Catholics in Gaza are burying dead in Muslim cemeteries

Jerusalem, Apr 16, 2024 / 06:00 am

In the chaos of the Israel-Hamas war, where any movement can be fatal, even burying the dead is not guaranteed. Hundreds still lie under the rubble across the Gaza Strip, and transporting bodies to cemeteries is nearly impossible. This is compounded by the heartbreak of mass graves.

The challenge is even greater for Christians, whose cemeteries are all in the northern part of Gaza, next to their places of worship. For those who die in the south, receiving a Christian burial is impossible.

Recently, two Christians passed away in the South of Gaza — Hani Suhail Michel Abu Dawood and Haytham Tarazi. Their families could not bid them a final farewell and, for now, have been unable to return their loved ones’ bodies to Christian cemeteries in the north. However, the doors of Muslim cemeteries have opened to receive their bodies and give them a dignified burial.

Reuters reported the testimony of Ihsan al-Natour, a worker at the Muslim cemetery in Tal al-Sultan in Rafah, who mentioned the burial of a Christian, Abu Dawood. 

“He’s buried amongst Muslims and there are no signs that indicate he is Christian,” al-Natour said. “He is a human being; we respect human beings and appreciate humanity and we love every person on earth.”

FULL ARTICLE FROM THE CATHOLIC NEWS AGENCY

Big Zuu Goes to Mecca review – a quietly revolutionary portrait of Islam

This thoroughly sweet look at the grime artist and TV chef making a pilgrimage is that rarest of things – an intimate profile of being male and Muslim

There’s no one way to be a religious person. For some, it’s all about a deeply personal connection between you and God. For others, its value comes from how it places you within a larger community of like-minded believers. Either can bring comfort and meaning to a person’s life, and in the case of the grime musician and award-winning TV chef Big Zuu, he is fortified by both as he makes a pilgrimage to Mecca.

Big Zuu is a thoughtful and charming host who is able to find the heart and humour in even the most typically solemn moments. This hour-long BBC documentary follows him through Ramadan, where he is giving up his “sinful” ways – even as a committed Muslim, he loves the ladies, a bit of hash and the odd tipple. Despite being “westernised” and not the most pious of believers, he decides to go on the umrah pilgrimage to Mecca (in contrast to the hajj, this can be undertaken at any point in the year) to work out what Islam means to him. He is surrounded at most points by a small group of friends (his “mandem”) who are also Muslims and just as endearing as Big Zuu himself. For him, this experience isn’t about being a perfect, sin-free person. “This ain’t some fake religion documentary where I’m pretending to be some great Muslim and convert the world,” he tells us. Instead, he is sincerely trying to figure out his faith and become the very best version of himself.

The programme is filled with sweet moments, particularly when Big Zuu bonds and jokes around with other Muslims about what lies ahead. As he boards the plane to Mecca, a stranger tells him, “I’m really happy for you”. But before that he is teased at the barbers that he should come back with a Saudi wife – and that with a towel on his head he currently looks like one. That segues into Big Zuu considering what shaving his head for the pilgrimage really means to him. As a black man, his hair is integral to his identity, and he almost tears up when he recalls being told to keep it short by his teachers because it was distracting the white pupils.

There are other big questions. For one, the costs of the pilgrimage – the proceeds of which are paid directly to the Saudi government as a result of a post-pandemic system change – are, at £7,500 a person, astronomical. He wonders whether that money going to the Saudi royals is really the best use of those funds when he could, as a Persian shopkeeper advises him, just go home and work privately on the direct connection between “your heart and God”. The programme doesn’t skirt around the fact that this is a place that has been susceptible to corruption and that “Allahu Akbar” (God is great) is, sadly, for some too often associated with suicide bombing rather than its wider usage to commence prayers. But what makes Big Zuu’s pilgrimage a moving one is his ability to sincerely connect with his faith without flattening his identity as a proud black working-class west Londoner, or losing his sense of fun.

FULL ARTICLE FROM THE GUARDIAN (UK)

How U.S. Muslims are experiencing the Israel-Hamas war

U.S. Muslims are more sympathetic to the Palestinian people than many other Americans are, despite the fact that relatively few Muslims in the United States are Palestinian themselves, according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted in February. And only about a quarter of Muslims in the survey identify as Arab or of Arab ancestry.

Muslim Americans are also highly critical of President Joe Biden’s handling of the war between Israel and Hamas.

