A Museum of Tolerance built on a Muslim cemetary? – Help us stop it!
November 4th, 2008A few days ago I received a mail from IPCRI – the Israeli/Palestinian Center for Research and Information about this issue. I hadn’t heard about it in our main media – although I’ve seen that articles appeared in foreign newspapers and their web-sites.
Here below I’ll post the mail as I received it, but there is more background information at the IPCRI site – under “What’s NEW in IPCRI”:
A Museum of Tolerance built on top of a Muslim Cemetery in Jerusalem?
Hard to Believe? It must be stopped!!!!
Join the Campaign
October 29, 2008
Can you even imagine the possibility of the State of Israel and the Jerusalem municipality building a Museum of Tolerance on the site of a Muslim Cemetery in the heart of Jerusalem? Well it is happening. We tried to fight it in court but we lost.
Imagine what would happen if someone in Europe – in Germany or Austria for instance, tried to build a Museum of Tolerance on top of Jewish graves.
The legal battle has been lost, now we must move on to the political battle. We must prevent this museum from being built on that site. Jerusalem will never be a city of peace if this is allowed to move forward.
Jerusalem is the one city in the world where there is a real potential to demonstrate that Jews, Christians and Muslims can live together in peace, understanding and real tolerance. Jerusalem is the place where we can learn to celebrate the diversities of our civilizations. If the construction of this museum is allowed to resume on top of a Muslim cemetery of religious and historical importance in the center of Jerusalem, this Holy city, will never realize its potential.
For the peace of Jerusalem, for the chance of peace, understanding and tolerance between Jews, Muslims and Christians we must stop this dangerous act.
We call on the Government of Israel and the Municipality of Jerusalem to stop the construction of the Wiesenthal Museum of Tolerance in name of public safety and in protection of the reputation of the State of Israel and the safety of Jews all around the world.
We call on Jerusalemites, Israelis and Palestinians to join our campaign.
We call on the candidates for Mayor of Jerusalem and for the Jerusalem City Council to speak out during the remaining days of the campaign – promise us that you won’t let this Museum be built in the Mamilla Cemetery.
We call on the Chief Rabbis of Israel not to let this shame on Judaism take place. In the name of Judaism, do not allow this Museum to built on top of Muslim graves.
We call on Israelis and Palestinians alike to send letters to your Presidents, Prime Ministers and Foreign Ministers urging them to stop the construction of the Museum in that location.
We call on Jews all over to write to the Wiesenthal Center Director Rabbi Hier urging him to change the location of the Museum. We urge Jews everywhere to write to the Government of Israel voice your objection to building a Museum of Tolerance on top of Muslim graves.
We call on Rabbis around the world to join the campaign. We are looking for several Rabbis who will coordinate organizing a Rabbis letter against the building of the Museum over Muslim graves.
We call on citizens of the world to join the campaign – raise your voices, – write to your own governments urging them to pressure the Israeli government to cease the construction of the Museum in that location.
Useful addresses and contacts:
President Marvin Hier, Dean, Wiesenthal Center
Fax: ++1-310-553-4521
email: information@wiesenthal.net
President Shimon Peres
Fax: ++972-2-567-1314
email: president@president.gov.il
Prime Minister Olmert
Fax: +972-2-670-5475
email: pmo.heb@it.pmo.gov.il
Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni
Fax: ++972-2-530-3367
email: sar@mfa.gov.il
Mayor of Jerusalem
Fax: ++972-2-629-6014
email: mankal@jerusalem.muni.il
Sfardi Chief Rabbi of Israel, Rabbi Shlomo Amar
Fax: ++972-2-537-1305
email: rabbis@rabbinate.gov.il
Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel, Rabbi
Fax: ++972-2-537-7872
email: rabbia@rabbinate.gov.il
President Mahmoud Abbas
Fax: ++972-2-240-9648
Prime Minister Salam Fayyad
Fax: ++972-2- 295-0970
Foreign Minister Riad Malki
Fax: ++970-2-240-3372 or ++972-2-240-3372
email: mofapal@gmail.com
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Hearing news like that make my stomach ache just from thinking that it happens in Israel. This is indeed a bizarre situation and it is so bizarre, that I couldn’t help myself, but trying to learn more about it… I think I am even more confused now.
