Religious Freedom
Photo Credit: (AFP)
By Jonathan Kuttab
Eastern and Western ecclesiastical calendars are a week apart this year. As such, Christians who follow the Eastern Calendar, representing most Palestinian Christians, are currently celebrating Holy Week. Beginning with Palm Sunday, with processions coming down from Bethany and into the Holy City, the commemorations of the week then proceed through Maundy Thursday, which celebrates the washing of the feet, and into Good Friday today. Saturday is the Saturday of Holy Fire in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, and then we move into sunrise services on Easter (or pascha) this coming Sunday. Walking through the Old City, you will hear the plaintive tones of Fairuz singing the Arabic and Greek hymns of Passion Week, culminating in the Easter songs of the Resurrection.
Israel, however, announced new restrictions on Christian celebrations this year, limiting the number of worshippers allowed at the Holy Sepulcher for the Holy Fire celebration and canceling all 700 permits for Christians from Gaza to come to Jerusalem. This comes on the heels of increased attacks on Christian clergy and holy sites, churches, and cemeteries by Jewish fanatics. The Heads of Churches in Jerusalem (including the Greek Orthodox Patriarch), who rarely speak out on political matters, issued strong statements condemning these restrictions on their freedom of religion. Yet these restrictions and attacks on Christian religious freedoms have been largely ignored by the press in this country. The little coverage that exists has concentrated on Ramadan and the attacks on the Al Aqsa Mosque, which are horrible enough in and of themselves.
The restrictions on Muslims from accessing their holy places have been even greater. Muslims from Gaza, who only live a few hours away, are entirely forbidden from visiting Jerusalem. For those in the West Bank, there are many restrictions based on age and sex, with the pretext for such restrictions usually being “security.” During Ramadan, hundreds of thousands of West Bankers flood the many checkpoints, and the faithful find ways to avoid the restrictions. Eventually, Israeli forces permit most to enter and worship at Al Aqsa during the month of Ramadan. Yet, there are still restrictions that apply, and there is also the additional element of Israel trying to create new procedures, changing the existing arrangements that have been in place for centuries. The potential for friction and confrontation between the different religions has existed throughout history, with varying degrees of tolerance or repression.
The explosive potential of mixing politics with religion only occurs when one religious group uses its political power and social dominance to promote its own religious claims at the expense of the others, and when it fails to provide even the bare minimum of tolerance and respect to the other groups. The Status Quo Agreement, painstakingly arrived at by the Ottomans and the British and endorsed by the Jordanians, lays out in meticulous detail the rights of each religion and denomination in Palestine’s holy places. It not only recognizes and documents the rights of each of the three monotheistic religions, but (almost as vexatious) the rights of each Christian denomination in the Christian holy places, down to who has the right to wash and maintain the walls of the various churches involved. The Israeli government publicly states its support for the Status Quo Agreement, but it often allows or tolerates gradual changes to the terms of the agreement.
Particularly, this relates to attempts by Jewish extremists to alter these historic arrangements, using the secular power of the state of Israel over Occupied Jerusalem, in favor of fanatic groups that are at the root of the current unrest in Jerusalem. It is particularly worrying that Jewish extremists—previously a fringe minority—are now in power in the new Israeli government, and they have managed to enlist many right wing politicians by covering their efforts with a secular nationalist veneer. They demand Jewish rights to pray and even offer sacrifices, as well as to build a Third Temple over the Al Aqsa Mosque, not only as a religious goal but as an assertion of Jewish (secular) Israeli sovereignty and supremacy in Jerusalem. Right-wing politicians, including the secular Ariel Sharon, realized the political significance of this approach when he invaded the Al Aqsa Mosque in late 2000, sparking the Second Intifada.
Jewish excursions into the Al Aqsa Mosque and attempts to change the Status Quo, even slightly, trigger Muslim concerns. These concerns, however, are also fed by public statements by Jewish extremists, as well as the display of published pictures of Jerusalem in which the Dome of the Rock has been erased or replaced by a Third Temple. Public proclamations by extremist groups of their intent to revive the custom of “sacrifices on the Temple Mount,” including announcements in the Arabic papers of their willingness to rent spaces in Arab Jerusalem to house the animals for sacrifice, have caused great concern among Muslims. Many have volunteered to stay overnight in the mosque to pray, meditate, and if necessary to defend the mosque from attack by extremists. The recent actions of the Israeli Police, moving in during the early hours to beat up and violently evict Muslims from the mosque have been documented in videos that quickly went viral and enraged the Muslim community worldwide. The apparent reason for this foolish action was to assert Israeli authority as well as to clear the way for Jewish visitors who were planning to visit the next day.
These actions only feed Muslim fears and threaten to turn a resolvable political conflict into a religious nightmare, with implications far beyond Israel/Palestine. Those who care and pray for the peace of Jerusalem must work hard to defend this precarious status quo, and this especially includes friends of Israel and of the Jewish people who should see the dangerous potential of these infringements, including its potential to promote anti-Jewish sentiment and antisemitism throughout the Muslim World and beyond.
At FOSNA, we believe in open access to the holy places in Palestine/Israel, as well as religious freedom for all. Theologically, we may think that no land is “holy” (or rather that all land is holy) and that God is sovereign over the whole earth and can be worshiped anywhere (“God is Spirit, and those who worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.” [John 4:24]), yet we see the importance of respecting the religious sites of all religions, and the religious feelings of their believers as well. Using state power to assert exclusive claims over Jerusalem and the “Holy Land” in favor of one religion over others is a formula for disaster. Whether it be Christian Crusaders, Muslim Conquerors, or Modern Jewish Zionists, all are imperial conquerors using religion to justify their rule and control in the name of God. No wonder Christ cried over the city of Jerusalem. Lord have mercy.
Take Action!
Demand Congress Condemn Israeli Attacks on Palestinian worshippers & Suspend Military Aid
(AJP Action) Israeli occupation forces attacked, arrested, and forcefully evicted hundreds of Palestinian worshippers from Al-Aqsa Mosque during prayers early on Wednesday and Thursday, leading to hundreds of arrests and injuries. Startling footage has shown Israeli occupation forces beating Palestinians with batons inside the worship place. These acts of violence violate international human rights law, and happening during the holy month of Ramadan against peaceful worshippers is egregious. It outwardly disregards pleas by the Biden administration to respect the status quo and demands an immediate response from the U.S. government.
Urge your Members of Congress to condemn these attacks, request an immediate suspension of U.S. military aid to Israel pending investigation, and call on the Biden administration to ensure that no U.S. weapons are used in these violations.
The Foreign Assistance Act and Leahy Law prohibit the U.S. government from aiding gross human rights violations. It's crucial that we follow these laws and hold Israel accountable for their actions. Fill out the form below to email your Members of Congress.
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