By Andrew Friedman and Khaled Elomar
It would be hard to think of a more painful way to mark the end of the holy month of Ramadan and the lead up to the Jewish holiday of Shavuot than the senseless clashes that have battered the holy city of Jerusalem, and especially the Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif, in recent days.
As usual, both sides have been quick to ascribe blame, and equally quick to eschew responsibility. Palestinian activists lit up Twitter with charges that “Israeli Occupation Forces” were “brutally attacking” Muslims and accusations that Israel is trying to “ethnically cleanse” East Jerusalem by allowing members of Nahalat Shimon, a far-right Israeli nationalist organization, to take possession of properties in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood of East Jerusalem.
Israelis were equally quick to point the finger, saying the riots were little more than an excuse for Palestinians to attack police and security forces under the guise of a religious festival. In this view, the violence is only the latest Palestinian anti-Israel “terror” campaign; this one sparked mainly by Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas’ decision to push off parliamentary elections that had been scheduled to be held later this month. With little opportunity to criticise or change their own government, many Israelis believe – and resent – the Palestinian custom to focus their anger over their own failed leadership at Israel.
It is not the intention of the authors to assign blame for the violence. Emotions run deep in Jerusalem, possibly more than any other locale on Earth, and victimhood – rather than responsibility – is the currency that both groups believe they have a monopoly on. In the zero-sum tragedy that is modern Israel-Palestine, neither group appears capable of conducting a painful process of self-criticism before slinging mud at the other side, or even considering the possibility that both play a role in perpetuating the ongoing crisis. Finger pointing is the polar opposite of taking responsibility.
The physical cost, as usual, has been high: Hundreds injured; rocket fire and arson balloons from Gaza aimed at civilian communities in Israel; activists on both sides seething with anger and hate, burning to take revenge.
But the damage has not been limited to the physical realm: For both Muslims and Jews around the world, the violence in Jerusalem has served only to dampen spirits at a holy period of the year. For Muslims, concern for our brothers and sisters in Palestine and for the holy sites at the Haram al-Sharif has made it difficult to capitalise on the spiritual power of the holy month: Speaking properly to and about others; connecting with God; reading the Koran, trying draw out the best versions of ourselves we can.
Rather than exulting in Prophet Mohammed’s PBUH revelation of the Koran on Laylat al-Qadr, celebrating the final days of Ramadan and preparing for the joy of the upcoming Eid al-Fitr holiday – which begins this week – our focus has turned from the disciplined spiritual work of repentance and ethical behaviour to shallow worry and deep sadness about a Ramadan drained of so much joy.
So too for Jews. The clashes in Jerusalem have both marred the seven-week period between Passover and Shavuot (Pentecost) a time of year known as the Counting of the Omer and cast a dark pall over Shavuot, the annual holiday marking God’s presentation of the Torah to Moses at Mount Sinai. Like Laylat al-Qadr, Shavuot marks the Divine revelation of our holy book, optimally celebrated with a pilgrimage to Jlem and the Temple Mount.
Perhaps nothing points to the political, rather than substantive, nature of the exhausting rounds of fighting over Jerusalem is the close theological connection between Islam and Judaism. In contrast to Christianity, which is far more difficult to reconcile as a religious doctrine with either the Torah or the Koran, Muslim and Jewish practices and theology complement one another in a myriad of ways. This is evident on multiple levels, from the linguistic similarities between Arabic and Hebrew (the Jews’ ancient temple was known in Hebrew as Beit Hamikdash, nearly identical to one of the Arabic names for al-Aqsa Mosque, Bayit al-Maqdis) to the custom of bowing in prayer (Muslims every day; Jews on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur) to the outright rejection of the notion that God could take a physical form.
To cite but one example: The psalms of King David implore us to “pray for the peace of Jerusalem,” while the Hadith (Islamic legend) quotes Zaid Ibn Thabit, personal secretary to the Prophet PBUH: “The Messenger of Allah said: ‘Tuba [a prayer for glad tidings] for Ash-Sham.’ So we said: ‘Why is that O Messenger of Allah?’ He said: ‘Because the angels of the Merciful One spread His wings over it.’”
Perhaps worst of all is the ability of extremists on both sides to the lowest instincts of both communities to fan the flames of suspicion and hatred, and the inability of well-intentioned groups and individuals to overcome the anger they create. Grass-roots organisations such as Roots, Abrahamic Reunion, Interfaith Encounter Association and others work tirelessly to build trust, respect and relationships, but the nature of their activities can’t compare to headline-grabbing statements and activities of Knesset members identified with the bigoted Rabbi Meir Kahane, who work in concert with Hamas leaders to ensure their malignant brands of religion and power remain relevant.
Ultimately, however, faith means nothing if not the belief in things unseen. Brotherhood, justice and harmony will ultimately trump bitterness, discrimination and divisiveness.
Insh’Allah. Be’ezrat Hashem.
[textblock style=”6″]
Khaled Elomar is a native of Lebanon and an active member of the Islamic community in Sydney, Australia.
Andrew Friedman is an Israeli journalist and the founder of Efrat Debate Workshops, a platform for 9-14 year olds to develop logic and public speaking skills.
[/textblock]
[textblock style=”7″]
Like what we do at The AIMN?
You’ll like it even more knowing that your donation will help us to keep up the good fight.
Chuck in a few bucks and see just how far it goes!
[/textblock]
