Second Working Session
Chairman
:
H.E. Dr.
Sheikh Ikrema Said Sabri
Speakers
:
1. Dr.
Marwan Abu Khalaf
2.
Engineer Raef Najm
3. Dr.
Abdulaziz Al Khayyat and Dr. Raouf Abu Jaber
4. Dr.
Abduljalil Abdulmahdi
Violations of Holy Sites
and Obliteration
Of Islamic Landmarks in
Palestine
By : Dr. Marwan Abu Khalaf(*)
Historical evidence has shown beyond the shadow of a
doubt that all divine religions proscribed the violation
of holy sites. This indicates consensus within all
religions on banning the desecration of holy sites.
The
violation of the sanctity of Islamic holy sites and the
property of Islamic waqf in Palestine has a long and
rich record in the history of this country. It features
a long list of aggressions committed against Islamic
holy sites since the British Mandate to date. These
violations have taken many forms, such as the demolition
of mosques or the obliteration of their features, their
transformation into bars, coffee shops, museums or
tourist attractions, the bulldozing of cemeteries and
their transformation into playgrounds, parks, parking
lots, or the construction of residences.
Statistics show that between 1948 and 1967 480 mosques
were demolished and 400 cemeteries were levelled(1). If
we add to these figures the statistics of the period
between 1967 and 1986, a substantial increase will be
observed, particularly if we include the statistics
pertaining to the desecration of other Islamic holy
sites such as mausoleums.
To
clearly present these violations, we opted for dividing
them according to the nature of the abuse, and found
that this repartition produces the following categories
:
1-
Violation and desecration of mosques
2-
Violation and desecration of cemeteries
3-
Violation and desecration of mausoleums and religious
sanctuaries
1-
Violation and Desecration of Mosques :
Mosques are the target of several forms of violation. Of
the many that were demolished is the mosque of the
Kweikat village, located 15 kilometres east of 'Akka.
Occupied in 1948, this village was totally demolished,
including its mosque, and was replaced by the Beit
Haeimaq colony(2). The same fate was reserved for the
mosque of Al Barwa village, located 9 kilometres east of
'Akka. This village was demolished and its mosque
destroyed in 1948, and on its lands the Ahihud colony
was set up in 1950(3). Similarly, the two mosques of the
‘Amwas village were destroyed in 1967(4).
Other
mosques were converted into facilities for other
purposes, such as the mosque of the Wadi Hanine village,
located 7 kilometres west of Ramla. This village was
practically erased in 1948 and its mosque converted into
a synagogue for the Kafa Haroun settlement which was
established on the lands of the village. At the top of
what once was a mosque was placed the Star of David(5).
Other
mosques were converted into museums, such as the Bissan
mosque which dates back to the era of Umar Ibn Al
Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him. This mosque was
restored several times and the most recent restoration
was carried out during the rule the Ottoman sultan
Abdulhamid. Today, it houses the archaeological finds
discovered in 1963 in the Bissan hill, long after the
whole town’s features were altered(6).
There
were also mosques that were converted into coffee houses
and clubs. The Saksak mosque in Yafa was rented by Jews
of Bulgarian descent. Renamed the “Bulgarian Club”, it
is barred to Muslims, and a plastic factory was set up
in the Waqf facilities annexed to it(7). Other mosques
were turned into tourist resorts such as the Fanar
mosque which overlooks the disused port of Yafa(8).
Similar attempts targeted the mosque of Hassan Beik in
Yafa, but failed thanks to Muslim mobilisation against
the transformation project in 1982(9).
With
regard to the violations perpetrated immediately after
1967, the most notorious of these was the desecration of
the sanctity of Al Aqsa Mosque, the Muslims’ first qibla
of prayer and the third of the two Holy Places, when
fire was set to the southern wing of the mosque on 21
August 1969. The most important parts of the mosque that
were damaged by the fire were : the partial destruction
by fire of the wooden ceiling of the mosque’s southern
part, the internal wooden layer of the dome, the wooden
ribbing of the mihrab, as well as the minbar of Salah
Eddine El Ayyoubi, one of the most beautiful Islamic
minbars in existence and of which only a few decorative
parts survived the fire. Restoration works of the
remnants of the minbar are underway(10).
