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This articles was published in 2001.
Residents of illegal Jewish settlements are adding insult upon murder and injury to the bodies of the young Palestinian freedom fighters by wrapping the corpses in lard and pigskin before returning them for burial to their families.
The illegal Jewish settlements of Gush Katif, in Gaza, and Efrat, outside Bethlehem, claim practicing this disrespectful and unclean pre-burial rite. The Jews are hoping to discourage young men from retaliation of the occupation. The Deputy Minister for Internal Security, Gideon Ezra, suggested this plan of burial during a live interview on Israeli radio in August 2001, since which some settlers have taken notice and put into practice. In a second interview, Mr. Ezra called for the security forces to ‘liquidate’ the fathers of these young freedom fighters. He claims that the parents must know what their children are planning and this is a way to stop any retaliation.
Rabbi Shlomo Riskin of Efraat Kibbutz defended the practice of pigskin burials by saying “If burial in pigskin will deter suicide bombers then it is incumbent on us to do this. We should do anything to save Jewish life.”
Pigs, which are considered unclean in Islam & Judaism, are nonetheless being raised at one kibbutz and eaten by some secular Israelis. Muslim Palestinians declare that the bodies of the shaheed, (soldiers who die in holy war), are unaffected by any taint and their souls go to paradise. Sheikh Hassan Yousef of Hamas pronounced, “The keys to Heaven are not in the hands of Jewish settlers.”
* Saira W. Soufan is a Pakistani-American studied Biology and free lance social worker.
This articles was published in 2001.
In a rare incidence of good luck, a plan to blow up King Fahd Mosque in Culver City, California, U.S.A. was thwarted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
The destruction was planned for November 2001, during Ramadan the holiest month of the year. Mr. Usama Mahda, the community liason for King Fahd Mosque said of the plot, ”There would have been hundreds and hundreds of people, American citizens. It is scary. It’s sad and it’s disgusting. No Muslims, Jews or Christians should suffer like that.”
Leading the plot against the mosque were top officials from the militant Jewish Defense League (JDL). The chairman of the JDL, Irv Rubin and the West Coast coordinator, Earl Krugel, were taped and observed planning the crime by the FBI after an informant contacted them, revealing plans in motion.
Krugel was taped in his home saying to the informant that Arabs needed a ‘wake-up call’ and that the JDL needed to do something more militant to one of the Arabs ‘filthy’ mosques.
A final meeting towards the execution of the plot was held December 11, 2001. Upon closure of the meeting, the FBI agents descended upon Krugel and Rubin, confiscating 5 pounds of explosive powder, fuses, pipes, dozens of loaded rifles and various handguns from the home of Earl Krugel. FBI officials described the bomb components as relatively sophisticated.
Rubin and Krugel were arrested and held without bail pending the arraignment on December 31 and were indicted on January 10th, 2002 of conspiring to bomb the King Fahd Mosque and the offices of Darrell Issa, an Arab American congressman. The charges include conspiracy, conspiracy to use a destructive device, attempted arson, attempted arson at a US government facility, possession of a destructive device in furtherance of a crime of violence, solicitation to commit a crime of violence, possession of a machine gun and possession of unregistered firearms. If properly sentenced the two men could spend a maximum of 35 years in prison.
The Arab American Anti-Discrimination Committee is hoping that these indictments will lead to the prosecution of those responsible for other heinous acts of terrorism and vigilantism against Arabs and Muslims.
* Saira W. Soufan is a Pakistani-American studied Biology and free lance social worker.
This post was published in 2001.
As the anti-Muslim, anti-Arab fervor has escalated in the United States, individually targeted terrorism is intensified. One recent case profiled by the Council on American- Islamic Relations, (CAIR), has received some notoriety.
Enas Sarsour, a 17 year old Muslim high school student was terrorized into removing her head scarf, known as hijab, in a public strip search. Sarsour, after passing the required security checkpoints at the Baltimore/Washington International Airport, was harassed by a guard shouting, “Hey you need to take that off,”. Ms. Sarsour defended herself by responding, “Why do I have to take off my head cover?”, and was immediately surrounded by military personnel in camouflage uniforms with combat rifles. Terrified, she removed her headscarf without further thought, violating her concession to God.
CAIR, the Washington based Islamic advocacy group, requested an apology on behalf of Ms. Sarsour for the December 18th, 2001 incident from Northwest and Delta Airlines. After investigation, Delta President Frederick W. Reid issued a formal apology stating, “We regret and apologize for the embarrassment and discomfort you experienced.
Be assured that we take this matter very seriously”. Mr. Reid later telephoned Ms. Sarsour to apologize personally. CAIR is presently dealing with 12 cases in which Muslim women have been forced to remove their headscarves and more than 170 cases of racial profiling since September 11th. The American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU, has noted that these acts of discrimination have taken place predominantly in the travel industry, especially towards passengers on commercial airlines or in the airports themselves.
* Saira W. Soufan is a Pakistani-American studied Biology and free lance social worker.
