June 25, 2023
Israeli settlers burn Quran in attack on mosque in occupied West Bank
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali
A group of Israeli occupation settlers broke into a mosque in the occupied West Bank and ripped pages from the Holy Quran before throwing it into the street, CCTV footage revealed.
An Israeli settler accompanied by a dog desecrated the Muslim Holy book in front of a mosque in the Palestinian village of Urif south of Nablus, while a group of masked were on the watch out.
The same men later broke into a school in the village and set fire to a number of its classrooms before attempting to burn down Palestinian homes and mosques in the village.
On Wednesday, one Palestinian was martyred and dozens were injured following an attack by Israeli settlers on the town of Turmus Aya, north of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, as settlers ravaged Palestinian villages, setting homes, shops, and cars on fire.
Israeli settlers rampaged through several Palestinian towns in the West Bank on Tuesday night, torching cars, setting farmland on fire, and vandalizing homes, in scenes reminiscent of a pogrom earlier this year in the village of Huwara.
According to local sources, Palestinian youths confronted over 400 armed occupation settlers who attacked the village under the protection of Israeli occupation forces.
Palestinian Minister of Endowments and Religious Affairs Hatem al-Bakri said the attack on al-Ribat Mosque in Urif was the second one this week. “We must assume full responsibility and stop these gangs from attacking our mosques and sanctities,” Bakri stressed, calling on the Palestinian people to defend the Muslim holy sites and demanding that international institutions assume their duties regarding the Israeli attacks.
Desecration of Quran condemned by Turkey, Egypt, Hamas
Turkey's Foreign Ministry condemned the incident, stating "We condemn the vile attack on our Holy Book, the Koran, by a group of Jewish settlers that entered a mosque in the city of Urif, located in the Palestinian territories under Israeli occupation. We expect the perpetrators of this unacceptable hate crime held accountable before justice at the earliest time."
"We emphasize once again that it is the legal obligation of Israel under international law to prevent all attacks against the Palestinian local population, their places of worship, houses and property, and hate crimes, including hate against Islam, by Jewish settlers in the occupied Palestinian territories."
Egyptian Awqaf (Religious Endowments) Minister Dr. Mokhtar Gomaa also condemned the desecration of the Quran saying: "The settlers’ attack on one of the Urif mosques in Nablus and on copies of the Holy Koran in it is the source of terrorism, extremism and racism that undermines all opportunities for coexistence and violently undermines people's freedom to choose their faith and perform the rituals of their religion in safety and security."
"Terrorism is terrorism, even if it is covered with a thousand veils. The perpetrator of the terrorist act is a terrorist, regardless of his race, gender, or nationality. True peace can only be achieved through fairness and just peace for all, and respect for the human being and the freedom of religion."
Hamas spokesman Abd al-Latif al-Qanua called the desecration of the Koran a "dangerous escalation of the religious war waged by the fascist settler government against our people and our sanctities."
"Escalating the religious war against our sanctities and burning the Holy Koran in our mosques demands mobilizing our people and the masses of our people in the West Bank to confront the occupation, confront the settlers’ crimes, and set the ground on fire under the feet of the occupiers and herds of settlers."
Abdus Sattar Ghazali is the Editor -in-Chief of the Journal of America. Email: asghazali2011 (@) gmail.com
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The Journal of America Team:
Editor in chief:
Abdus Sattar Ghazali
Senior Editor:
Prof. Arthur Scott
Special Correspondent
Maryam Turab
