A video showing Lakeland congressman Dennis Ross being confronted at the sacred Temple Mount in Jerusalem is making its rounds on the Internet.

It shows Ross, a Republican who represents Polk County and the northeast corner of Hillsborough, approaching the Temple and being met by several women wearing burqas. They chant Allah Akbar (God is great) and demand in Arabic that he leave.

Ross stops to capture the moment on a video that was later released to YouTube by the Temple Institute, a conservative Jewish organization.

"Here we are on the western side of the Temple Mount and we're now being chanted to by some Muslim ladies who are saying "Allah Akbar" ... and, apparently, getting louder the closer we get to them," Ross says to a camera. "(It's) a little bit different type of reception than I'm used to, but coming from a religious freedom country, we respect what they're doing."

The women can be heard on the video chanting other Arabic phrases in loud voices, including "Hasbaya wee naam al wakeel "  (may God punish you on our behalf, although language experts say the meaning can change somewhat depending on the context.)

The Temple Mount is a walled, elevated area in Jerusalem's Old City that was the site of the ancient Jewish temples. It now houses the centuries-old Dome of the Rock shrine and Al-Aqsa mosque and is known to Muslims as the Haram al-Sharif, or Noble Sanctuary, according to the Associated Press.

Muslims believe the Prophet Muhammad made his night journey to heaven from the site. The Temple Mount is considered the holiest site in Judaism and third holiest site in Islam and has been fought over for centuries. It is also called Mount Zion by Christians.

University of South Florida sociologist David Jacobson said the reaction wasn't surprising.

"It's hard to overstate the sensitivity of the Temple Mount," he said. "It has incredibly important significance in religious terms, which has taken on political significance as well."

Ross believes he was pestered because he was touring the site with members of the Temple Institute, which wants to build a Jewish temple on the grounds.

"Why would they not say, 'please, come in, let us talk to you and tell you what we are about,' " he told Bay News 9. "But by and large, people can go up to the Temple Mount and visit safely and without hindrances."

Ross met with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu while he was in Israel and toured Israeli military sites.