Religious motive denied in attack on Christian West Bank village
-17/09/05
The Catholic parish priest of Taybeh, a Christian village in the West Bank attacked by Muslims, has said that the tragedy was not ìa religious pogromî, but was caused by tribal customs and hatred.
Taybeh is the only village in the region which is wholly inhabited by Christians. At the beginning of the month seven homes there were destroyed by a rampaging mob, and a number of people were also injured.
Fr Raed Abusaliah made his comments to AsiaNews after media reports claimed that the violence was a sign of serious religious unrest between Christian and Muslim Palestinians.
The priest explained that the body of a 32-year-old woman was found buried in nearby Deir Jarir on 31 August. It seems she was poisoned by her own family because of being pregnant while unmarried.
So-called ëhonour killingsí like this are deplored and condemned in both Muslim and Christian teaching, but in spite of vociferous protests by human rights and womenís groups they are still widespread.
The womanís family then accused a man from Taybeh of being the father of the child. In spite of requests for calm while the situation was investigated, hundreds of young men from Deir Jarir travelled to Taybeh and set fire to the homes of the accused and his family.
The Palestinian security forces from Ramallah only arrived at around midnight, due to administrative delays in seeking permission from the Israeli authorities who control the zone.
A six-month ceasefire has now been negotiated, but only after 13 men arrested in the attack were released. Compensation is being sought for those whose property has been destroyed.
The situation in Taybeh is now ìback to normalî, according to Fr Abusaliah. He says that the ìexemplary solidarityî of the neighbouring village mayors, who all condemned the attack, allowed for a speedy resolution.
ìSimilar cases of conflict have sometimes lasted for months,î commented the priest. Among the church leaders who mediated are the Latin Patriarch, Monsignor Michel Sabbah, and the Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, Theophilius III.
The parish priest said that without any police deployed in villages to secure the rule of law, tribal customs and practices are frequently used to resolve disagreements.
Although he denied a direct religious motivation, Fr Raed Abusaliah admitted that the fact that a Muslim woman and a Christian man were involved might have heightened the anger involved.
Religious motive denied in attack on Christian West Bank village
-17/09/05
The Catholic parish priest of Taybeh, a Christian village in the West Bank attacked by Muslims, has said that the tragedy was not ‘a religious pogrom’, but was caused by tribal customs and hatred.
Taybeh is the only village in the region which is wholly inhabited by Christians. At the beginning of the month seven homes there were destroyed by a rampaging mob, and a number of people were also injured.
Fr Raed Abusaliah made his comments to AsiaNews after media reports claimed that the violence was a sign of serious religious unrest between Christian and Muslim Palestinians.
The priest explained that the body of a 32-year-old woman was found buried in nearby Deir Jarir on 31 August. It seems she was poisoned by her own family because of being pregnant while unmarried.
So-called ëhonour killings’ like this are deplored and condemned in both Muslim and Christian teaching, but in spite of vociferous protests by human rights and women’s groups they are still widespread.
The woman’s family then accused a man from Taybeh of being the father of the child. In spite of requests for calm while the situation was investigated, hundreds of young men from Deir Jarir travelled to Taybeh and set fire to the homes of the accused and his family.
The Palestinian security forces from Ramallah only arrived at around midnight, due to administrative delays in seeking permission from the Israeli authorities who control the zone.
A six-month ceasefire has now been negotiated, but only after 13 men arrested in the attack were released. Compensation is being sought for those whose property has been destroyed.
The situation in Taybeh is now ‘back to normal’, according to Fr Abusaliah. He says that the ‘exemplary solidarity’ of the neighbouring village mayors, who all condemned the attack, allowed for a speedy resolution.
‘Similar cases of conflict have sometimes lasted for months,’ commented the priest. Among the church leaders who mediated are the Latin Patriarch, Monsignor Michel Sabbah, and the Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, Theophilius III.
The parish priest said that without any police deployed in villages to secure the rule of law, tribal customs and practices are frequently used to resolve disagreements.
Although he denied a direct religious motivation, Fr Raed Abusaliah admitted that the fact that a Muslim woman and a Christian man were involved might have heightened the anger involved.