First, I think Eva you are right, and there is not much press coverage of this story. There was some about a year and a half ago when they issue was in court, but nothing recently.
Second, I am not sure there is complete information in this call for action or on IPCRI website (which is fine, because I guess it is more of an advocacy act). I read the entire 48 page protocol of a hearing in Knesset about this issue. What I understand from that hearing is that (1) there is no doubt that this is a cemetery, (2) there was prior construction in this area (there is an on- and under-ground parking there and it is not clear why nobody opposed creation of those in the past), (3) the suggestion is to re-bury the corps on an alternative site, (4) apparently moving cemeteries is a rather standard procedure in Israel and it has been done to Jewish, Muslim, Christian, and other burial grounds.
Third, to the least clear part. I read the two decisions of the supreme court i could locate on their website (here they are: 1 and 2). My understanding of them (and I am not a lawyer) is that the supreme court (1) issued a warrant to stop any construction work until (2) the parties will not come to an agreement through negotiation. So, to me the unclear part is what happened in these negotiations and why the parties could not reach an agreement. Unfortunately, I was not able to find a supreme court ruling allowing the continuation of the construction work. So maybe the negotiations are still under way? I don’t know… But if that the case, what does IPCRI mean when they say “we lost the legal battle”? Is it an attempt to influence the negotiation in light of the upcoming election? Or there is more information missing?
Building a museum of tolerance on a cometary sounds like a really stupid idea. It is so ridiculous that I find it hard to believe reasonable people would do something like that. It seems to me that even from a business perspective it would probably be less expansive to find an alternative location. So, this whole situation does not make sense to me and from digging in a little bit, it indeed looks messier than originally presented.
If anybody has more information about the case, I personally would be really interested to see it, because from what I saw so far it is difficult for me to make up my mind.
Just thinking out loud here and sorry for all those links to documents in Hebrew (hope the HTNL works
Hi Dima,
Thanks for your comment. I agree with you, with all you say. In fact, I wasn’t aware at all about this issue until I received that e-mail. I didn’t understand either, where the whole thing was coming from. The only thing I knew is that I personally know Gershon Baskin (the head of IPCRI) very well and that I can trust what he says in an “absolute” way. That’s why I forwarded this appeal also to my very extended mailing list (about 400 people), many of whom will forward it further. Btw. – in a completely different issue, I learned toady that the IPCRI mailing list goes to 25000 people
!! — What I was not sure about is who initiated the opposition to the project at all? From the mail I quoted above, it seems that it is/was Gershon Baskin himself who started the whole matter of opposing this construction.
Just now (I was about to answer your comment) I received another mail from Gershon, another of his regular posts: an article he published just today in the Jerusalem Post. You can read the original article at this link.
However, I prefer to quote it on the whole here as well. I think it will answer all your questions, as it answered mine.
For me this article has cleared up the remaining questions, and I definitely think we should support Gershons initiative. Living in Jerusalem myself, I am quite aware of what troubles this construction can bring in the future – when people REALLY realize what is going on.
[...] Mideast Youth – Thinking AheadArticle: A Museum of Tolerance built on a Muslim cemetary? – Help us stop it!Originaly Posted On: 2008-11-04 [...]
Toleranz sollte auch dort eine Rolle spielen, wo Religionen aufeinander treffen. Ich meine, es wäre klüger, einen anderen – neutralen – Platz auszuwählen. Sonst wird dieser muslimische Friedhof zu einer moralischen Hypthekt.
Ja, genau darum geht es!
I should point out that the Libyans built a motorway over a Jewish cemetery in Benghazi, The Tunisians built a park over a Jewish cemetery incentral Tunis without even bothering to exhume the bodies, and that luxury apartments built in the Basra Jewish cemetery are making a fortune for their developers because they do not expect to have to meet any Jewish claims for compensation.
