: Nazareth Mosque Destruction: A Blessing In Disguise?

Usually an Israeli bulldozer making short work of a Palestinian building is something that causes tensions to increase over the long run, but the latest act of destruction in predominantly Arab Nazareth may actually serve to decrease tensions, at least between Christian and Muslim citizens of Israel. Christians in northern Israel have been simmering for four years, ever since Israel granted the national Islamic Trust permission to build a mosque in the shadow of the Roman Catholic Basilica of the Annunciation (where Christians believe the angel Gabriel revealed to Mary the imminent birth of Jesus). Nazareth has long had a significant (albeit decreasing) Christian presence, and the mosque raised religious tensions that culminated in riots in 1999 and nearly derailed a planned visit by the Pope. Backers of the mosque, which was meant to commemorate the nephew of Saladin, didn’t have universal support from fellow Muslims – various religious and political leaders in the Muslim world opposed the move, which they said would divide Palestinians. In the wake of pressure from the Vatican and several US churches, Israel reversed its 1999 decision, which they executed in much the same way they perform house demolitions – they pulled a red tape trick out of the occupation toolkit, a failure to get “proper” building permits. (It took them four years to figure this out?) Desipite the Christian objections to the project, the destruction of the mosque foundation united Nazareth Muslims and Christians in condemnation of the sudden move. “The Israeli authorities want to spread discord between Muslims and Christians,” stressed Nazareth Mayor Ramez Jraissi, an Arab Christian.

Shahed Amanullah is editor-in-chief of altmuslim.com.