2011: Zionist Settlers Violate Sanctities of 96 Mosque and Churches Combined
Al-Nour Mosque of the Barka village, located eastern the central West Bank city of Ramallah, was set on fire. However, this wasn't the only assault extremist settler groups practiced against mosques; and it kept on going throughout the year 2011 where the overall victim mosques reached 30.
These crimes are similar in details; in the dark of the nights, Zionist settler groups sneak into the Palestinian towns and villages, ignite mosques, and write anti-Islam, racist slogans and others that express hatred against the Prophet Mohammad and the Palestinians.
All historical Palestinian mosques were victims of the said assaults, especially northern the West Bank in Nablus, Salfit, Ramallah, al-Khalil (Hebron), and even the Akkasha mosque in the holy city of al-Quds (Jerusalem), and occupied al-Jalil (Galilee).
In this context, Hanna Issa, an official at the Palestinian Ministry of Endowments in charge of the Christian affairs, had previously issued a detailed study concerning the overall violations against mosques as well as Islamic and Christian sanctities. The aforementioned study revealed that more than 96 Islamic and Christian sanctities were violated since the beginning of 2011 in the West Bank.
Furthermore, Issa indicated that these assaults' trademark was that the settlers destroyed the doors and crosses of churches, and broke into many churches in the villages of A'boud and Barqin; around 46 assaults against Islamic and Christian sanctities were reported in al-Quds (Jerusalem) city alone.
In his study, Issa stated that the assaults against sanctities adopted many methods that varied between burning mosques, writing slogans insulting to Prophet Mohammad (PBUH), Muslims, and Arabs. Settlers also violated the sanctity of John the Baptist Church for Roman Orthodox near the city of Ariha (Jericho), through sabotaging its sacred temple, breaking the icons and crosses, and wrecking the church's doors and furniture.
Forming Protection Committees
In response to the violations in question, Minister of Endowments and Religious Affairs in the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud al-Habbash, called for establishing popular committees in all the Palestinian districts to defend all sanctities against settlers.
Al-Habbash reiterated that the settlers' assaults against mosques are not "coincidental", but they are planned and approved by the highest authorities in the so-called Zionist government. He added that this approval is accompanied by the "Israeli" army's protection, and push by the extremist rabbis that use their religious teachings to spread their racist approach.
Also, Palestinian Minister of Endowments and Religious Affairs affirmed that the occupation government sponsors the terrorism of the settlers against all what is related to the Islamic and Christian, Arab, Palestinian identity. He further demanded a strict international, Arab, and Islamic position against the danger threatening the future of all humanity.
Slight PA Negligence
The aforementioned appeals by the Minister of Endowments and Religious Affairs are not enough according to head of the Palestinian Scholar Union, Hamed al-Bitawi, who accused the Palestinian authority of failing in protecting the mosques.
"The occupation crimes against mosques haven't stopped since the historical Palestinian was occupied in 1948, where the occupation authorizes transformed more than 1200 mosques into bars, night clubs and so on...", al-Bitawi stated.
He added that these assaults continued, and after it occupied the West Bank and the Gaza Strip in 1967, "Israel" poured all its rage on the West Bank Mosques, especially the holy al-Aqsa Mosque, which was subject to many attempts of setting it on fire, dig under its foundations, break into it, and even completely demolish it.
More on these assaults, the holy Ibrahimi Mosque in the city of al-Khalil (Hebron) was also attacked, where it appeared to be a Synagogue more than a Mosque. Recently, 30 mosques were set on fire in the West Bank, while 100 were demolished in the Gaza Strip during the aggression two years ago.
On this level, al-Bitawi indicated that what encourages the Jews and settlers to attack mosques is the protection they receive from the Zionist army, in addition to the racist regulations (Fatwas) declared by the Jewish Rabbis; which call for killing Muslims and destroying their sanctities.
More important is, according to head of the Palestinian Scholar Union, is the negligence of Palestinian authority apparatuses in Ramallah to protect the mosques. It is worth mentioning that there no longer exists any method for citizens to defend their mosques after the Palestinians security apparatuses were not allowed to use arms against them, and due to the so-called security coordination with the Zionist occupation.
Blaming the Arab and Islamic countries as responsibility of what's happening, al-Bitawi went on to say, "These mosques are not only for Palestinians, but their protection is a duty upon all Arabs and Muslims".
He also denounced the silence of international institutions regarding these practices, clarifying that "if the Palestinians attempted to burn a synagogue, the whole world would denounce and convict such act, and the international institutions would interfere to protect it because it is a "place of religion"!"
Source: Al Intiqad Online Newspaper, Translated and Edited by moqawama.org team