I am not defending the idea of building anything over a cemetery but at least the authorities are exhuming the remains. Eva it is your right to protest but at least be consistent and protest against all the violations of Jewish cemeteries going on in the Arab world.
Two wrongs doesn’t make a right. Israel is Eva’s country, so she criticizes what goes on within it, just like we criticize our countries when local Jews are discriminated against. Why should she stoop to the deplorable level of condemning other countries in a ridiculous attempt to justify Israel’s immoral and disturbing behavior?
It is painful and outrageous to see how people are justifying this claiming that because it happened to Jews, it can happen to Muslims. It is sad to see Israel and its staunch supporters resort to this. It shows that Israel is frankly no better than all the other abusive governments who did this.
I just thank God for the many Israelis who have enough sense to stand up against this abuse and bravely condemn it, no matter how much others try to paint them as self-hating or ironically “anti-Semitic.”
Israel is not exactly a haven for minority rights. Arab Israelis have been fighting for their rights there for decades, with several local organizations dedicated to the cause. Israel has a long way to go to be the democracy that it claims to be, its government and its shameful tactics are flawed beyond belief.
I agree with you, Esra’a! Sure it’s awful what others do, but we here have so much dirt in our own yard, that my duty is – first of all – to speak out about what’s going on HERE… And especially “we”, who are SO VERY SENSITIVE about any desecration of Jewish cemeteries, we should learn our own lesson and not fall as low as others… In fact, Israel has NOT yet learned this lesson, and “we” are as bad (sometimes even worse) than others, while claiming that all we do is “defend” ourself, posing as victims – while we’re severely persecuting, dehumanizing, humiliating, oppressing, even murdering others. If I, as Israeli, don’t speak out for THAT, who should do it for me?
That is just the point I am making, Esra’a and Eva. I do not defend what the Israeli authorities are doing: Eva had every right to protest in her own country about things she considers unjust. But nobody cares about Jewish rights in Arab countries, and to ignore these violations is hypocritical and patronising. I thought you wanted to see change in Arab countries, Esra’a, but you will never get it if you don’t stick up for minority rights, and that includes Jewish rights.
And that is exactly what she does.
Thanks for clearing that Kawthar. I spend my life defending minority rights, as evidenced by our long list of minority projects. This includes the rights of Jews, and anyone questioning that simply because I also believe in Muslim rights within Israel has a clear misunderstanding of how minority rights work. As you see, it doesn’t just include Jews, that is the whole point of the post.
But your minority rights projects list doesn’t include Jews, Esra’a. We might as well forget about Jews, shall we? There are so few of them left anyway.
This is frankly offensive and it very sad to see you resort to such self-serving remarks. MEFaith.com, our first project, was built centering around the inclusion of Jews in interfaith events in the Middle East. You’ll see many posts concerning Jewish rights in the Muslim world, many of them from your own blog, so how can you make such a ridiculous and ill-informed claim?
That aside, on MideastYouth.com we have Arab Jews or Muslims writing about Arab Jews. How many posts did we cover about Jews in the region? Recently we even conducted an interview with a film maker whose film was about Jews in Iraq, and now we are organizing for it to be screened by regional Universities.
Bataween, your comments here are extremely ill-informed and painfully one-sided. Someone like you shouldn’t be preaching about minority rights when you get so defensive as soon as someone rightly fights for minority rights in Israel, which you never, ever fought for in any of your posts. Therefore, you’re the last person I would take “advise” from concerning minority rights. You made it painfully clear to all of us here that you don’t actually believe in it.
Esra’a
I don’t want to have an argument with you, Esra’a, especially as you have done a lot of good in the past and been very supportive. I appreciate all the support and in turn support your fight for Kurds, Bahais, etc, etc. I am with you 100 percent.
