|
Top Muslim Scholar Says Boycott Israeli Elections
JERUSALEM, Feb 5 (IslamOnline) - The top Islamic scholar in Jerusalem criticized both candidates vying for the Israeli prime ministerial seat, Likud's Ariel Sharon and Labor's caretaker Prime Minister Ehud Barak on Monday, and urged Muslims living in Israel to boycott Tuesday's elections.
Sheikh Ikrema Sabri, a top Islamic scholar said that neither candidate deserved a Muslim endorsement due to atrocities committed by them against Muslims in different countries.
"Why support Barak? What has he done?" Sabri said. "I would love Sharon to win - to reveal to everyone what Zionism is all about.''
After ultra-orthodox Jewish parties officially endorsed Sharon, Barak, who is lagging behind, is strongly counting on the one million Arabs living in Israel to vote in his favor.
The majority of the Arabs with Israeli citizenship are Muslims, representing roughly 18% of the electorate. Political analysts say that without their vote, Barak's chances of victory are slim.
In a bid to win the endorsement of Arab voters, Barak issued a statement of apology to all Arab Israeli citizens expressing his grief for the killing of 13 Arabs during the uprising in the territories.
"On behalf of the Israeli government, I would like to express my sorrow for the killing of 13 Israeli Arabs in demonstrations, even if they were illegal," Barak said on Sunday.
"Israeli citizens are not to be killed," Barak asserted. "Their blood and souls are as precious as any Jewish citizens," Barak added.
Sheikh Sabri has issued a fatwa - Islamic edict - prohibiting Muslims to vote for Jewish candidates, said Israeli Radio on Sunday.
However, the Grand Mufti denied issuing such a fatwa. "I didn't say that, but I'm not afraid to say something like that,'' Sabri told the Associated Press later Sunday. "I would say the same thing.''
The right-wing Israeli daily, the Jerusalem Post, said in its online edition Monday that Israeli Arabs have rejected Barak's plea.
"This is what we had wanted to hear, but it should have been said at the time of the events to show empathy with the Arab community when we all felt under attack and isolated," said Mohammed Darawshe, a leading member of the Democratic Arab Party (DAP).
"Even if it had been said a few weeks ago, or at the time that Barak visited Nazareth, it might have given reason for the political parties and people to reconsider their respective positions. As it is, the apology comes too late, and I doubt that it will be sufficient to mobilize support for Barak in the Arab sector."
Meanwhile, the Jerusalem's mufti has continued his struggle for the Islamic right of Jerusalem and the holy sanctuary of the al-Aqsa complex. He said that Jews have no right to claim sovereignty over Jerusalem and have no religious tie to al-Aqsa mosque, the first kibla (direction of prayer) for Muslims and the third holiest shrine in Islam.
"The claim of the Jews is an empty one," Sabri said.
The Palestinians have day-to-day control of the holy sanctuary of al-Aqsa. Israel, which captured the holy site in 1967, has declared it would never give up complete control of the site to Palestinians.
"If they [Israelis] want real peace, they have to stay away from al-Aqsa,'' the mufti said. "It's fire - it will burn whoever touches it.''
Sabri asserted that all Jews who occupied Palestinian land, and those who arrived after the foundation of the Jewish state, should return back to their original homeland
"They can all go back to where they came from," he said. "Those that came from Russia can go back to Russia. Those that came from Romania can go back to Romania. Those that came from Arab countries can go back to the Arab countries they were living in," the grand Mufti added.
With just one day before elections, Sharon has a lead of almost 20 points over Barak.
|
