Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News: Freedom of Religion

Showing posts with label Freedom of Religion. Show all posts

Tuesday, September 19, 2023

Egyptian, Jordanian, Moroccan and Saudi government ministries condemn Jews visiting their holiest site on Rosh Hashana

On Sunday, about 250 Jews visited the Temple Mount for Rosh Hashanah. There were no major incidents: one Jew blew a shofar and was quickly removed by police.

But since so much ink had been spilled in the Arab world about how "Al Aqsa is in danger" the Arabic media had to create the impression that the Jews who calmly and quietly visited - as they do every Sunday through Thursday - were disruptive and insulting.

Even Arab video shows they weren't:

Yet the lies spread throughout the Arab world. Countless articles claim that the shofar blower was supported by Israeli police, not detained. Al Jazeera has an entire article on the dangers of blowing a shofar there - a place where there are huge loudspeakers blaring much louder than any shofar five times a day, every day.

The Jordanian Council of Endowments, Islamic Affairs and Holy Sites in Jerusalem issued a statement condemning the Israeli police for allowing a Jew to enter with his shofar.

But these condemnations of Jews visiting their holiest site are not relegated to op-eds and fringe groups. They come from the governments of nations at peace with Israel, or seeking peace with Israel.

The Jordanian Foreign Ministry "condemned the extremists’ storming of the Blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque/the Holy Mosque of Jerusalem and their provocative practice under the protection of the Israeli police." They said that the Jews touring the area "represents a violation of the historical and legal status quo in the Blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque/the Holy Mosque and a violation of the sanctity of the holy places." It also emphasized that the entire area of the Temple Mount is purely for Muslims, not only insulting Jews but also the thousands of Christians who visit every year.

Morocco's Foreign Ministry was reported also to have condemned Jews visiting the site, saying, "These escalatory actions inflame feelings and undermine efforts to calm the situation in the occupied Palestinian territories."

Dr. Muhammad Mukhtar Gomaa, the Egyptian Minister of Endowments, said that "the repeated incursions into Al-Aqsa are a sinful assault on one of the holiest sanctities of all Muslims, a blatant provocation to the feelings of Muslims from all over the world, and a blatant violation of all international laws, and the rational people of the international community must work to curb this extremism."

The Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs also issued a statement, in English:

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs expresses the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's condemnation and denunciation of the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque by a group of extremists under the protection of the Israeli occupation forces. The Ministry affirms that these practices are considered a blatant violation of all international norms and conventions, and a provocation to the feelings of Muslims around the world.

In reality, international law would prohibit the banning of Jews from the Temple Mount that these members of the United Nations are explicitly demanding.

In the history of Jerusalem, only Jewish rulers have allowed all people to visit their holy places. Gentiles were allowed to offer sacrifices in the Temples. There is a huge irony that the people who have been the most liberal and accepting of all have been the ones accused of intolerance - by people who proudly say that no one has any rights on the Temple Mount besides Muslims.

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Palestinian media warn about dangers of upcoming Jewish holidays - including some you've never heard of

Palestine Today published this poster warning about all the upcoming Jewish holidays and how Jews use them as excuses to defile Al Aqsa Mosque.

And when they say "Al Aqsa Mosque," it is obvious that they are referring to the Kotel (Western Wall) as part of it.

The photo is a Photoshop, showing the twin threats that Palestinians see: Zionists and religious Jews.

The poster gives a description of how Jews supposedly celebrate their holidays, some of which are mysteries to me. They know some amazing things about Judaism.

Jewish holidays
An imminent danger that violates the sanctity of Al-Aqsa

Hebrew New Year's Day
From September 15-17, includes major raids with the participation of occupation leaders, during which the trumpet is blown.

Yom Kippur
From September 24 - 25, it includes massive raids into the courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque, during which bird sacrifices are offered.

Throne Festival
From September 30 to October 5, massive raids take place, plant sacrifices are made, and a canopy of palm trees is set up.

Eid Simchat Torah
On October 7, the Torah scrolls are brought into the courtyards of Al-Aqsa and circulated around them

Feast of Isru Hag
On October 8, its most prominent pillar was the dining table, which is a Talmudic ritual performed by settlers in the courtyards of Al-Aqsa.