But I do believe that minority rights in Israel, an open democracy where Eva can say what she likes without fear of being thrown into jail, where there are Knesset inquiries held into matters like the Muslim cemetery, where Gershon Gorenberg can rant to his heart’s content in the Jerusalem Post, where umpteen NGOs and human rights organisations are on hand to defend Muslim and Arab rights (Adalah, Betselem, the Abraham fund etc etc) is quite a different kettle of fish from minority rights in the Arab world. Name me one rights group fighting for Jewish rights, name me just one.
I’m just trying to inject some perspective here.
Bataween your argument is both entirely misinformed and completely illogical. Allow me to demonstrate why:
So many people have refuted your arguments in the past but I have no issue refuting it entirely once again. Here is the answer to your request:
1) You said that Israel is an “open democracy.” That is exactly why organizations for minority or human rights are not shut down. In the Arab world, we don’t live under “open democracies.” Human rights organizations are aggressively shut down, its leaders often get imprisoned or murdered. Anyone with a basic understanding of the Middle East will see why such organizations cannot function visibly, so you praising Israel for such organizations is both ironic and pretty illogical, because it shows a lack awareness about our issues and the type of governments we live under, and what it truly means to be a human rights activist. We ourselves do not have our human rights, free speech, the right to establish NGOs. Why do you expect NGOs for Jewish rights to exist? We can’t even get an NGO set up to fight for some of our most basic rights that no citizen has, let alone any minorities.
2) Another reason why your claim is illogical is because Arab Muslims themselves face a horrific amount of oppression, and civil disputes are not uncommon. Many Muslim activists are imprisoned, detained and killed. The majority prefer to fight for their own rights first before they fight for anyone else, just like you only fight for Jewish rights and not the rights of any Muslims or any other minorities.
3) Just so you can be aware of the status of Jews in the Gulf (with the obvious exception of Saudi Arabia, where even women don’t have any rights) – a human rights organization in Bahrain that has been associated with the government was led and established by a female Jew who is now representing our country as an ambassador to the USA, the first Arab country to have a Jewish ambassador. We also have Jews in Parliament and who work closely for or with our local and regional governments. The same cannot be said for Baha’is or Kurds or, who don’t have as many rights as Jews currently do. Jews, by the way, even in Iran, have their faith fully recognized as opposed to other minorities whose faith is not recognized and as a result, get killed for it. So you tell me, name me one organization in Israel that effectively fights for them. “Just one.”
Jews have had a tough history, but there are other minorities suffering more abuses in our current day, minorities that you rarely even mention in any of your posts. I’m tired of people claiming that Jews have no rights when even in the Arab world they are becoming established leaders of our society. Yes there are problems, but such problems are relevant to all of us in terms of human rights, some of us even come from persecuted sects; we are not free. It doesn’t take much to read and understand the issues before making incorrect and dangerous claims. To be frank you obviously don’t understand the situation in the Middle East and what it means NOT to live in an “open democracy” like Israel. You don’t have licences or approval from the government to do this, so stop asking where these organizations are. I personally dare you to come start one and see what challenges and risks you will have to face, if not death or a lifetime in prison. Almost no NGO here is legit and despite that, people risk their lives to lead them, that’s more than what any Israeli can say, so your praises of Israel don’t move me. NGOs in Israel are a piece of cake compared to what we have to deal with here.
You have misunderstood me completely.
Why are you wasting your time with Israel, an open democracy? It is precisely in Arab countries that you need to focus your energies. That’s precisely my point. Much harder, much more challenging, you need to be much braver – and that you are Esra’a – but there are so many others content to deflect attention from the behaviour of Arab countries on to Israel and wallow in victimhood.
Bahrain is one of the more enlightened Arab countries,granted, but does it pass the Kippa test? That is to say, can a Jew walk freely in the street with a skullcap on without being beaten up? I doubt it. Jews cannot be themselves, and I know this from several friends born in Bahrain who still have relatives there. The king is protective of the Jews but you know as well as I do that the situation cannot last. He is a minority Sunni sitting on a Shia powderkeg.
