Islamization of Jerusalem under Jordanian occupation
Encyclopedia
Islamization of Jerusalem under Jordanian occupation refers to the allegation that Jordan
sought to transform the demographics and character of East Jerusalem
between 1948 and 1967 in order to make it more Muslim
. Egyptian political commentator Bat Ye'or
and Mayor of Jerusalem Teddy Kollek
have made the charge, citing treatment of Jews and Christians as evidence. The methods said to have been used included the renovation of Muslim structures, while enforcing strict regulations on the city's Christian community, limiting access of Jews to Jewish holy sites and the desecration of Jewish graves. During its rule of the city, the Government of Jordan emphasised the spiritual Islamic status of Jerusalem. Israeli professor Raphael Israeli
terms the measures taken by Jordan in East Jerusalem as "Arabization".
While Christian holy sites were protected, and Muslim holy sites were maintained and renovated, Jewish holy sites were damaged and sometimes destroyed. In what Israeli professor Raphael Israeli
described as the de-Judaization of Jerusalem, 58 synagogues were reportedly desecrated or demolished in the Old City. The Western Wall
was transformed into an exclusive Muslim holy site associated with al-Buraq, and a road sign in Arabic was affixed to the ancient ashlar stones. 38,000 Jewish graves in the ancient Jewish cemetery on the Mount of Olives
were systematically destroyed, and Jews were not allowed to be buried there. Following the Arab Legion
s expulsion of the Jewish residents of the Old City in the 1948 War, Jordan allowed Arab-Muslim refugees to settle in the vacated Jewish Quarter. Later, after some of these were moved to Shuafat
, migrants from Hebron took their place. During the 1960s, as the quarter continued to fall into decay, Jordan planned to turn the quarter into a public park.
and the mayor of Jerusalem Teddy Kollek
as evidence that Jordan sought to "Islamize" the Christian Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem.
In order to counter the influence of foreign powers, who had run the Christian schools in Jerusalem autonomously since Ottoman times, the Jordanian government legislated in 1955 to bring all schools under government supervision. They were required to use only approved textbooks and teach in Arabic. They had to close on national holidays and on Fridays instead of Sundays. Christian holidays were hence forth not recognised officially, and observation of Sunday as the Christian Sabbath was restricted for Christian civil servants. Students, whether Muslim or Christian, were to study only their own religion, but study of the Koran became mandatory. While there is doubt whether these laws was actually implemented, Yehuda Zvi Blum maintains they were strictly enforced. Christian holy places were treated with respect. Some authors claim that the Jordanians neglected them, though renovations were made to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, which was in a state of serious disrepair since the British period due to disagreements between the many Christian groups claiming a stake in it. While no major obstacles were placed to interfere with their operation and maintenance by the Church, the Jordanian government placed restrictive measures on existing Christian institutions by refusing to allow them to expand, and refusing to allow them to acquire land. Christian churches were prevented from funding hospitals and other social services in Jerusalem.
In view of these restrictions, many Christians left East Jerusalem.
Jordan
Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
sought to transform the demographics and character of East Jerusalem
East Jerusalem
East Jerusalem or Eastern Jerusalem refer to the parts of Jerusalem captured and annexed by Jordan in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War and then captured and annexed by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War...
between 1948 and 1967 in order to make it more Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
. Egyptian political commentator Bat Ye'or
Bat Ye'or
Bat Ye'or is a pseudonym of Gisèle Littman, née Orebi, an Egyptian-born British writer and political commentator who writes about the history of non-Muslims in the Middle East, and in particular the history of Christian and Jewish dhimmis living under Islamic governments.She is the author of eight...
and Mayor of Jerusalem Teddy Kollek
Teddy Kollek
Theodor "Teddy" Kollek was mayor of Jerusalem from 1965 to 1993, and founder of the Jerusalem Foundation. Kollek was re-elected five times, in 1969, 1973, 1978, 1983 and 1989...
have made the charge, citing treatment of Jews and Christians as evidence. The methods said to have been used included the renovation of Muslim structures, while enforcing strict regulations on the city's Christian community, limiting access of Jews to Jewish holy sites and the desecration of Jewish graves. During its rule of the city, the Government of Jordan emphasised the spiritual Islamic status of Jerusalem. Israeli professor Raphael Israeli
Raphael Israeli
Raphael Israeli is an Israeli academic, Professor of Islamic, Middle Eastern and Chinese history at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and a member of the steering committee of the Ariel Center for Policy Research....
terms the measures taken by Jordan in East Jerusalem as "Arabization".
