Category Archives: Islam Online

When we think of heritage and culture, we usually think of old buildings and silly things we put on display in dusty museums that have no relevance to our daily lives. But in Palestine it’s really a hot topic- I mean the news that Israel declared the Ibrahimi mosque in Hebron and the Bilal mosque (Rachel’s tomb) in Bethlehem as ‘Jewish heritage sites’ actually sparked riots. This may be an extreme reaction but I do understand the Palestinian people’s apprehensions.

I remember when I met Daoud Hammoudi of Stop the Wall (I also happened to meet Mohammed Othman who was jailed for his work at the office which was later ransacked by Israeli soldiers), he said that in the Israeli-Palestine conflict everything was political. The roads, the signs, the walls- everything. Sadly, heritage and archaeology is included in that and I think it’s fair to say that both sides sometimes overstep the mark in the cultural grab-and-run.

Even so, it’s the Palestinians that are losing out and although some people state that heritage (like the environment) could be an area where the Israeli’s and Palestinians could find common ground, I am rather dubious about the whole concept. Last year I spoke to Raed al-Mickawi from Bustan, an environmental peacekeeping organisation which works with Bedouins in Beer Sheba, and he had this to say: “In terms of co-existence, it is problematic as there has to be two equal sides and at the moment they [Bedouins] are almost invisible and really discriminated against…”

I think that it works the same way with the issue of heritage. Palestinians see any small claim as a threat as Israel does has the power and ability to take it all- after the fact that these sites are both in the West Bank didn’t seem to faze Israel at all. So unless this changes I think its fair to say that there will be probably be a riot following any attempts by Israel to stake its claims over any site.

Anyway Here’s an piece I did on the two sites for IslamOnline which got me thinking about the whole issue. Enjoy

The Ibrahimi and Bilal Mosque Reclaiming Palestinian Heritage By  Arwa Aburawa Freelance Journalist – UK The Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron (also known as Al-Haram al-Ibrahimi) Last week, Israel provoked anger and indignation by listing two important Muslim Palestinian sites- the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron and the Bilal Ibn Rabah Mosque in Bethlehem- as “Israeli archaeological sites.” Not only are both of these holy sites within the Palestinian territories of the West Bank but they are also of significant religious and historic importance to Muslims. Many commentators remarked that this decision was simply a means to dispossess Palestinians of their religious heritage whilst reinforcing Israeli claims to the sites. Netanyahu, Israel’s Prime Minister is reported as saying: “Our existence here doesn’t just depend on the might of the military or our economic and technological strength. It is anchored first and foremost in our national and emotional legacy.” It seems clear, therefore, that this is nothing more than a cynical ploy to fortify Israeli claims to sites by dismissing their link to Muslim and Palestinian history. Continue reading →