ISESCO Endeavours to Protect

Islamic Holy Sites in Palestine

By : Mr. Mohammed Ghemari(*)

Palestine occupies the forefront position in the concerns, programmes and activities of the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation. This position reflects the lofty status Palestine holds in the hearts of all Muslims, its special standing as the cradle of all divine religions and the starting point of all noble human civilisations. Allah blessed it by making it the place of many religious sites, the most important of which are Islamic and Christian places of  worship such as Al Aqsa Mosque, the Dome of the Rock, the Church of Resurrection, Ibrahimi Mosque and the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem where Jesus, peace be upon him, was born.

Notwithstanding this reality which confers on many Palestinian towns and villages a special status as places of choice for Muslims and Christians, the Israeli authorities persevere, as part of their relentless onslaught on the Palestinian people with all its Islamic and Christian denominations and doctrines, in carrying out their judaisation policy targeting various landmarks, monuments and holy sites. This provocation of Muslim and Christian sentiments only escalates with the persistence of occupation forces in violating the sanctity of holy sites, particularly Al Aqsa Mosque where they confiscate its waqfs, demolish neighbouring quarters, evict residents and dig tunnels underneath it. Not content with these incessant aggressions, Israel is busy attempting to register a large number of landmarks and holy sites at international forums as Jewish heritage.

The demolition and distortion acts perpetrated by the Israeli occupation forces in their attempt to distort the facts of history, are aimed at wreaking more havoc on the Islamic and Christian holy sites. Such a situation can only draw the attention of the international community and shock the human conscience represented by states, governments, organisations and institutions, into taking urgent and effective action for the protection and rescue of holy sites in Palestine.

Since its inception in 1982, the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation has given the issue of Palestine and Al Quds special importance in its successive action plans. As a result of this keen interest, Al Quds Al Sharif Unit was created thirteen years ago within the Directorate General, in compliance of the decision of the 4th Session of the General Conference of the Islamic Organisation (Rabat Session, November 1991).

In line with the various decisions and recommendations of the successive sessions of the Islamic Organisation's General Conference and Executive Council, issued with regard to the protection of religious, natural and cultural heritage in Palestine in general and in Al Quds in particular, the Islamic Organisation has continuously endeavoured to implement the largest part of programmes and activities to the benefit of Palestinian institutions, in a bid to help them discharge their mission and confront the judaisation policy followed by Israeli occupation forces.

In accordance with the above mentioned decisions, urging the Islamic Organisation to grant a top priority status within its programmes to supporting educational, scientific and cultural institutions in Palestine and Al Quds Al Sharif, safeguarding its Islamic and Christian holy sites and preserving its civilisational  and cultural identity, the Directorate General of the Organisation, acting within the framework of ISESCO's successive action plans, has implemented dozens of programmes and activities to the benefit of these institutions. The most important of these actions are :

Field Activities :

- Restoring the Chahine Family compound.

- Producing documentary films on Al Quds.

- Restoring the university historical centre in Khan Tankur and Hammam El Ain at the University of Al Quds.

- Repairing and restoring health units at orphanage schools.

- Supporting cultural institutions and centres with filming equipment. -Supporting Al Ansari Library with office and library equipment. 

- Rehabilitating the Islamic Museum project.

- Supporting the documentation and preservation of folklore.

- Publishing a study on eminent thinkers and struggle in Al Quds Al Sharif.

- Extending financial and technical support to improve Ain Arik Children’s Centre.

- Supporting the Directorate of Palestinian Monuments in Ramallah.

- Organising training sessions and providing working tools to productive women.

- Supporting the creation and furbishing of cultural centres.

- Supporting the Centre of Abu Jihad, Prince of Martyrs.

- Holding workshops to train staff specialised in the restoration of monuments. -Extending financial and technical support to the Sunbul Theater.

- Supporting cultural development institutions in Palestine.

- Providing financial support to the restoration of the Institution for the Revival of Heritage in Al Quds Al Sharif.

- Providing financial support to the Palestinian Centre for the Development of Culture and Arts in AI Qods AI Sharif.

- Supporting the project of developing monuments and cultural heritage in Palestine.

- Extending financial support to AI Qods Cultural Centre.

- Providing financial support for the restoration of the Institution for the Revival of Islamic Heritage.

- Providing financial support for celebrating Heritage Day in all Palestinian municipalities.

