On reading the correspondence by Evelyn Demanuele (November 22) it seems to me she needs to be acquainted with the other side of the story regarding Palestine and Jerusalem.
Palestine is not the original ancient homeland of the Jews as Ms Demanuele argued but it was one of the homelands which they lived in during certain periods in history.
Jerusalem was inhabited and governed by the Palestinian Jebusites hundreds of years before it was conquered by David, peace be upon him, in 995BC (1 Chronicles 11:4-5). When the Jews started coming to Palestine as emigrants from their own homelands all over the world during the last few centuries, they were the guests of the Palestinian people. We lived together in harmony and peace for a long time.
The majority of Jews who live in Palestine today do not have their ethnic origin in Palestine. They do not even have a Semitic origin.
Jerusalem was conquered by the Babylonians, the Persians, the Greeks, the Romans, the Byzantines and the Arab Muslims in 638 AD. During the Muslim rule, the Christians enjoyed religious freedom and their churches were respected and maintained. The Muslims permitted the Jews to live in Jerusalem in spite of the fact that Christians objected at that time. When the Jews were expelled from Spain, they found shelter in Islamic countries.
Contrary to what Ms Demanuele stated, under the Jordanian control of Jerusalem (1948-1967), the Christians had full freedom of worship and access to their churches. A Jewish cemetery and a synagogue in Jerusalem were destroyed in 1948 as a result of the battles between Israeli and Jordanian forces.
What one should really ask is: What did Israel do with the Mosques and Islamic cemeteries in the occupied lands after 1948 and 1967?
Unfortunately, the Jews were not permitted to worship at the Western Wall, which is one of the walls of the Muslim Al Aqsa compound, because it was an object of controversy between the Arabs and the Jews for a long time. In fact, in 1930, an international independent committee appointed by the League of Nations and which included no Muslim members, after in-depth research and lengthy investigations, stated that the Western Wall is indeed part of the Islamic compound.
The Jordanians banned the Jews because of the Israeli occupation of Palestine and the state of war between Israel and Jordan. I am sure that, were it not for this political situation, Jordan, one of the most tolerant countries towards Christians and Jews, would permit the Jews to worship anywhere.
Contrary to Ms Demanuele's claim, Jerusalem is very important to more than one billion Muslims around the world because it hosts Al Aqsa Mosque, the third holiest shrine in Islam after the Sacred Mosque in Mecca and the Prophet's Mosque in Medina. It is very significant for Muslims because from Jerusalem, Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, was ascended to heaven during the night journey which is mentioned in the Holy Qur'an in the beginning of chapter 17. Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, said: "There are only three places of pilgrimage. The Sacred Mosque (Mecca), the Mosque bearing my name (that is, the mosque of the Prophet in Medina) and the Al Aqsa Mosque (in Jerusalem)".
If Jerusalem was not dear to Muslims they would not have sacrificed their lives to defend it against the Byzantines, the Mongols, the Crusades, the British and the Zionists.
Jews have all the countries in the world as their homeland because Judaism is a religion and not a nationality. We Palestinians have only one land, Palestine.
Israel cannot uphold any moral obligation and cannot be a fair guardian to the Islamic and Christian holy shrines in Jerusalem simply because its presence in the Holy City itself is illegal and immoral. Contrary to Ms Demanuele's claims, Israel is not providing equal access to the Muslims and Christians in Jerusalem. Every week, tens of thousands of worshippers are banned by the Israeli forces from performing the Friday prayer at Al Aqsa Mosque. Israel imposed upon every Palestinian worshipper the requirement to obtain a special permit from the Israeli authorities to be able to enter Jerusalem for prayer.
These permits are only given to men over 50 years of age and to women over 45. Even the late Palestinian President Yasser Arafat was prevented from attending midnight Christmas Mass at the church of the Nativity. On May 2, 2002, Israeli forces shelled the church of the Nativity with machine guns and besieged it for 50 days. On March 4, 2006, a group of extremist Jews attacked the church of the Annunciation in Nazareth with gas and stun grenades while many Christians were attending Mass.
On August 21, 1969, under Israeli guardianship, an extremist Jew set fire to the Al Aqsa Mosque in an attempt to burn it down. There were many attempts to blow up Al Aqsa Mosque by extremist Jews.
Israeli forces entered Al Aqsa compound many times and attacked worshippers with gas and smoke grenades.
The Israelis are digging several huge tunnels under Al Aqsa Mosque and are undertaking wide excavation works that endanger its foundations.
The Israelis swept away many Islamic cemeteries and demolished many Islamic sites in Jerusalem in order to change its Arab nature and Judaise the Holy City. Of course, all these acts were condemned by the United Nations in several resolutions.
Certainly, there will be dispute over the historical right in Palestine but we should not dispute the fact that, according to the United Nations' resolutions, Jerusalem is considered a city occupied by the Israelis, besides the West Bank, Gaza and the Golan Heights. The greatest moral obligation Israel should uphold is to comply with international law, leave these Arab territories in peace and enable the Palestinians to establish their independent state.
Let us change the old mentality of exclusion, elimination and throwing the others in the sea. Let us stop the bloodshed and live together in peace in two states or in one democratic state. There is enough space for the Jews, Christians and Muslims. Let us worship our one true God together, in the mosques, churches and synagogues in Jerusalem and everywhere.
Mr El Sadi is the Imam of the Islamic Centre.