayer in the area, in accordance with the long-established Status Quo.
The Murabitat have repeatedly been detained and imprisoned. In 2015, Israeli authorities declared the group illegal and banned its members from al-Haram al-Sharif during visiting hours.
See also Murabitun.