- Providing financial support for the fitting and furbishing of cultural centres and kindergartens in Al Qods.

- Financially supporting the publication of six children's books.

- Supporting the project of salvage excavations carried out by the Directorate of Cultural Monuments.

- Supporting the project of newsletters dedicated to several historical sites that could be viable as tourist attractions.

- Providing support for the restoration of cultural institutions in AI Qods AI Sharif.

- Providing support for the publication of a book for teenagers depicting the landmarks and history of Al Qods.

- Providing financial and technical support for libraries managed by Dar Attifl Al Arabi (Arab Child Foundation).

- Providing financial and technical support for the restoration of the old city Club in Al Quds.

- Supporting the project of developing the Library of Monuments and Cultural Heritage in Al Quds.

- Sponsoring a workshop on the training of staff specialised in the restoration of manuscripts.

In addition to the above, and in line with the decisions of the General Conference’s  successive sessions and the recommendations of the Executive Council sessions, urging the Islamic Organisation to grant a top priority status within its programmes to the support of educational, scientific and cultural institutions in Palestine and Al Quds Al Sharif and the consolidation of its efforts for the safeguarding of Islamic and Christian holy sites and the preservation of the civilisational and cultural identity of the Palestinians, the Directorate General of the Organisation, acting within the framework of ISESCO's successive action plans, has implemented dozens of programmes and activities to the benefit of these institutions in the various municipalities of Palestine. These activities involved the education and training of the Palestinian students and teachers ; the Organisation firmly believes that the human element is the cornerstone and pivotal point of the educational process. Thus, ISESCO contributes to bolstering the steadfastness of the children of Palestine and to enabling them to face up to the daily Israeli aggressions that target the human being, the land and identity.

Seminars and Conferences :

- Al Quds and its cultural heritage within the framework of the Islamic-Christian Dialogue

This symposium was held from 19 to 21 October 1993 in Rabat, the capital of the Kingdom of Morocco, under the high patronage of His Majesty the late king Hassan II, may he rest in peace. The symposium was marked by the participation of distinguished scholars and thinkers from Member States, a large number of representatives of Islamic and Christian international and regional organisations, and a host of thinkers interested in the issue of Al Quds.

The objective of the symposium was to bring under the spotlight the issue of the eternal Al Quds in its religious, historical and civilisational dimensions, and maintain it alive on the international scene. The Organisation published the proceedings of this symposium in an elegant publication.

- First International Conference on the Protection of Islamic and Holy Sites in Palestine

The Islamic Conference held this conference on 7-8 June 2002 in Rabat, the capital of the Kingdom of Morocco, under the high patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, monarch of the Kingdom of Morocco. The conference was attended by a select group of Muslim scholars and Christian clerics, as well as a number of thinkers, historians and academics. The final communiqué issued by the conference represents one of the main axes of this second conference, convening today under the high patronage of His August Majesty King Abdullah II, Monarch of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. We are equally happy today to distribute the proceedings of this Conference to this honourable audience. 

- International Conference on the Documentation of Israeli War Crimes against the Palestinian People

This Conference was also held in Rabat from 27 February to 1 March 2003 as a joint activity between the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, the Arab Organisation of Young Lawyers and the Moroccan Association for the Support of the Palestinian Struggle.

The Conference was successful in exposing Israeli crimes committed against the Palestinian people and its educational and cultural institutions in Palestine in general and in Al Quds in particular.

Participants in this conference included the representatives of regional and international organisations, Palestinian personalities who presented testimonies about Israeli crimes in Palestine, a group of Arab and foreign thinkers, as well as figures from the world of law, culture and the media. At the conclusion of its proceedings, the conference made a recommendation for the creation of an international Rabat-based observatory for documenting Israeli war crimes in Palestine.

- Information Day on the Racial Separation Wall and its Destructive Impact on Civilisational and Environmental Landmarks in Palestine

This information day was organised on 26 July 2004 in Rabat and coincided with the International Court of Justice consultative ruling on the legality and legitimacy of Israel’s building of the separation wall. The Islamic Organisation delegated the Director General of Palestinian Monuments, and the President of the Palestinian Hydrology Association, to take part in this day. His Excellency Mr. Wajih Qassem (Abu Marwan), ambassador of the State of Palestine to Morocco, also attended as the representative of the Palestinian National Authority, along with the deputy president of the Moroccan Association for the Support of the Palestinian Struggle, and a number of personalities from the legal, intellectual and media circles. The participants shed light on the magnitude of the damages that have affected civilisational and environmental landmarks in Palestine as a result of the building of this wall.

