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Israelis withdraw permission for mosque near Christian shrine in Nazareth
2002-006-1
1/11/2002
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[Episcopal News Service]
Facing strong international opposition, Israeli authorities have withdrawn permission for Muslims in Nazareth to build a mosque adjacent to the Basilica of the Annunciation, the traditional site where the angel Gabriel announced the birth of Jesus to Mary.
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has appointed a committee to recommend an alternate site for the mosque, which was being built to honor a nephew of Saladin who led the Muslim army that captured Jerusalem from Christian crusaders in the 12th century.
Acknowledging that the construction, approved by a previous Israeli administration in 1999, had been the source of friction and violence between Muslims and Christians, an Israeli official said, 'We don't want to shove it down the throat of Christians. The effort is to come up with an alternate proposal that will be carried out with the consent of both sides.'
That may not be easy. Muslim leaders have vowed to build the mosque despite the government's decision. 'The government is bending to the pressure of the Vatican, the pope and Bush,' said Salman Abu Ahmad, the Muslim leader in Nazareth. 'The mosque will be built.'
As construction actually began, it ignited a new round of protests from local church leaders and Christian groups around the world. The Vatican said in November that continued construction would 'put this holy place in a permanent state of siege.' The work has been proceeding despite the lack of a building permit.
Observers say that the confrontation is a sign of the growing assertiveness of the Muslim majority in Nazareth, the boyhood home of Jesus.
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