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Islamic leader praises terrorists
Adamant on complete Israeli withdrawal
In an exclusive interview in August with CWNews.com, the chief Islamic leader of Jerusalem has praised suicide bombers as “the most noble of all men.”
The Grand Mufti of Jerusalem offered no signs of willingness to compromise, or to accept the legitimacy of the Israeli state. Ekrima Said Sabri confirmed that he had never spoken to a Jew, and would not do so until the Israeli occupation ends and Palestinians regain their homes.
The Islamic leader placed all blame on Israel—and in particular, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon—for the current tensions in the Middle East. He insisted that only the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces, in accordance with UN resolutions, could bring peace to the region.
Ekrima Said Sabri is the Imam of the Al-Aqsa mosque on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem—known to Muslims as the Haram Al Sharif. This was the site of a recent clash between Muslim worshippers and Orthodox Jewish activists who sought to lay the cornerstone of a new Temple on land currently claimed by Islamic leaders. The Grand Mufti said that Muslims would resist any such gesture, “even by force.”
In fact, the imam expressed unabashed enthusiasm for the use of force against Israel. Asked whether terrorist bombers are justified even when they kill innocent children, he replied: “Even if they kill all Israelis.” Sabri added that he hopes for the emergence of a Palestinian leader like Saladin: the military chieftain who defeated the Crusaders. “Saladin was forced to use arms because he was facing arms from the Crusaders,” the Grand Mufti said. “We considered the Crusaders occupiers and now we consider the Jews occupiers also.”
Sabri insisted that Israeli policies are designed to defeat and subjugate the Palestinian people. He said: “That’s how the Israeli mentality works. Israel doesn’t work for peace; it tries to show the world that it wants peace, but what they want is the complete surrender of the Palestinians.”
The imam complained that Israeli government policies, denying the rights of Palestinians, have the endorsement of the United States. “All American influence, since the arrival of the Palestinian Authority, has been on the Palestinians,” he charged.
New Greek Orthodox leader
Israeli government unhappy with choice
The Greek Orthodox Church in the Holy Land has elected a new leader, selecting a new patriarch from among a list of several who had been rejected by Israel under an ancient protocol.
The synod of the local church elected Metropolitan Irineos to succeed the late Diodorus I. Under an ancient Ottoman law, the Greek Orthodox synod in the Holy Land submits candidates to the sovereign power in the region, which is now divided among Israel, Jordan, and the Palestinian Authority. While the latter two accepted all 15 men on the list, Israel objected to five, including Irineos, citing “security considerations” and “interests in Jerusalem.”
Israel withdrew its objections after coming under Greek Orthodox and international pressure to stay out of the church’s affairs. But the Israeli leadership was not reconciled to the choice of Irineos. “This election result is a great disappointment for the Israeli government,” said Rabbi David Rosen, a leading Israeli inter-faith activist.
Since the Greek Orthodox Church owns large tracts of land in Jerusalem, it exerts a huge influence on the political environment. Diodorus had leased or sold several large tracts of land to Israel —to the displeasure of many Arabs. Israel was seen as concerned about the policy changes that could quickly be instituted by a pro-Arab Orthodox patriarch.
Christians as bridge-builders
Israeli leader asks for help
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has suggested that the Christians of the Holy Land could play a crucial role in establishing peace there.
The Israeli leader, in an interview published in the Italian magazine Famiglia Cristiana, spoke of the Christians of the Holy Land as “a bridge between communities.” He said that they should follow the lead of Pope John Paul II, working for peace and discouraging hatred and violence. And he charged that the Palestinian Authority is engaged in encouraging violence—especially among young people.
Sharon repeated to Famiglia Cristiana his insistence that peace talks could not be resumed until the Palestinian leadership ensures a complete stop to all acts of violence. “I hope that the resumption of dialogue will still be possible,” he said. However, he continued, “faced with acts of violence and terrorism, the state of Israel has the right to self-defense—just like any other country.”
Asks Christians to remain
Anglican leader shocked by conditions
The leader of the world’s Anglicans has urged Christians living in the Holy Land to remain there despite years of violence and economic problems.
Archbishop George Carey of Canterbury, on a four-day visit to the Holy Land, said he was “shocked and disturbed” by the conditions he observed in the region. Palestinian Christians now make up about 2 percent of the 3 million Palestinians living in the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and East Jerusalem, and many are leaving to escape the poverty and danger.
“To the Christians in this land, we want to urge you, and it’s easy for me to say this as an outsider: Stay put, make your mark, but share your message with the rest of us around the world,” Carey said.
Call to common prayer
Christian leaders join in 2-week vigil
The patriarchs and leaders of churches in the Holy Land asked Christians in the Holy City and the world over to join in a period of prayer for peace.
From August 15 to 28, every day at 6 in the evening there was a special prayer service in one of the many different churches in Jerusalem. Armenians, Catholic and Orthodox Syrians, Ethiopian Orthodox, Copts, Lutherans, Anglicans, Greek Catholics, and Latin Catholics took turns hosting the believers in their respective churches.
Announcing the prayer-for-peace initiative, the Christian leaders said:
“We are greatly concerned at the deterioration of the situation in the Occupied Territories of the Holy Land: many families have been made homeless; the closures [of the Territories by the Israeli government] have turned towns and cities into detention camps; the number of unemployed has risen dramatically resulting in tens of thousands hungry for their daily bread; whilst our children are confronted daily with a picture of bloodshed, violence, assassination, and murder. Hatred and desire for revenge is rampant on both sides—Israeli and Palestinian.”
Calling on all Christians in the Holy Land to join in intensifying prayers for peace, justice, and reconciliation, the heads of the churches also invited Christians everywhere to join in urging “brothers and sisters around the world” to “link their prayers with ours at this special time.”
One observer in Jerusalem pointed out to the Vatican’s Fides news agency that “since the new intifada began, 550 Palestinians and 150 Israelis have died. We seem to have lost sight not only of prospects for peace but even of the horizon itself.”
Back to Catholic World Report October 2001 Table of Contents