- In the negotiations for peace in the Mid East, there
are some stark parameters. The return of the Palestinian refugees, disbanding
the Israeli settlements, and withdrawal behind 1967 borders.
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- Then there is control of East Jerusalem.
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- In the secular societies of Europe, it is hard to understand
that people still believe in their religions enough to commit to armed
conflict for the indefinite future. Issues of arable land and water rights
are easier to comprehend. That is not the main issue here.
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- When Sharon made his provocative visit to the Temple
Mount two years ago, it stirred up a storm of protest from the Palestinians,
leading directly to the violence we see today. For his part, Sharon was
rewarded by becoming Prime Minister, expanding the settlements, and being
able to link the Mid East to the 'War on Terrorism'. This was surely his
agenda from the outset, but given this strategy did have its risks, was
there an even more compelling and immediate motivation? Did he achieve
his goal?
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- The religious symbolism of Jerusalem is crucial to both
sides. The Temple Mount has the Dome on the Rock mosque. It is also the
site of King Solomon's temple. It is an area ruled by the Palestinian council,
the Waqf. Underneath the Mount is a site of archeological vandalism. The
interior of the Mount has been partially dug out, dumped in trucks and
carted away to landfills. This is well documented on the Internet. Researchers
have only been able to examine tiny proportion of the debris; they point
out the artifacts they find span three thousand years of Jewish history
and memory. It is being done to build a mosque underneath the Mount.
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- On whose orders?
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- There are a number of areas where Yasser Arafat defers
to a quiet and amiable former Jordanian judge, Imam and Sufi teacher called
Sheikh Muhammad Sa'id al-Jamal al-Rifa'i, also called Sidi.
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- Sidi claims to be the head of the Shaduliyyah Order of
Sufism, with 15 million members worldwide. American adherents consider
him to be The Guide of the Path, a perfect master. In Palestine they don't
take this so literally, having closed down a retreat center because of
repeated allegations of Sidi's adultery.
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- He has visited America on several occasions, and raises
several hundred thousand dollars each time through various organizations,
the Shaduliyya Center, the Shaduliyah Sufi Center, and the Jaffe Institute.
The flow of money continues post 9/11, with no accountability.
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- Set up as nonprofit organizations, money goes to Sidi
as the sole beneficiary, which is not legal in America. In Jerusalem, the
money goes directly to Sidi, then disappears without trace. The leader
of the Jaffe Institute, Dr. Robert 'Ibrahim' Jaffe, has promised an accurate
accounting of donations on several occasions over the last four years;
even after 9/11 it never materialized. The FBI has been investigating the
money trail for several months.
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- One indication might be that Sidi would make frequent
visits to family members in Tul Karm, the local center for the Al-Aqsa
Brigade suicide bombers. He reportedly would leave his home in East Jerusalem
with large sums of cash in his pocket, including cashed checks and money
from American devotees who would send it to him directly, believing it
was going to charitable causes. There is no known non-profit bank account
to process American donations sent directly to the Holy Land. Perhaps his
connections are even better than they appear. In August 2001 Sidi was able
to tell people in Austin, TX that: "Allah would send a strong thing
to America very soon."
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- Questioning either Sidi or Dr. Jaffe about the money
or adultery elicits responses best described as implausible non-deniability.
Sidi does the same when faced with questions about his views on Israelis
and the control of East Jerusalem. To his students in the west, he proclaims
love and generosity to Israelis. From the pulpit, his sermons contain phrases
(translated) like "The Israelis are with the shaytun, they will get
what they deserve." In America, in April 1999 he also said, "Get
the Israelis out of Jerusalem." When Arafat's men went to ask him
about ending the Intifada, his reply (translated) was, "We need to
keep the bombers, they are martyrs for their country, I tell him not to
stop."
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- The same thing happened with the excavation. When asked
why he was supporting it, he replied that he had stopped it. When invited
to see the dumptrucks operating at that very moment, he simply denied it
was happening.
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- Sidi Sheikh Muhammad al Jamal is a significant religious
leader behind the Palestinians, and well-funded. As the excavations proceeded,
all sorts of rumors flew about the lost Ark of the Covenant being underneath
the Mount, having already been rediscovered, or that the Israelis wanted
to seize the Mount in order to build the third temple on the site of King
Solomon's. The Palestinian plan to build a mosque inside the Mount, also
aims to put the Mount beyond negotiation. As a symbol, the Mount exerts
a singular attraction for both sides. He who controls East Jerusalem, has
a huge psychological advantage in the continuing conflict.
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- The status quo was disturbed when the Palestinians started
the excavations. Sharon's goal with the original march was to stop the
digging. In this he succeeded. Can the current status quo last indefinitely?
No. The embers will be rekindled at some time. When that happens, American
New Age converts will carry on funding their distinctly non-mystical Sufi
teacher as he fans the flames.
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- Malcom Fraser
- M_Fraser@prodigy.net
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