The feast of Hosea, our Lord
On October 10, the settlers hold a Talmudic ritual in the courtyards of Al-Aqsa

The Feast of Prostration
is on November 13, during which Al-Aqsa is stormed and Talmudic prayers are performed

Hanukkah
From 8 to 12 December, Al-Aqsa is stormed in large numbers, and lit by candles with huge candlesticks

Interestingly, they do not mention the tens of thousands of Jews who have gone to the Kotel every day this Hebrew month to say Selichot prayers.

It is clear that to Palestinian Muslims, a Jew worshiping at the Kotel is just as offensive as one worshiping on the Temple Mount.

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Latest EoZ memes and comics

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Italy set to pass law making Islamic worship much more difficult. (And it might affect Jews, too.)

From IndiaTV and ShiaWaves:

Italy-- home of over 2.5 million Muslims-- is set to pass a controversial law that would ban prayers in public places and unauthorized worship buildings. According to Anadolu News Agency, if passed, the law could shut down thousands of Islamic prayer spaces amid the fact most of the prayers are being held in private spaces.

The bill, which was drafted by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s Brothers of Italy party, will target prayer spaces that are not in mosques or those that have never received formal approval to be used for worship.

According to a report published by the Union of Islamic Communities and Organizations in Italy (UCOII)in 2017, there were 1,217 Muslim prayer spaces in Italy, of which only six of these were officially mosques.

Approximately 50 others have obtained authorization for religious activities.

The remaining spaces, predominantly situated in garages, warehouses, apartments, and basements, are classified as cultural associations but are also used for prayers.

Proponents of the bill openly acknowledge their aim to prohibit these non-mosque Islamic worship spaces.

I did not read the text of the draft law itself. From the first report, it appears to apply to all religions that hold informal prayer services outside official houses of prayer. But from other media, including the second one quoted here, it appears that the law is deliberately meant to target Muslims, who are by far the largest religious community that regularly engages in ad-hoc prayer groups.

There is huge opposition when Muslims try to open up a new mosque which is why there are so few mosques in Italy for two and a half million Muslims. The "cultural associations" are the only way they can pray.

There are only about 30,000 Jews in Italy. If this law does not explicitly mention Muslims, that means that Jews who put together a minyan - during a charity dinner, when sitting shiva, at the airport - may also be breaking the law.

If true, this wouldn't be the first time that Jews are caught in the wake of anti-Muslim legislation. Some of the European regulations prohibiting religious slaughter also appear to be primarily aimed at Muslims, and religious Jews get caught in the wake.

But there is another important angle to this story.

While "progressives" claim that Israel is engaged in Jewish supremacism, a law like this would never happen in Israel. There are anti-Muslim laws throughout Europe but essentially none in Israel (besides things like anti-polygamy laws.) Israel has no limitations on mosques, although it does limit the volume of the Muslim call to prayer (as do many Muslim countries.)

Israel is more tolerant of Muslims than France (burkini bans), or Switzerland (minaret bans), or Belgium (halal slaughter bans) and now Italy. But no one complains about "Christian supremacism," when in fact that is often exactly what animates these laws.

It is the usual double standard for Israel - and much of it comes from these oh-so-liberal Western democracies that truly do discriminate against Muslims.

Instead of castigating Israel, they should learn religious tolerance from Israel.

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Algeria voted to Security Council. Let's spend five minutes looking at this wonderful country.

Mahmoud Abbas congratulated Algerian president Abdelmadjid Tebboune on Tuesday, on the election of Algeria as a member of the UN Security Council.

Let's take a quick look at what life is like in Algeria today.

- A law was passed in 1962 that ensured that anyone without a Muslim grandparent couldn't be a citizen. Some 140,000 Jews had to leave, and the laws, while changed, ensure that they cannot become citizens today.

- Algeria routinely arrests human rights activists.

- There are credible reports of torture in prisons.

- The judiciary is not independent and effectively controlled by the president.

- There are laws that restrict women's rights.

- Men who beat women can be pardoned if the woman is pressured to marry him.

- There are laws that criminalize many forms of speech, both in mainstream and social media. Some journalists were harassed and intimidated.

- Laws restrict activities of any religion besides Sunni Islam.

- Gays can be imprisoned under the law for homosexual acts.

- Movies and books must be approved before being allowed into the country.