The Islamic Organisation also participated and co-operated in the organisation of a number of conferences and meetings related to this issue. The most important of these gatherings were :

- The meeting of experts on the elaboration of a restoration programme for the 1948 Palestine waqf property, held in Amman, the capital of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, from 5 to 7 March 2003 under the aegis of the Islamic Development Bank, and with the participation of the World Islamic Call and Salvation Council, the Islamic Conference of Bayt Al Maqdis, as well as the representatives of many Islamic associations and institutions in the Palestinian cities occupied in 1948. The objective of the meeting was to devise an implementation plan for the restoration and renovation of waqf institutions in the Palestine of 1948.

 - The symposium on the future of the Palestinian cultural project held in July 2003 in Cairo, under the patronage of the High Council for Education and Culture in the Palestinian Liberation Organisation.

- The almost regular participation of the Palestinian Children Educational Affairs Council in the annual meetings held by the Arab League (Directorate of Palestine and Al Quds Al Sharif), catering to the needs of Palestinian children residing in Arab countries that host Palestinian refugees. The 51st session, the most recent of these meetings, was held in June 2004 in Damascus, the capital of the Arab Syrian Republic.

- Participation in the meetings of UNESCO Universal Heritage Committee in Helsinki, Paris, Budapest and Suzo (China), with a view to countering the Israeli repeated attempts to place the sites of the Palestinian historical and cultural heritage on UNESCO's universal heritage list, especially the attempts to record Mount David on this list under the name of Mount Zion. The Islamic Organisation also assiduously attends all the meetings of the Arab League and the Organisation of the Islamic Conference on this issue. The most recent of these meetings was the preparatory meeting of the Arab Group held at the headquarters of the Arab League (18-20 April 2004) and which resulted in the rejection of the Israeli request to have the Great Ukhdud Project deleted from the list. The same fate was reserved for the Negev Project (The Incense Road) during the 28th Session of the Universal Heritage Committee held in China from 28 June to 7 July 2004. The Director General of the Islamic Organisation personally followed up on the issue and made urgent contacts with their Excellencies the ministers of culture in the Arab and African states that are members of the Universal Heritage Committee, which efforts were all crowned with success.

- The International Conference on the Psychological Repercussions of Occupation and Civilian Aggression : Case Study : Palestine. This Conference was organised in Cairo in cooperation with the World Health Organisation's Regional East Mediterranean Office in October 2002. The objective of the conference was to enlighten international public opinion about the negative and dangerous psychological effects of the Israeli occupation and the daily aggressions to which the Palestinians are being subjected

Publications :

- Al Quds and its Cultural Heritage in the Framework of Islamic-Christian Dialogue

(Proceedings of the world symposium organised by ISECSO on 19-21 October 1993 in Rabat).

- Landmarks of Islamic Civilisation in Palestine

(A documented study on the most important civilisational, religious and historical landmarks in Palestine. Author : Dr. Marwane Abu Khalaf)

- Al Quds Al Sharif

(A documented Study on the history and geography of the holy city, Author : Dr. Shawky Shatt)

- They Usurped our Land

(A comprehensive study about the Zionist settlement policies over one-hundred years. Authors : Victoria Walters and Yochim Chicha, translated from German).

- Palestinian Destroyed Villages

(A series of books documenting a number of Palestinian villages destroyed by the Israeli occupation in the previous century, such as : Annaba, Allujun, Ain Hawd, Majdal 'Asqalane, Miska, Dir Yassine, Kafr Saba, Lafta, Abu Kishk, Al Fallouja, Al Koufkha, etc..). The series was published in cooperation with Beir Zeit University. In view of its importance, the success it has met with in different Arab and Islamic Circles and at the request of the National Palestinian Commission on Education, Sciences and Culture, the Organisation will continue to publish this series over the coming year, in cooperation with Al Quds University.

- Al Quds and Hebron in Moroccan Travel Literature

(A historical documented study written by the Moroccan historian and diplomat Dr. Abdelhadi Tazi).

