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<h1><font size=4><b>Israeli forces desecrate 200 graves in Muslim
cemetery; injure Sheikh with
bulldozer</b></font></h1>
<img src="http://www.imemc.org/graphics/date.gif" width=12 height=10 alt="author">
</b></h1><font size=3> Thursday August 12, 2010
18:25<img src="http://www.imemc.org/graphics/person.gif" width=14 height=12 alt="author">
by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC News<br>
<a href="http://www.imemc.org/article/59264" eudora="autourl">
http://www.imemc.org/article/59264</a><br><br>
</font>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.<br><br>
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.<br><br>
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.<br><br>
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.<br><br>
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.<br><br>
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.<br><br>
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. <br><br>
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