Other
violations of the sanctity of Al Aqsa Mosque followed.
In 1982, a soldier named Judman, dressed in full combat
fatigues and armed to the teeth stormed the Dome of the
Rock and opened fire at random inside the mosque. As
Muslims gathered outside the Dome of the Rock, shots
were fired at them from the Jewish cemetery in the east,
from the Jewish quarter in the south and from the west
by the ‘soldiers who were housed in the Tunkuria School,
which co-ordination clearly points to a premeditated
conspiracy. This onslaught resulted in the death of some
citizens and bullets that lodged in various parts inside
and outside the Dome. The material damage may not seem
heavy, but it constitutes a blatant violation of the
Aqsa mosque precincts(11).
Add to
this the excavations that were carried out in various
parts of the walls of the holy Al Aqsa area and beneath
the esplanades. These excavations have resulted in the
collapse of several parts of the building in and
endangering others. The tunnel which was dug in the
western part led to similar damages to the buildings
above it. Furthermore, several parts were converted into
synagogues and military posts.
If we
consider the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron, we will find
that only a small part of it still stands for Muslims to
pray in. The desecration of this mosque started on the
first day of the occupation when Israeli soldiers and
Jewish worshippers entered the mosque with their shoes
on, trampling the mats over which Muslims pray with no
regard for the place’s sanctity. There can be no greater
violation than the endless visits to the mosque by Jews,
the constant gatherings at its doors, the conversion of
one part of it into barracks, the Jews’ harassment of
Muslims as they pray there through their dancing,
singing and child circumcision ceremonies conducted
inside the mosque. They eat, drink and throw garbage and
leftovers where Muslims pray, bring unclean dogs into
the mosque, steal what belongs to Muslims and smash
other objects. They remove Muslim furniture and replace
it with the furniture needed for their rites such as
tables, chairs and cupboards. How worse can it get
?(12).
2-
Violation and Desecration of Cemeteries :
Cemeteries were bulldozed and vandalised in various
parts of Palestine. Their lands were used for many
purposes raging from housing units, to parking lots,
public parks, etc.
Parts
of the Islamic Ramla cemetery, situated west of the
town, were confiscated by virtue of an official decision
so that the “Samson Hajbur” street could run through it,
splitting it in two parts. Many other buildings were
constructed there. In 1983, the said street was enlarged
by two meters all through the cemetery after the
bulldozing of many more graves.
In the
eastern part of the cemetery, a four-meter wide dirt
road was laid there, causing the destruction of many
Muslim graves within the cemetry(13).
In
Yafa, the main street was widened at the expense of the
Yazur cemetery. The remaining parts of the cemetery were
used for factories and garbage collection. No care was
taken in collecting unearthed bones and skulls and
burying them elsewhere(14).
In the
case of many other cemeteries, such as the Jammassine
cemetery in Yafa, housing complexes were built on their
lands. This was also the case with the Chaikun Baily in
the northern suburbs of Tel Aviv, and the cemetery of
Sheikh Mu’nis which served as a location for some of the
building of Tel Aviv University, while the remaining
parts were used for factories and workshops(15).
The
cemetery of Mamela, the largest Muslim graveyard in
Jerusalem was the target of many violations. The
cemetery is located in the heart of Al Quds, one
kilometre west of the walls of the old town. This
cemetery houses within its walls the resting places of
some of the great Muslim companions and virtuous men,
the graves of Muslims martyrs slaughtered when the
Crusaders invaded Jerusalem, as well as the remains of
the martyrs of Salah Eddine El Ayyoubi. The worst
violation against this cemetery was perpetrated by the
municipality of Jerusalem which used heavy machinery and
bulldozers to destroy and raze graves to the ground,
then relocate the exhumed bones. Part of this cemetery
was converted into a parking lot and rest area, another
part into playgrounds, and a third one for a unit of
public toilets. Could there be a more barbarous
violation than this(16).