First Phase: Towards the end of 1967 and the beginning of 1968, 
extensive diggings were carried out on an area of 70 square meters under the southern wall of the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Second Phase: In 1069, the diggings exceeded an area of 80 square metres adjacent To the wall of the Al-Aqsa Mosque. These ongoing diggings caused a serious undermining of the foundations of the adjacent building. Subsequently, the entire Magharbah quarter was demolished.
Third Phase: The diggings carried out in 1970 resulted in serious cracks in the foundation of the Ottoman Mosque (Ribat Al-Kurd) and the Jawhiriya School.
Fourth Phase: Israeli diggings between 1972 and 1974 behind the wall of the Al-Aqsa and extending across the southern wall of the Mosque and under the Mihrab pulpit and beneath the Mosque of Omar.
Fifth Phase: The diggings in the middle of the eastern side of the wall near the Golden Gate, where those diggings inflicted extensive damage upon an ancient Islamic cemetery near the site.
Sixth Phase: An expansion of the area of the Wailing Wall designed to destroy all the buildings in the area surroundings the Wailing Wall. An Israeli Ministerial Committee endorsed in 1977 the implementation of this plan, which includes the demolition of several Islamic historic buildings, including the Old Islamic Shari’s Court, the Tankinazia School, the Khalidiya Library, a charitable Zawiya (corner) and the Abu-Median ancient Mosque.
Seventh Phase: The most ominous and menacing of these continuous diggings perpetrated by the Israeli occupation authorities declared on 27 August 1981 that they had discovered a tunnel beneath the Wailing Wall and the holy Dome of the Rock which extends between both, as well as beneath the foundation of Al-Aqsa Mosque. The occupation authorities alleged that the tunnel had been discovered month before the discovery was announced.
But that the announcement had been withheld and kept secret after informing the two chief Rabbis of Israel as well as the Minister of Religious Affairs and the Defense Minister.
The Israeli officials visited the area and a requested that the matter remained shrouded in secrecy. However, the news reached the world media, which compelled the Ministry of Education to stop diggings and to close the tunnel in order to avoid far-reaching Islamic reactions.
However, the diggings did not in fact stop and were resumed when the Israeli Supreme Court issued a decision on 4 September which revoked the decision of the Minister of Education and permitted a resumption and completion of the diggings, which were resumed on 6 September.
Source: Encyclopedia of Palestine Problem by Issa Nakhleh.
July 15, 1983
Jewish settlers placed bombs inside the Khaled Ibn al Walid Mosque in Hebron. They were discovered and removed before exploding.
December 20, 1983
Jewish extremists placed bombs in the Izariyah Mosque in Jerusalem. They were discovered and removed before exploding.
Ausgust 4, 1986
The Haraa Mosque in Gaza was sealed by the Israeli Military Governor on the pretext that it was unlicensed.
September 9, 1986
The Kammaaneh Mosque in Safad was demolished by the Israeli authorities on the grounds that it was built without a license.
December 28, 1986
The Israeli Jerusalem municipal authorities demolished the Hizma Mosque in Jerusalem on the pretext that it was built without a license.
Source: Encyclopedia of the Palestine Problem by Issa Nakhleh.
Posted on: 2000
By Fr. Majdi al-Siryani
The issue of the position of the Jerusalemite Christian Community becomes known at the negotiations between Israel and the PLO in the Camp David 2 negotiations.
Here are some points that were touched in a letter from the Jerusalem Patriarchs to President Clinton, Barak and Arafat on July 17, 2000 concerning the position of Christians on sovereignty issue.
The Christians of Jerusalem follow with great concern and interest the report of the Camp David negotiations and especially the issue of Jerusalem and its final status.
The Christians of Jerusalem are Palestinians too. Christians of the Holy Land come from various origins having gone through many historical changes and peoples movements- they form an integral part of the Palestinian people.
Christians were born to Palestine nationals on Palestinian soil, thus we are Palestinian nationals regardless of Israel occupation and, on the other hand, no one is trying to exclude us or revoke our Palestinian nationality.
This is why we reiterate that it is an obligation / right to be under one’s own people’s sovereignty and this is what any Palestinian- again regardless of religious affiliation- would opt for.
Their concern about Jerusalem goes beyond the city as the Christian Holy City, it is a tie that is deep and strong.
Jerusalem is the heart of their nationalistic interest and concern. Christians are concerned about the territorial sovereignty. They consider the East Jerusalem as an Arab Palestinian City and they hope it will be the capital of the Palestinian State. On the other hand, concerning the religious dimension of Jerusalem, they believe that Jerusalem is holy for Christians, Jews and Muslims.
From the book Socio-economic characteristics and challenges to Palestinian Christians in the Holy Land by Bernard Sabella
Palestinian Christians
Palestinian Christians have roots, which strike, deep from the early church. Worldwide, Palestinian Christians number 400,000 or 6.7 % of a total Palestinian population of 6 million. 
51,000 of these 400,000 Palestinian Christians live in the West Bank and the Gaza strip, while there are 114,000 Palestinian Christians in Israel. The indigenous Christian population of the Holy Land numbers 165,000 or 41.3% of all Palestinian Christians worldwide. The Christians of the West Bank and the Gaza strip are only 2.9% of the entire Palestinian population in the occupied Territories.
