Violation: setting a mosque ablaze and paint hostile graffiti on its walls.
Perpetrators: Adi Ad colonists.
Date: June 7, 2011.
Details:
At the early dawn hours on June 7, 2011, the locals were awakened by the flames erupting in the village mosque. The flames badly damaged the mosque, its foundation, and a large number of books and furniture.
Picture 1-2: scorched mosque
Furthermore, the colonists who committed the crime wrote provocative and hostile inscriptions, the likes of ‘death to all Arabs‘ and ‘revenge time‘ all around the mosque walls.
Picture 3: hostile graffiti
Darwish Mohammad, the mosque Imam, stated: ‘On Monday, June 6, 2011, we [the locals] witnessed an abnormal movement of the colonists and the Israeli Occupation troops. At early dawn hours of the next day, a group of colonists broke sneaked into the village, broke into the mosque by breaking its windows, and started a fire there using tires and inflammable materials. The defiled the mosque with their hatred. The flames devoured the carpets, tens of books, including many copies of the Holy Koran, and the electricity network. Moreover, they defiled the mosque with hostile and racist inscriptions that were written all around the mosque walls. Soon afterwards, Israeli troops escorted the colonists out of the mosque and out of the village’.
Faraj al Nasan, Head of the Village Council, stated to an LRC Observer:’ Adi Ad colonists have been attacking Palestinian farms and farmers but they had never targeted the mosque before. It shows that the conflict is not only political but it is also ideological; the Israeli are trying to wipe off any traces of the Arab and Islamic culture and forge the history to make it comply with the schemes of the Israeli right wing which have been in control for a while’.
It must be said that the attack against the mosque contradicts the international conventions guaranteeing the freedom to worship and religious practice; however, such a violation of a basic right is faced with complete silence by the International Community. It is part of the Israeli overall policy calling for religious extremism and radicalism.
It must be noted that torching the mosque is part of a long sequence of attacks against holy places including Al Aqsa Mosque and many other mosques all around Palestine. However, the Israelis announced most of the Jordan Valley region into a military zone excluding more than 27556 dunums frm the village total area.
Al Mughayyir, an overview:
Al Mughayyir is located 22 km to the north east of Ramallah; it is inhabited by around 2900 people according to the PBS statistics conducted in 2010. Most of the village agricultural fields are located in its eastern parts; its total area before the Israeli conquest of the West Bank was 33,000 dunums.
However, the Israelis announced most of the Jordan Valley region into a military zone excluding more than 27556 dunums from the village total area. The Israelis had also planted mines and deployed forces in the area preventing herders from being anywhere around. The village is surrounded by numerous Israeli colonies making it a constant target to the Israeli colonization lust.
It surrounded by Tumer, Jiljal, Piza’il, and Netev Hagidod (east), Shivut Rahel and Shilo (west), Niran, Yutaf, and Kohav Hashahar (south), and Ma’ale Avraym and Mijdalim (north).
Prepared by
The Land Research Center
LRC
The Land Research Center
LRC