3-
Violation and Desecration of Mausoleums and Religious
Sanctuaries :
In
addition to mosques and cemeteries, there were other
acts of desecration against sanctuaries and mausoleums
of which we will mention a few. One of these mausoleums,
located in the cemetery of Sheikh Murad in Yafa, was
turned into a den of iniquity and drugs after being used
for many years as a stable for the mule of a Jew living
in the vicinity of the cemetery
(17).
The
same happened to the sanctuary of Alaa Eddine in Yafa
which was converted into a coffee shop(18), and the
mausoleums of many holy men in Qissariya, some of which
were turned into public toilets and others demolished or
vandalised(19).
Also
targeted was the mausoleum of the Companion Salama Ibn
Hicham Al Qurshi, a martyr in the battle of Ajnadine in
13 AH/636 AD. He was buried in the area known today as
the Salama village, 5 kilometres east of Yafa. This
mausoleum was demolished and the dirt surrounding the
room holding the tomb was dug out to a depth of half a
meter. It is reported that a mosque used to stand near
the mausoleum, but the village was destroyed after 1948
and the land was used to build the colony of Kavar
Shalim. The mosque still stands on the highest point of
the village, but its courtyard has been converted into a
basket ball court(20).
These
violations and this desecration of Islamic holy places
are but a few examples of what has been happening in all
parts of Palestine. If anything, they prove that there
are many objectives and designs that can be summarised
in two points : the first one is the obliteration of the
Arab Islamic identity of Palestine by erasing every
civilisational landmarks that may testify to the Arab
and Islamic presence there ; the second one is the
erasing of the historical and cultural roots of the
Palestinian people.
(*)
Director of the Highest Institute for Islamic Monuments,
Al Quds University.
(1)
Hammouda, Sameeh ; Israel and Islamic Holy Sites.
Unpublished.
(2)
Palestinian Encyclopaedia. Vol 3, page 623. Palestine
Magazine published by the Supreme Arab Society in New
York. Edition of 15/6/1961.
(3)
Palestinian Encyclopaedia. Vol. 3, page 386. Palestine
Magazine published by the Supreme Arab Society in New
York. Edition of 15/6/1961.
(4)
Site visit to the village.
(5)
Site visit to the village.
(6)
Palestinian Encyclopaedia ; Vol. 1, and site visit.
(7)
Hammouda, Sameeh. Hassan Beik Mosque : The Threads of
the Conspiracy, p. 8, 1985.
(8)
Ibid., p . 8.
(9)
Ibid., pp . 37-39.
(10)
Al Alami, Sheikh Saad Eddine : Documents of the Supreme
Islamic Society from 1967-1984, pp. 74-76. Dar Attibaa
Al Arabia, 1984, Al Quds.
(11)
Ibid., pp. 376-377.
(12)
Abu Rmeila, Abu Sariyya, Mohammed : The Sacred Ibrahimi
Mosque, pp. 229-292. Publications of the Centre for
Revival of Islamic Heritage, 1985, Al Quds.
(13)
The Ittihaj newspaper. Edition of 26/6/1985.
(14)
Hammouda, Sameeh : Hassan Beik Mosque, p. 7. Al Ittihad
Newspaper, Haifa. Edition of 31/8/1976.
(15)
Ibid., pp. 7-8.
(16)
Al Ansari, Fahmi : History of the Mamela Cemetery, pp.
180-181. Publications of the Department of Revival of
Islamic Heritage in Bayt Al Maqdis , 1987. Al Quds
Newspaper, edition No. 5863 of 25/12/1985
(17)
Hammouda, Sameeh : Hassan Beik Mosque, p. 8.
(18)
Ibid., p. 8.
(19)
Sayegh, Anis : The Arab Palestine Landscape, page 271.
Research Centre of MTF. 1968, Beirut.
(20)
Kanaana, Sherif and Abdulhadi, Lubna : the Palestinian
Destroyed Villages (Salama), p 40. Research Centre of
Bir Zeit University. 1986.