Of course Jews have it better than Bahais, but just as a blog for Bahais has a narrow focus on Bahais so a blog like mine about Middle Eastern Jews must deal primarily with Jews.This does not mean I do not take a keen interest in what is happening to the Baha’is, the Copts and the Kurds. We are all in the same boat. And I wish you would focus more on minority rights where people are not free, Esra’a, because that’s where your efforts are most needed.
Bataween,
I have no idea who you are – Esra’a obviously knows you, but I do not. Let me say that I am, as I already stated, a Jewish Israeli. I have to add the word “Jewish”, because my status and my rights here are different from Arab Israelis and completely different from Palestinians who have almost no rights at all. I would like that everyone stops to talk about Israel as if it were a democracy. It’s a democracy for Jewish Israelis ONLY. Right now an Arab Israel student of Hebrew University in Jerusalem (where I live) is in big troubles because he refused to shake hands with Shimon Peres who appeared suddenly in the University Library.. He’s risking his right to study.. Since when is it a crime to shake hands with your fellow citizen? Who is Shimon Peres?? Is he something MORE than Ali Baher whom he encountered?? Both are Israeli citizens and both are human beings. If I had been at Ali’s place I would not shake Shimon Peres’ hand either (especially after that incident), but is there a law anywhere that says you have to shake hands with an elected public servant? I would maybe get called into the rectors office, maybe newspapers would talk about me, but nobody would dare to throw me out of the campus, as they try to do with Ali. Because I am Jewish and he is Arab. If we have the need to have Btselem and Adalah and other organizations it’s precisely we have a problem here! Israel is clearly NOT a democracy with equal rights for all it’s citizens – I could write pages about all the disciminatory laws that limit Arab Israelis in their “equality”. Israel is not a democracy, it’s an ethnocracy where Jews are on the highest level, Arab Israelis on a little lower level and Palestinians have – as I said – no right at all. Israeli settlers in the West Bank are a special kind of citizens as well. They don’t live in Israel but they are subjected to Israeli law, while their neighbors who just live a few miles away are subjected to Military Law which is pretty severe and arbitrary. And they have even more rights than me!! They can come and go wherever they want while they can order the police to stop me from coming into their settlement. I’m not kidding, it has happened to me 3 times and it’s happening all the time. Just STOP to talk about Israel as a democracy. It claims to be a democracy but it is NOT!!!
Best regards to all from Jerusalem!
Because you specifically listed Israeli human rights organizations and claimed that there were nothing of the sort for Jews in the Arab world, a region of tyranny and brutal dictatorships. Israel being an “open democracy” means any organization concerning human rights can legally exist there, it’s not the same for the Arab world, so why ask such questions? It’s irrelevant and illogical.
I’m not “wasting my time” with Israel, simply refuting your claims.
You’re wrong. There are plenty of visible Jews here who coexist with their Muslim brethren, unlike Baha’is and other persecuted minorities.
No one can be themselves here. In many instances within the region not even women can be themselves. Why you expect Jews to be treated better than any other average citizen is truly beyond me.
Do you even understand my projects? I focus on minority rights where people are not free. Seriously. Baha’is and Kurds in Iran – they’re not free. I run projects to secure their rights. Migrant workers – they’re not free. I run a project to secure their rights. The same with Yezidis and many other faiths that we consistently discuss here. I focus on minority rights where people are not free, so why are you wishing for what I already do?
I just want to see you carry on doing what you are doing.Just don’t forget the Jews.
No one forgot the Jews. But what many seem to be forgetting is the minorities within Israel, whose abuses have been repeatedly justified. Jews here are in a much better position than most minorities that are being hunted down. These minorities, considering their horrific situation, are our priorities, because while Jews around the world are amongst the most powerful, ethnic and religious minorities here are literally facing genocide with no one in power to secure them. You can’t expect us to divert attention and dwell on the history of Jews when today is just as dark for these other innocent individuals who deserve just as much attention despite never, ever getting it.