A perfect time for Israel to Demolish a Mosque
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By Daniel Pines
On December 25 in the morning while all eyes were on the Gaza Strip Israeli bulldozers arrived to demolish a mosque for the Bedouin community in the village of Wadi Na'am. The mosque was completely demolished including the foundation. The construction of the mosque was an international project. It also was an interfaith project as Jews, Muslims, and Christians volunteered their effort to get the mosque built. The construction was a true demonstration of how an environmentally sustainable place of worship and community could be built. The builders used mostly straw, mud and hay to construct the mosque.
In November demolition orders were issued by the government, but thanks to the Israeli peace movement and international support for the project no demolition resulted. This was a truly glorious site to see Jews and Arabs in solidarity with one another to stop an injustice from being perpetrated against an Arab group. Individuals from Jewish human rights groups slept in the mosque over night to resist the impending demolition. This does not take away from the bravery of the Bedouin Arabs who were in the most danger and tried to build there mosque and resist the unjust treatment of the Israeli government. Unfortunately, the combined resistance of these two groups could not stop the eventual demolition of the mosque. Good people can try to stop the government that claims to represent them from doing unjust acts as Jewish Israelis are doing, but it is not always successful in the end.
A link to the Israeli Committee Against Home Demolitions is provided below.
