[News] Israeli forces desecrate 200 graves in Muslim cemetery; injure Sheikh

Anti-Imperialist News news at freedomarchives.org
Thu Aug 12 16:54:49 EDT 2010



Israeli forces desecrate 200 graves in Muslim cemetery; injure Sheikh 
with bulldozer

author

  Thursday August 12, 2010 18:25
author
 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC News
http://www.imemc.org/article/59264

A Jerusalem Sheikh who tried to stand in the way of Israeli 
bulldozers demolishing a Muslim cemetery was injured Tuesday, as the 
Israeli government continued the desecration of hundreds of graves. 
This marks the largest cemetery desecration by Israeli forces since 
2009, when 1500 graves were bulldozed to make way for a 'Museum of 
Tolerance' sponsored by the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles.

The current demolition site is taking place near the construction 
site of the so-called 'Museum of Tolerance', but Israeli officials 
say the two projects are unrelated.

The cemetery in question was maintained for hundreds of years by the 
Islamic Endowment (Waqf) of Jerusalem, but since Israel took over 
control of Jerusalem in 1967, the Islamic Endowment has been refused 
access to the grounds by Israeli authorities, and the cemetery has 
fallen into disrepair.

Family members of those buried in the Ma'man Allah cemetery say that 
when they have attempted to repair headstones and gravesites over the 
years, the repairs have been destroyed and removed by Israeli 
authorities, thus keeping the site in continual disrepair.

In the Muslim religion, removing or desecrating the grave of someone 
who has died is a severe offense, and the Islamic Endowment of 
Jerusalem has said that the desecration of graves shows a severe lack 
of respect and tolerance for Islam on the part of the Israeli authorities.

After bulldozers moved in to begin removing graves last Wednesday, 
Muslims from around Jerusalem have come to the site to try to stop 
the destruction of the cemetery. Members of the Islamic Endowment of 
Jerusalem called the media to document the destruction, but reporters 
who arrived on the scene say they were assaulted and forcibly removed 
by Israeli police.

Sheikh Ali Abu Sheikha stood in front of Israeli-owned 'Caterpillar' 
brand bulldozers as they continued the destruction of the cemetery on 
Tuesday. He suffered moderate injuries when the bulldozer ran him 
down, and he was taken to the hospital for treatment.




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