- How Holy is Palestine for Muslims

(A study by Hassan Karmi)

- Protection of Islamic and Christian Holy Sites in Palestine

(Proceedings of the 1st International Conference held by the Organisation on 7 and 8 June 2002 in Rabat, under the high patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, monarch of the Kingdom of Morocco).

- Jenine Camp : A Witness to Israeli Crime

(A documented book with photographs, testimonies, reports, diaries and data about the massacre perpetrated by the Israeli occupation forces in the camp of Jenine in April 2002. The book was published in cooperation with the organisation of Young Arab Lawyers Union.

- ISESCO in Palestine

(Report of the ISESCO delegation sent to Palestine from 20 to 26 November 1996, to take stock of the educational situation in Palestine in general and Al Quds in particular.

- Resolutions of Islamic Summit Meetings on Al Quds Al Sharif

(A documentary book containing all the resolutions and decisions issued by Islamic Summit meetings on Al Qods AI Sharif. The book was published in cooperation with the General Secretariat of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference).

I would like to point out here, that in a bid to generalise their benefit, these studies and books were published in the Organisation's three working languages: Arabic, English and French. They were distributed to all Member States and other relevant parties such as the ministers of education and higher education, the secretaries of national commissions on education, culture and sciences, the members of the Executive Council of the Conference, documentation centres and major libraries in Member States, as well as Arab, Islamic and international universities and organisations.

Visits and Meetings

- At the invitation of His Excellency President Yasser Arafat, may the Mercy of Allah be upon him, the Director General of the Organisation visited the Palestinian territories from 13 to 15 March 1999. During this tour, he visited a number of universities and educational and cultural institutions and took stock of their needs and their conditions. He discussed with officials in charge of these institutions the means of extending support to them. He also visited the city of Al Quds from where he addressed an appeal to all Member States and secretaries of international and regional organisations to extend urgent aid to educational and cultural institutions in Palestine in general, and Al Quds Al Sharif in particular.

- Commissioned by the Economic, Cultural and Social Committee of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference, convening in its 20th session in Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Director General dispatched a delegation from ISESCO to Palestine, from 20 to 26 November 1996, to take stock of the educational situation in the territories under Palestinian authority and to gauge the needs in this field. The delegation prepared a comprehensive report on the situation and presented it to the 24th Session of the Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers held in Jakarta (December 1996). The Conference discussed the said report, thanked the Islamic Organisation for preparing it and called upon Member States to urgently contribute to the implementation of its recommendations.

Statements and Appeals

Convinced that the Palestinian cause is the first and foremost cause of Arabs and Muslims, and of the need to support the struggle of the Palestinian people and back it until they have achieved their freedom and independence and established their independent state, on their national territories, with Al Qods Al Sharif as its capital, the Director General of the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation has, since his election as the head of this Organisation, endeavoured to closely follow the daily developments of the Palestinian cause, and to remain seized of the educational and cultural development of the children of Palestine within the framework of the Organisation's fields of action in accordance with the objectives laid out in its Charter.

In this regard, the Organisation has issued dozens of statements and appeals in which it condemned Israeli practices against the Palestinian human being, and addressed them to the international community, its institutions and organisations and to such specialised organisations as UNESCO. In these appeals and statements, the Organisation called for championing the causes of the Palestinian people, exposing Israeli practices and repeated violations and aggressions that undermine the people’s sanctities, institutions and educational and cultural process, and target the human being as well as his national assets.

Therefore, and in the light of the outcome of the site visits made recently by experts from the Islamic Organisation, and which has revealed the extent of the damage done to historical monuments and cultural heritage in Palestine and Al Quds, and giving due consideration of the regular reports sent to the Organisation by the National Palestinian Educational, Scientific and Cultural Commission, outlining the real needs of these institutions the infrastructure of which has been destroyed, in the face of such a catastrophe, and in implementation of the resolutions of the General Conference and the recommendations of the Executive Council, the Islamic Organisation decided to increase the budget allocated to the protection of historical monuments and intellectual heritage of Al Quds al Sharif. The Organisation will also intensify efforts and contacts with international, Islamic and Arab organisations and charity institutions to secure additional funds that will be invested in the reconstruction and restoration of the landmarks and monuments destroyed by Israel, the preservation of the religious status of Al Quds Al Sharif and the protection of its sacred landmarks and its intellectual and civilisational heritage.

(*) Director of External Relations and Cooperation in the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization -ISESCO-.