Treatment of Jews and Jewish holy sites
Raphael Israeli
Raphael Israeli is an Israeli academic, Professor of Islamic, Middle Eastern and Chinese history at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and a member of the steering committee of the Ariel Center for Policy Research....
described as the de-Judaization of Jerusalem, 58 synagogues were reportedly desecrated or demolished in the Old City. The Western Wall
Western Wall
The Western Wall, Wailing Wall or Kotel is located in the Old City of Jerusalem at the foot of the western side of the Temple Mount...
was transformed into an exclusive Muslim holy site associated with al-Buraq, and a road sign in Arabic was affixed to the ancient ashlar stones. 38,000 Jewish graves in the ancient Jewish cemetery on the Mount of Olives
Mount of Olives
The Mount of Olives is a mountain ridge in East Jerusalem with three peaks running from north to south. The highest, at-Tur, rises to 818 meters . It is named for the olive groves that once covered its slopes...
were systematically destroyed, and Jews were not allowed to be buried there. Following the Arab Legion
Arab Legion
The Arab Legion was the regular army of Transjordan and then Jordan in the early part of the 20th century.-Creation:...
s expulsion of the Jewish residents of the Old City in the 1948 War, Jordan allowed Arab-Muslim refugees to settle in the vacated Jewish Quarter. Later, after some of these were moved to Shuafat
Shuafat
Shu'fat , also Shuafat and Sha'fat, is a Palestinian Arab neighborhood of East Jerusalem, forming part of north-eastern Jerusalem. Located on the old Jerusalem-Ramallah road about three miles north of the Old City, Shuafat has a population of 35,000 residents...
, migrants from Hebron took their place. During the 1960s, as the quarter continued to fall into decay, Jordan planned to turn the quarter into a public park.
Treatment of Christians and Christian holy sites
In 1952, Jordan proclaimed that Islam was to be the official religion, and according to Israeli professor Yehuda Zvi Blum, this was made to apply to Jordanian held eastern Jerusalem. In 1953, Jordan restricted Christian communities from owning or purchasing land near holy sites, and in 1964, further prohibited churches from buying land in Jerusalem. These were cited, along with new laws impacting Christian educational institutions, by both British political commentator Bat Ye'orBat Ye'or
Bat Ye'or is a pseudonym of Gisèle Littman, née Orebi, an Egyptian-born British writer and political commentator who writes about the history of non-Muslims in the Middle East, and in particular the history of Christian and Jewish dhimmis living under Islamic governments.She is the author of eight...
and the mayor of Jerusalem Teddy Kollek
Teddy Kollek
Theodor "Teddy" Kollek was mayor of Jerusalem from 1965 to 1993, and founder of the Jerusalem Foundation. Kollek was re-elected five times, in 1969, 1973, 1978, 1983 and 1989...
as evidence that Jordan sought to "Islamize" the Christian Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem.
In order to counter the influence of foreign powers, who had run the Christian schools in Jerusalem autonomously since Ottoman times, the Jordanian government legislated in 1955 to bring all schools under government supervision. They were required to use only approved textbooks and teach in Arabic. They had to close on national holidays and on Fridays instead of Sundays. Christian holidays were hence forth not recognised officially, and observation of Sunday as the Christian Sabbath was restricted for Christian civil servants. Students, whether Muslim or Christian, were to study only their own religion, but study of the Koran became mandatory. While there is doubt whether these laws was actually implemented, Yehuda Zvi Blum maintains they were strictly enforced. Christian holy places were treated with respect. Some authors claim that the Jordanians neglected them, though renovations were made to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, which was in a state of serious disrepair since the British period due to disagreements between the many Christian groups claiming a stake in it. While no major obstacles were placed to interfere with their operation and maintenance by the Church, the Jordanian government placed restrictive measures on existing Christian institutions by refusing to allow them to expand, and refusing to allow them to acquire land. Christian churches were prevented from funding hospitals and other social services in Jerusalem.
In view of these restrictions, many Christians left East Jerusalem.
See also
- Demographics of JerusalemDemographics of JerusalemJerusalem's population size and composition has shifted many times over its 5,000 year history. Since medieval times, the Old City of Jerusalem has been divided into Jewish, Muslim, Christian, and Armenian quarters....
- Islamization of PalestineIslamization of PalestineThe Islamization of Palestine occurred as a result of the Islamic conquest of Palestine in 640 CE/A.D. It was a long process by which Islam was gradually accepted by the majority of the indigenous Christian, Samaritan and Jewish population of the area...
- Religious significance of JerusalemReligious significance of JerusalemThe city of Jerusalem, located in modern-day Israel, is significant in a number of religious traditions, including Abrahamic religions Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, which consider it a holy city.-In Judaism:...
- Islamization of JerusalemIslamization of JerusalemThe Islamization of Jerusalem began in the first year A.H. , when Islam instructed Muslims to face the city while performing their daily prostrations and, according to Muslim religious tradition, Muhammad's night journey and ascension to heaven took place...
- Islamization of the Temple MountIslamization of the Temple MountThe Islamization of the Temple Mount refers to the view that Muslim authorities have sought to appropriate and Islamicize the Temple Mount for exclusive Muslim use...
- Judaization of JerusalemJudaization of JerusalemThe Judaization of Jerusalem refers to the actions that Israel has sought to transform the physical and demographic landscape of Jerusalem to correspond with a vision of a united and fundamentally Jewish Jerusalem under Israeli sovereignty...