Meanwhile, a majority of Muslim Americans (70%) say discrimination against Muslims in our society has increased since the start of the war, and about half (53%) say news about the war makes them feel afraid.

Here’s a closer look at these and other findings from our new survey.

How we did this

How U.S. Muslims view America’s role in the war 

Only 6% of Muslim adults believe that the U.S. is striking the right balance between the Israelis and Palestinians, according to the February survey.

Most Muslims (60%) instead say Biden is favoring the Israelis too much, while just 3% say he is favoring the Palestinians too much. Another 30% are not sure.

Muslim Americans have been strongly Democratic in the past and remain so – 66% of Muslim registered voters in the survey identify with or lean toward the Democratic Party. (The survey includes 298 Muslim registered voters for an effective sample size of 94 and a margin of error of plus or minus 10.1 points.) But Biden’s handling of the war has led some U.S. Muslims to cast protest votes against him in Democratic primaries this year.

FULL ARTICLE FROM THE PEW RESEARCH

In pictures: Eid celebrations around the world

Eid al Fitr Mubarak to all our Muslim friends and neighbors!!

Muslims around the world have begun celebrating Eid al-Fitr, one of the biggest celebrations in the Islamic calendar.

Eid al-Fitr – which means “festival of the breaking of the fast” – is celebrated at the end of Ramadan, a month of fasting for many adults, as well as spiritual reflection and prayer.

EPA

Women pray near a Muslim shrine in Srinagar in Indian-administered Kashmir.

FULL ARTICLE WITH PICTURES FROM THE BBC

Lost in Orientalism: Arab Christians and the war in Gaza

Centuries-old misconceptions compel Western Christians to ignore the plight of Palestinian Christians and Muslims.

On February 21, it was announced that the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby refused to meet with Munther Isaac, a Palestinian Lutheran pastor, after Isaac had appeared at a pro-Palestine rally with former UK Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn. Isaac, whose Christmas Eve sermon went viral for its condemnation of the Israeli assault on Gaza and concomitant Western Christian silence, has repeatedly called for ecumenical peace amid Palestinian suffering.

A week later, Welby apologised and agreed to meet with Isaac. But in his apology X post, the archbishop stated it was wrong to shun Isaac “at this time of profound suffering for our Palestinian Christian brothers and sisters”, making no mention of the equal suffering of Palestinian Muslims, with whom Isaac has repeatedly stood in solidarity.

Today, as Catholics and Protestants celebrate Easter, Palestinians of these denominations are barred from visiting their holy places in Jerusalem. Neither the Church of England nor other Western churches have denounced these restrictions on free worship by the Israeli government.

Welby’s refusal to meet Isaac and the continuing silence of Western churches on Israeli crimes perpetrated against Palestinian Christians and Muslims are just further reminders that, for Arab Christians, their place in the West remains tenuous because of Orientalist and Islamophobic views of the Arab world.

Rarely allowed to speak for themselves, Arab Christians are either depicted in the West as hapless victims whose numbers continue to dwindle because of “Islamic fundamentalism” or as heretical Christians whose faith is marked by its cultural proximity to Islam. Driving this is an Orientalist gaze that sees the Arab world as barbaric and uncivilised, with only Western civilising missions and the state of Israel serving as a bulwark against its “terror”.

Ignored in turn are the experiences and perspectives of Arab Christians who lived alongside their Arab Jewish and Arab Muslim neighbours in relative peace and security from the seventh century to the latter period of the Ottoman Empire and the onset of Western imperialism.

FULL ARTICLE FROM AL JAZEERA

White House iftar cancelled after Muslims leaders decline invite

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House cancelled an iftar after many Muslim American leaders rejected the invite over Biden’s support for Israel’s bombardment of Gaza. The White House chose to hold a smaller dinner on Tuesday evening and the only attendees were people who work for his administration.

“We’re just in a different world,” said Wa’el Alzayat, who leads Emgage, a Muslim advocacy organization. “It’s completely surreal. And it’s sad.”

Alzayat attended last year’s event, but he declined an invitation to break his fast with Biden this year, saying, “It’s inappropriate to do such a celebration while there’s a famine going on in Gaza.”

After rejections from Alzayat and others, he said the White House adjusted its plans Monday, telling community leaders that it wanted to host a meeting focused on administration policy. Alzayat still said no, believing that one day was not enough time to prepare for an opportunity to sway Biden’s mind on the conflict.