- Protests in Algiers are essentially illegal.

- Black Algerians, Black migrants and non-Muslims are widely discriminated against.

So Algeria is a racist, homophobic, misogynist, apartheid dictatorship whose citizens have no freedom and limited rights.

One reason you don't hear much about countries like Algeria in the news is because if the media and human rights groups would judge all countries with the same standards and campaign against all abuses with the same energy, criticism of Israel would be invisible in the tsunami of actual serious human rights abuses worldwide. And they don't want to live in a world like that.

A set at the Security Council is a very high honor. Outside of groups like UN Watch, who is protesting giving this honor to a country as contemptuous of human rights as Algeria is?

No one cares.

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Palestinians who eat publicly during Ramadan can go to prison

There has been a kerfuffle in Israel over a proposed law that would allow Israeli hospitals latitude to ban visitors from bringing items that are not kosher for Passover into their facilities during the seven day holiday.

It plays out in the media as a typical battle between the religious and the secular in Israel on basic rights, of religious coercion versus freedom of religion, even though the number of hospitals that are likely to post guards to check visitor bags for chametz is probably roughly zero.

But meanwhile, Palestinian laws are quite explicitly coercive against Christians and non-practicing Muslims. And no one seems too concerned about them.

Article 274 of Penal Code 16, originally Jordanian law from 1960, impose a fine and imprisonment of one month for any Palestinian who publicly eats during Ramadan: "Whoever publicly breaks the fast during Ramadan shall be punished with imprisonment up to one month or a fine of up to fifteen dinars."

According to Palestinian media, "this penalty is applied in all the cities of the West Bank, taking into account the areas where Christians reside, such as Bethlehem and some areas in Ramallah." But that only means that the enforcement of the law is more lax in Christian areas - but the law itself still applies.

About ten people are arrested every year for violating the ban on public eating during Ramadan.

There are other laws to protect Muslim feelings. Article 278 is the more draconian:

A penalty of imprisonment for a period not exceeding three months or a fine not exceeding twenty dinars shall be imposed on whoever:
1- Publishes something printed, written, picture, drawing or symbol that may offend the religious feeling of other people or insult their religious belief. or
2- uttering, in a public place and within earshot of another person, a word or sound that would offend the religious feeling or belief of that other person.

Even though this and other laws do not mention Islam or Muslims explicitly, they are only only meant to protect Muslims. This is obvious because Article 276 punishes anyone who intentionally disturbs any religious rites - but Palestinians attack any Jews who worship at Joseph's Tomb in Nablus, forcing the Israeli army to protect them.

The people and media who pretend to care about human rights of Palestinians go silent about Palestinian laws that violate basic human rights of non-Muslim or non-religious Palestinians.

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Some Arabs very upset by a synagogue in Abu Dhabi

Last week, to much fanfare, the Maimonides synagogue was formally opened in Abu Dhabi as part of the Abrahamic Family House interfaith project spearheaded by the UAE royal family.

Many reports say that this is the first synagogue in Abu Dhabi, but in fact there was a modest synagogue that had been operating quietly for years in a rented villa for Jewish businesspeople in the Emirates.

Most of the Arabic language articles about the new synagogue have been respectful, but many - especially from outlets sympathetic to Iran - have been upset over this.

It appears that the articles that are upset over the complex are trying to manufacture and stoke the outrage rather than report on it.

Watanserb dug through social media to find critics of the synagogue. They found a couple of prominent critics but they also sought out Tweeters with only a few dozen followers to fill out the story.

Ahmed al Khalili, the Mufti of Oman, believes that giving equal weight to Christianity and Judaism with Islam is a violation of the Quranic decree not to take Christians and Jews as allies.

Popular tweeter HureyAksa also says that the complex is "heretical" and fights against Islam. (More recently, he took video of the "Chief Rabbi of Saudi Arabia" promoting the Saudi Neom project, saying that it will be built specifically for the use of the "occupation.")

Some Saudis seem to be afraid that the UAE is trying to supplant the Kaaba as the central religious site in the world. A Yemeni site even said that the UAE is trying to change the direction of the qiblah, the prayer direction, away from Mecca.

Of course, many in Arab media are calling this house of prayer more evidence of "normalization" with Israel, citing Israeli newspapers who are reporting on the story.

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