Attacked while on holiday. Majdal Shams
צילום: אביהו שפירא
5 men say attacked by Druze for being Muslim
Muslim youngsters claim they were encircled by angry mob in village of Majdal Shams, assaulted after they admitted being Muslim. 'They were attacked only because they were Muslims visiting a Druze village,' says one of victims' father
Five young Muslim men ended their Eid al-Adha vacation in the emergency room at Ziv hospital in Hedera, after they claimed they were attacked by Druze men from the village of Majdal Shams because of their religion.
"They were attacked only because they were Muslims visiting a Druze village," said the father of one of the victims.
The young men, aged 19 and 20, from the central cities of Tayba, Jatt and Baqa al-Gharbiyye, decided to spend their Eid al-Adha weekend vacation in a trip to the north. After spending the night in Kiryat Shmona, the five arrived Saturday afternoon to a restaurant in the Druze village of Majdal Shams, in the Golan Heights.
According to the young men's' testimony, after they finished eating, they walked back to the car and noticed some local residents were gathered around them.
"During the meal, they noticed something was wrong," said Haled, the father of one of the men who were attacked, "the locals started to curse them and asked whether they were Muslims. When they replied positively, the locals started pushing them and hitting them all over their bodies."
The victim's father further claimed that the assailants broke the windshield of the car and threatened the men. "My son said that the hour-long attack felt like eternity," he added.
The young men managed to call the police, which arrived along with a village notable. They were then escorted out of the area and taken to Ziv hospital in Safed. The men, who were all suffered bruises, decided to file a complaint with the Golan police station in Katzrin.
Acting Golan police station commander, Superintendent Yossi Gabay confirmed they received the complaint and were investigating the circumstances of the attack.
"They gave their testimony, and an investigation has been launched in order to locate those who were involved in the attack," said Gabay.
"These are upstanding young men who study in college and have no prior records. They were beaten only because they are Muslims. It is an unfortunate and disheartening case," said Haled.
"Even three days after the attack my son still suffers from dizziness and had to receive additional medical treatment," he added, saying he hopes the police will do everything in their power to find those responsible and bring them to justice.
