Sheikh: J'lem land was Muslim grave

Sheikh Raed Salah says land for Museum of Tolerance is site of ancient Muslim cemetery: ‘You are committing a historic and religious crime against all human values of major religions’

Roee Nahmias|Published: 12.28.05 , 20:36

A Muslim Israeli-Arab leader on Wednesday lashed out at Israel plans to build the Museum of Tolerance on what he claims are the ruins of Muslim graves in Jerusalem.

Sheikh Raed Salah, the head of the Islamic Movement held a joint press conference with the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, Sheikh Akrama Sabri, Wednesday evening.

“It’s a major scandal for Israeli institutions to set up an institution for tolerance on the bones of dead Muslims, on a Muslim cemetery where friends of the prophet Mohammad are buried,” Salah said.

“We ask? Which tolerance are you talking about? Why are you distorting and forging? You are committing a historic and religious crime against all human values of major religions,” Salah added.

Salah prayed near the cemetery where he picked pieces of glass which he said belong to glasses used by Jews to drink alcohol over Muslim graves.

“That’s part of Jewish religious rituals. Over Passover a lot of people come here to drink alcohol and for the view – these are pieces from broken alcohol bottles. Drinking alcohol near my father’s grave is no doubt a crime. That’s Israeli mockery of 1.5 billion Muslims,” Salah said.

Salah called on Muslim religious leaders, ambassadors of Muslim countries and the international community to protest: “I call on all judges to come see this crime. I call on all Arab and Muslim ambassadors in Tel Aviv to come see how they walk on our history. We came here to tell the whole world that it’s a scandal. We’ll speak about this from the platform of the Al-Aqsa mosque and all mosques and we will do everything to stop this crime.”

Schwarzenegger insulted our history

Khalif Omar Ibn El-Khattab, 1400 years ago. “We have documents in the Muslim Waqf proving that all this area which includes 200 dunam (50 acres) is a Muslim cemetery. What have they done? They laid roads, created public parks and erected hotels.”

Salah and the Mufti of Jerusalem said they are not willing to compromise. “The cemetery is Muslim in its entirety. It is forbidden to take even one centimeter of it. That’s a crime that has been going on since 1948, when Waqf lands were expropriated. Since then many mosques were turned into pubs, brothels, cafes and places to take drugs,” Salah said.

“The cemetery is Muslim and Israel has no right to decide on the issue,” Salah added.

Salah did not save California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger his criticism, accusing the former Hollywood star of placing the cornerstone for the museum during a visit to Israel in 2004.

“I am telling this film actor that he participated in placing the cornerstone and therefore he insulted our history and on the dignity of our graves,” Salah said.