“I don’t think the format will lend itself to a serious policy discussion,” he said Tuesday afternoon.

Democrats fear that Biden’s loss of support among Muslims could help clear a path for his Republican predecessor to return to the White House. This year’s election will likely hinge on a handful of battleground states, including Michigan with its significant Muslim population.

Several Muslim leaders attended Tuesday’s meeting with Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, Muslim government officials and national security leaders. The White House would not name them.

Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said “community leaders expressed the preference” of having a “working group meeting,” which she described as an opportunity to “get feedback from them.”

FULL ARTICLE FROM WGNTV WEBSITE (CHICAGO)

‘Muslim-ish’: For less observant Muslims, Ramadan remains a cherished ritual

In Philadelphia, Maham Rizvi breaks the Ramadan fast at an iftar with Queer Mā’ida, bringing people of many genders, races, and religious traditions to celebrate together.

Candlelight flickered across Maham Rizvi’s face as she adorned a chestnut-brown coffee table with different mementos: A River Dies of Thirst, the collection of writings by the Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish; Moon and Sun, a poetry book by the Sufi Muslim poet Rumi; a bowl of colorful Turkish soft candies surrounded by tasbih, Islamic prayer beads; a vase holding a dried floral bouquet; a Quran propped open on a book stand.

It was a recent Friday evening in Philadelphia, and a community iftar was being hosted by Queer Māʾida for predominantly queer and trans Muslims to break their 13-hour fast together during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.

Rizvi, who uses the pronouns she/they, had just completed putting together what she calls an Islamic altar, a communal ceremony Rizvi enjoys practicing to honor emotions, memories and connection to faith. As the dozen or so attendees settled into their seats while breaking their fast with steaming bowls of Layla Çorbasi, a Turkish yogurt-based soup, Rizvi stood in the center of the living and dining areas.

“Hi everyone,” she smiled at the crowd, her voice soft and welcoming. “I wanted to bring an element of communal Islamic practice to our evening. So I set up a little altar that is Islamic. If there’s anything that you have with you that you want to contribute to it, I encourage you to set it down and we can find a moment to acknowledge it and story tell.”

FULL ARTICLE FROM THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER

In Jerusalem, Palestinian Christians observe scaled-down Good Friday rituals

BY JULIA FRANKELUpdated 12:09 PM EDT, March 29, 2024Share

JERUSALEM (AP) — Hundreds of Christians participated in a customary Good Friday procession through the limestone walls of Jerusalem’s Old City, commemorating one of the faith’s most sacred days with noticeably thinner crowds amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.

The day’s processions, which normally draw thousands of foreign visitors, were unusually local. Most observers were Palestinian Christians, joined by some foreigners living in Jerusalem and a few undeterred tourists.

The traditional Good Friday procession passes along the Way of the Cross, or Via Dolorosa, the route believed to have been walked by Jesus to his crucifixion. Squads of Israeli police set up barricades along the path, rerouting shoppers in the Old City’s bustling Muslim quarter to make way for hundreds of pilgrims.

A young group of Palestinian Arab scouts led the day’s procession, past the 14 stations along the route, each marking an event that befell Jesus on his final journey. Hundreds of Palestinian Christians walked in their wake. Behind them was a small parade of the Franciscan religious order, composed mainly of foreigners who live in Jerusalem.

AP correspondent Charles de Ledesma reports a scaled down Good Friday takes place in Jerusalem.

“We wait for this every year,” said Munira Kamar, a Palestinian Christian from the Old City, who watched the parade pass, waving hello to cross-bearers, who stopped to give her young daughter a kiss on the cheek. “Of course, this year we are unhappy because of the situation with the ongoing war.”

Thousands of Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s ongoing offensive in Gaza, launched after Hamas’ Oct. 7 killings and hostage-taking in Israel.

The procession’s final stations are inside the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, where Jesus is believed to have been crucified and laid to rest before his resurrection on Easter. There, the impact of the war was clear: instead of the crowds who normally queue for hours in the church courtyard, entrance to the site was easy.

The city’s streets were noticeably devoid of Palestinian Christians from the West Bank, who normally flock to the Holy City for the Easter festivities. Since Oct. 7, Palestinian worshippers have needed special permission to cross checkpoints into Jerusalem.

