Tensions Rising Between Muslims and Christians
JERUSALEM, SEPT. 15, 2000 (ZENIT.org). - The Franciscan custodians of the Holy Land plan a campaign to warn nations about the danger that pilgrims to Nazareth face, in the wake of Israeli approval for a mosque to be built there.
Letters will be sent out beginning next week urging governments and bishops' conferences to take steps to ensure the safety of their citizens and faithful, according to the Fides news agency.
The custodians hope to stir public reaction after Israeli leaders refused to discuss their decision to allow fundamentalist Muslim extremists to build a mosque on the doorstep of the Basilica of the Annunciation, Fides said.
As a last resort to persuade the Israeli government of the real danger involved, Christian churches in the Holy Land are united in considering another "closed doors" protest at all holy places throughout Galilee.
In an interview with Fides, Father Giovanni Batistelli, OFM, custodian of the Holy Land, criticized the attitude of Israeli Foreign Minister Shlomo Ben Ami for refusing to listen to the Christian leaders who asked for building permission to be withdrawn.
"I have sent several letters to Minister Ben Ami and to Minster Haim Ramon, but have received no reply," he said.
The patriarchs and bishops of the Holy Land are also sending a letter of protest after Ben Ami's refusal to discuss the question of the mosque during a meeting Sept. 11 with Christian leaders.
In Nazareth, meanwhile, fundamentalist Muslim groups preside over the area as trucks begin to dump building material in front of the basilica where the mosque is planned.
Fides reported that the situation is tense. Christian pilgrims passing the work site to reach the Annunciation shrine are showered with stones, dead rats and anti-Christian and anti-Pope leaflets by Muslim fanatics. Israeli security forces often fail to intervene, Fides said.
The highest Muslim authorities in the region and in the Arab world have strongly criticized the permission given. Yasser Arafat has also voiced his disapproval. On Sept. 13, a Palestinian delegation failed to persuade the Islamic group in Nazareth to withdraw its claim to the land.
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