Model's nude pose above Jerusalem shrine sparks outrage

The picture shows 26-year-old Marisa Papen leaning back nude on a lounger, face raised to the sun

A general view shows the Western Wall (R) and the Dome of the Rock (L) in the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in the Old City of Jerusalem on December 5, 2017 PHOTO: AFP

JERUSALEM:


A Belgian model has outraged the rabbi of Jerusalem's Western Wall with a picture of her posing naked on a rooftop overlooking the Jewish shrine.

The picture, published in Belgian newspaper HLN, shows 26-year-old Marisa Papen leaning back nude on a lounger, face raised to the sun.


Behind and below her worshippers can be seen at the ancient wall in the Old City, the most sacred site where Jews can pray.


If passed into law the bill would apply to mosques in annexed Arab east Jerusalem as well as Israel, but not to the highly sensitive Al-Aqsa mosque compound. PHOTO: AFP


The photo shoot was condemned in a statement by rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz, as an "embarrassing, serious and saddening incident, which undermines the sanctity of the place and the feelings of those who visit it".

Last year Papen was detained for 24 hours in Egypt after posing naked in front of the Karnak Temple, according to her website, which is a travelogue of her nude poses shot around the world.

The Western Wall is adjacent to the flashpoint Al-Aqsa mosque compound, sacred to both Muslims and Jews.

Jews believe the wall is the last remnant of the biblical Jewish temple.

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