Despite the thinned crowds, shopkeepers, whose heavy metal doors are usually closed on Fridays, threw them open in for tourists seeking Catholic memorabilia. But interested shoppers were few and far between.

FULL ARTICLE FROM AP

Governor Newsom’s Open Letter to California’s Muslim, Palestinian American, and Arab American Communities

To California’s Muslim, Palestinian American, and Arab American communities:

California is a better place because of you—our Muslim, Palestinian American, and Arab American neighbors and friends who contribute so much to our state’s sense of faith and belonging. From countless achievements in literature, civil rights, arts, entertainment, government, business, medicine, and science, to the daily contributions to your communities, you form an essential part of California’s spirit. And now, as many of you observe the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, we can all extend our heartfelt wishes and be reminded of the value of introspection and renewal. I am grateful and proud that each of you call the Golden State home.

That’s why it pains me so deeply to see the ways your communities are suffering, bearing the weight of lost family and friends in Gaza while facing a rise in discrimination and hate here at home. As I’ve met with leaders from your communities in recent months, I’ve heard stories of unimaginable loss and widespread fear.

My heart broke when Wadea al-Fayoume, a 6-year-old child, was stabbed to death in Chicago—he and his mother viciously attacked because they were Palestinian and Muslim. I grieved not just for Wadea and his family but for all who felt less safe after that devastating tragedy, who wondered whether they or their children might also be targeted because of their Muslim faith or Palestinian heritage. This sort of horror doesn’t just inflict violence on one life or one family—it tears at the safety and belonging of whole communities. Here in California, too, we’ve seen bigotry rear its ugly head. In November, an Arab Muslim student at Stanford University was injured in a hit-and-run by a driver who is alleged to have shouted hateful vitriol as he sped away, an incident authorities are rightfully investigating as a possible hate crime. We’ve heard too many stories of violence and discrimination—too many Californians fear being treated differently in school, excluded at work, or risking harassment just by walking down the street.

These are not isolated incidents. Hateful acts targeting those who are or are perceived to be Muslim or Arab American are becoming more common. In California, reported anti-Muslim bias events rose 44.4% from 2021 to 2022. Reports also indicate a spike in reported anti-Muslim and anti-Arab incidents following the October 7th terrorist attack on Israel—the largest documented surge of its kind since late 2015 and early 2016, amidst calls for a Muslim ban. And now, many Muslim and Arab American communities report a level of fear comparable to the months following 9/11.

The Muslim and Arab American leaders I’ve sat with stressed that these numbers reveal only a fraction of the problem. They’re right. Out of fear and historically rooted distrust, we know that hate crimes and hateful incidents too often go unreported by many Muslim Californians, Arab Americans, Palestinian Americans, and other groups who have endured suspicion and alienation in this country. We in government must earn back your trust.

FULL ARTICLE FROM CALIFORNIA GOVERNMENT SITE

Utah Muslims mark their holiest month: ‘During Ramadan, our spirituality is heightened’

WEST JORDAN — Sure, Ramadan means going a long time without eating or drinking each day.

Now, entering its second week, though, Zain Kergaye has adjusted to the fasting. “We can manage. It’s not like we’re struggling to get through the day,” he said.

More significantly, going without food or drink from sunup to sundown each day, and the other elements of Ramadan, help with his spiritual growth.

“Life goes by really, really fast,” said Kergaye, a University of Utah student. “Ramadan is to stop and take a break and have some reflection on yourself. … This allows us to take a step back and increase our faith.”

Utah is home to some 60,000 Muslims, estimates Zeynep Kariparduc of the Emerald Hills Institute. Ramadan, the holiest month for Muslims, started the evening of March 10 and, with about two weeks to go, the faithful in Utah and beyond have been fasting, praying, giving and reflecting as they aim to deepen their connection with God.

“During Ramadan, our spirituality is heightened,” Kergaye said.

Kergaye and other members of the Utah Islamic Center in West Jordan gathered Sunday evening for an interfaith iftar, the meal that breaks the fast each day, inviting the public to the event.

“It is a month of celebration,” Shuaib Din, the imam and director of religious affairs at the mosque, told the gathered crowd. “It is a month of meditation. … It is a month of sharing. It is a month of fellowship and coming together.”

The fasting serves as a form of self-discipline, Kariparduc, who is Muslim, said in an earlier interview with KSL.com.

FULL ARTICLE FROM KSL.COM