In 1948, as a result of the creation of the State of Israel, over 714,000 Palestinian became refugees. 7% or 50,000 of these refugees were Christians, and they made up 35% of all Christians who lived in Palestine prior to May 15, 1948.
At present, Christians have undergone the same measures and processes, which arise from the occupation. The Intifada, as a popular uprising, saw Christians and Muslims engaged in an effort to end the occupation and achieve independence. The records of young imprisoned and martyred are other indications of the attachment to, and identity with Palestine and its cause. In addition, the active involvement and participation of Palestinian Christians in all aspects of life in the country is itself a testimony to the love they harbor for their country and their fellow Palestinians.
Socio-economic characteristics of Christians
Education
Palestinians pride themselves on their educational achievements. It is through this that they were able to rehabilitate their lives and bring up their families.
At present 541,000 Palestinian students are engaged in over 1,700 educational institutions in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, 30.7 per cent of the entire population are at school.
Among Palestinian Christians, education has been valued for the sense of security, which it imparted to the educated, through acquiring foreign languages and qualification for employment.
Palestinian Christians have on average 11.2 years of education per person. The percentage of Christians with a secondary certificate, or higher qualification, is almost twice the percentage in the general population, while the percentage of Christians with an academic degree is close to three times the general percentage.
Employment and occupational prospects
Palestinian Christians tend to predominate in the sector of public services, which includes such areas as education, health, and tourism.
This is particularly so in the central area of the West Bank where over 47.4 per cent of employed Christians work in public services, in comparison to 26.3 per cent of the general population.
Almost 55 per cent of employed Palestinian Christians work in academic, technical, managerial and clerical jobs. By way of contrast, only 20 per cent of employed Palestinians work in these occupations. In industry: General population: 37 %, Christians: 21% Unemployment is a challenge to the Christian community, more than 10 per cent of the community aged 65 years and above are suffering from this phenomenon.
Posted on: 2004
By Bernard Sabella
The involment and participation of Christians in the affairs of their national community is not surprising, given the good relations, which obtain between Christians and Muslims, and the fact that Palestinian Christians are
indigenous to the land and society. A number of factors have contributed to good Christian-Muslim relations:
1- The modern history of Palestine with the Arab-Israeli conflict affecting the entire population equally, with the experience of dispersal and loss of homeland.
2- The contribution which Christian institutions, mostly Western, have made since the 19thcentury to the education, health and other needs of the population irrespective of religion.
3- The presence of the Holy Places, and the recognition by Islam of the centrality of Jerusalem, Bethlehem and Nazareth to Christianity. This recognition is best crystallized
in Khalif’Umar’s al- ‘Uhda al-‘Umariyya, which was his guarantee of the safety of Christians and their holy places in 638 when Islam entered the country.
4- The urban nature of the Christian population and its living in religiously mixed neighbourhoods, thus emphasizing openness and neighbourly relations between Christians and Muslims. In those instances where the Christians lived in villages and rural areas, friendly co-operation and communal sharing.
5- Christians take equal pride in their national and religious rots. Being a good Christian has never detracted from being a god nationalist Palestinian, and vice versa.
6- The Ottoman millet system, which recognized the autonomy of the Christian communities to run their own internal affairs, especially those related to religious and civil matters. The system allowed Christians of the Ottoman Empire to assume important positions, especially in certain areas, such as commerce and finance, which were previously frowned upon by Muslims.
From the book Christians in the Holy Land. Edited by Michael Prior and William Taylor
With the establishment of the first community of Christians in Jerusalem, which dates back to apostolic times (Act 2.4), the first Christian Church was established.
Jerusalem is the source of Christianity. The history and doctrine of the Church began there. It is from Jerusalem that Christianity spread to various parts of the Middle East and to the rest of the world (Wilkinson 1989). The roots of Arab Christians in the Holy Land go back to the early communities of Christians in the area. By the 5th century, Arab kingdoms in Syria, Jordan, Iraq, and Palestine adopted Christianity (Acts 2:11; Issa 1984: 108; Samir 1986: 26).
During the first half of the 7th century, Islam conquered the whole Middle East, and dealt with the Christians in the area with all tolerance. In the Qur’an, the Christians were mentioned quite favourably in several verses (Sura al-Ma’ida vv.85-88). Verse 85 reads:
And nearest among them in love
To the Believers wilt thou
Find those who say,
“We are Christians”;
Because amongst these are
Men devoted to learning
And men who have renounced
Are not arrogant.
In addition, when Muslims conquered the Holy Land, they gave the Christians, the “People of the Book”, in 636 AD, a covenant of protection for their persons and their possessions, known as the “Covenant of ‘Umar’ (El Aref 1961: 91; Mansour 1991: 80). Since the arrival of Islam in the Holy Land right up to the present time, the relationship between Arab Christians and Arab Muslims has been one of mutual respect. What binds Christians and Muslims in the Holy Land is that they are both Arabs. Both have a common culture, a common history, a common language, and a common land. Though different religion, they share a common heritage (Mansour 1991: 76). Together they have participated society. Moreover, the contributions of Arab Christians to the Arab culture as a whole have been acknowledged (Samir 1986).
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