Posted on 01/29/2010 3:14:10 PM PST by SJackson
Iraq removing Hebrew inscriptions from tomb, mosque to be built on grave.
For centuries Jews, Christians and Muslims came to Al-Kifl, a small town south of Baghdad, to visit the tomb of the Prophet Ezekiel and pray.
The distinctive Jewish character of the Al-Kifl shrine, namely the Hebrew inscriptions and the Torah Ark, never bothered the gentile worshipers. In the 14th century a minaret was built next to the shrine, but the interior design remained Jewish. The vast majority of Iraq's Jewish community left some 60 years ago, but Shi'ites took good care of the holy site.
Until now.
Recently "Ur," a local Iraqi news agency, reported that a huge mosque will be built on top of the grave by Iraq's Antiquities and Heritage Authority, while Hebrew inscriptions and ornaments are being removed from the site, all as part of renovations.
Prof. Shmuel Moreh of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, winner of the 1999 Israel Prize in Middle Eastern studies and chairman of the Association of Jewish Academics from Iraq, speaking to The Jerusalem Post on Wednesday, confirmed the report.
"I first heard the news of tomb desecration from a friend of mine who is a German scholar. After visiting the site he called me and said that some Hebrew inscriptions on the grave were covered by plaster and that a mosque is planned to be built on top of the tomb. He told me that he found the changes at the tomb disturbing and warned me that I'd better act quickly, before any irreversible damage will be inflicted," Moreh said.
"I had contacted Mr. Shelomo Alfassa, US director of Justice for Jews from Arab Countries, and told him about this situation. Then I saw the report from the Ur news agency, mentioning the decision of the Antiquities and Heritage Authority to build a mosque and to erase the Hebrew inscriptions and ornaments," Moreh said.
He asked friends to check out the developments at the site. The most recent to visit the shrine said that some of the inscriptions are now hidden by a layer of plaster.
Iraqi press reports claim that the building must be destroyed because of its poor condition. However, Alfassa believes that Iraq's Antiquities and Heritage Authority "has been pressured by Islamists to historically cleanse all evidence of a Jewish connection to Iraq - a land where Jews had lived for over a thousand years before the advent of Islam."
According to the Baghdad-born Moreh, many of the Muslims who visit the tomb today are unaware Ezekiel was a Jew.
Iraq, the biblical Aram Naharaim, is rich in Jewish religious sites. Not only Ezekiel is buried there, but also Ezra, Daniel, Nehemiah, Nahum and Jonah. (Another tomb attributed to Ezekiel is located in Dezful, in southwestern Iran.)
Soon after the US-led invasion in 2003, Iraqi authorities indicated that they intended to take good care of the Jewish sites, which might become an powerful tourist magnet. In May 2009, the Tourism Ministry declared that it intended to preserve all of Iraq's heritage sites, regardless of creed, and would soon begin the renovation of Ezekiel's tomb.
But the future of Jewish sacred sites looks grim in the intolerant current climate of post-Saddam Iraq, where only eight Jews are left, the Christian minority is severely persecuted by the fundamentalists and ancient Shi'ite mosques are blown up.
"Let's hope that the Jewish sites will be spared, but someone must intervene before it's too late," Moreh warned.
If you’d like to be on or off, please FR mail me.
..................
Forgot to post this a few weeks ago. By all means, let's return the Jewish artifacts American troops rescued from sewage in Iraq, http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2430466/posts>Iraq Reclaims A Jewish History It Once Shunned [actually the stuff, not the Jews or history] , so they can be destroyed, and send the Dead Sea Scrolls, Jordan wants Dead Sea Scrolls back from Israel (They are just fine where they are) back to Jordan
Jews, there were never any Jews in the middle east. What fiction will the infidels come up with next, Christians once lived in the middle east? Nonsense.
No surprise - the Muslims did it to the Taj Mahal, too. It was a Hindu temple for 600 years before a Muslim king seized, boarded most of it up, installed Islamic calligraphy, turned it into a grave and claimed to have built it.
One superstitious idol built over another superstitious idol. Meh.
Someone? Oh yea. Don't mess with God's chosen. The time is nigh.
Islam is a nasty cult. Their fruits reveal their spirit. Violence brings violence. They are judging themselves. Islam is one big idol being set up everywhere. Then it will be no more.
Is there anything we can do?
You think Ezekiel was an idol? I understand you may hold Judaism, Christianity and Islam in contempt, but what do you base that on? There’s no indication anywhere of Ezekiel’s status as an idol, or as an object of worship.
I cringe when I think of what is going to happen in Europe when the Muzzies achieve dominance. All the sculptures of Jesus, prophets, saints, etc. will be destroyed. Idiotic Arabic signs will appear in the cathedrals, as they do in Hagia Sophia in Constantinople (Istanbul). Two thousand years of Christian culture down the drain. You would think even atheistic art historians would be appalled at the prospect.
I have never heard that before....where did you get that information?
Ah, the Muzzies.
Peaceful coexistence with these people is not possible.
Most people would think you’re crazy, but their current claim to much of Spain, a swath of southern France and parts of Italy proves you’re right. It’s not time to fight for Europe yet. But don’t take it as a given that Europe won’t resist. I admit I wouldn’t want to see the French ban on Burka’s in the US, or the Swiss ban on Minarets. But they’re different countries, facing problems we don’t face here in the US. Yet.
They allow you to peacefully convert, and coexist on their terms.
I will not think the Euros are serious about Islam until they quit punishing critics of the cult for “hate speech,” stop all Muslim immigration, and expel all Muslims starting with the illegals. We should do likewise.
Uh, 1) did you even read the article, and 2) since when did a stupid grave site ever matter to Christ? Ever heard of “whitewashed tombs full of dead men’s bones and every kind of filth?” Since you obviously never read the Bible, probably not.
Bump
Thank you for condescending to respond to someone so far beneath you.
Still, what does Christ have to do with Iraqi's destroying evidence of Jews inhabiting the mideast? Are you suggesting Ezekiel's grave is filth, like the filth Iraq kept the aforementioned Jewish artifacts they hope to recover in?
So your statement has what to do with Jews and Ezekiel?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.