Muslims slam plan to renovate the Tomb of Samuel

Israel's Civil Administration recently announced that it will renovate Samuel's Tomb, which has some severe safety problems, such as very steep stairs to reach the underground synagogue at the site, as well as poor lighting.

To get an idea of what it looks like now, and how tiny it is, here's some video I took about two years ago.

Naturally, Muslims are upset at any move to improve a Jewish holy place, calling it "racist persecution.".

The Minister of Awqaf and Religious Affairs Sheikh Yusuf Adeiscalled the planned renovation "religious persecution," which is being practiced by the Israeli government on the Islamic and Christian holy sites in Palestine.

Adeis added that it is purely an Islamic place Israelis are trying to trying to falsify history, geography and culture.

The Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Affairs said it make every effort to return the buildings ownership to the Islamic Waqf in Palestine, and will go to all the world cultural and religious institutions to complain of "this new assault on the sensibilities of Muslim believers in Palestine and throughout the world."

There really is a mosque there as well, above and much larger than the synagogue, as as I recall there is even a small food store in the "holy mosque."

The planned improvements will help the Muslims as well, since they include better roads to access the site, but if Jews gain, then they are against it.

Interestingly, the Muslims also say that this is Samuel's tomb. Just they claim that Samuel was a Muslim prophet.(He is never mentioned in the Koran.)

The first time I visited the Tomb of Samuel in 2007, it was right after local Arabs broke into the synagogue, damaged many sacred objects and stole a Torah. Outside of Yeshiva World News, no one reported that story of Muslim desecration of a Jewish shrine.