Finally. The attempt to build a mosque in front of Nazareth’s Basilica of the Annunciation has been the subject of wrangling for years. Christian leaders considered it an act of aggression at one of the holiest sites in the Christian world.
[Minister of Construction Natan] Sharansky said two main reasons led to his committee’s recommendation to ban the mosque’s construction. He said that Muslim leaders had not honored previous agreements regarding the size of the proposed mosque and had antagonized Christian pilgrims arriving in Nazareth. In addition, Sharansky noted the united opposition of the worldwide Christian community.
“We have an obligation to safeguard the holy places and protect the rights of minorities and their freedom of religion,” Sharansky said in defense of his recommendation to protect the Nazareth church.
In this case, it’s a pretty substantial minority: 40% of Nazareth’s population is Christian.
Was the proposed mosque site chosen for a specific reason by the Muslims, or was it just an available piece of real estate? It seems to me that if they do not have a serious theological basis for constructing the mosque in that spot, then this is just a another means of asserting non-Christian control over the lands and sites where Christ was during his time as man on Earth. In other words, if they don’t have a good reason, it looks like they (the Muslims) are just trying to start something here.
This is not an anti-Muslim rant. I would take the same stand if Chuckee Cheese’s tried to open a franchise across the street from Arlington National Cemetery. It’s just doesn’t seem appropriate.
Supporters of the mosque claim that Shahib al-Din, a nephew of Saladin (12th-century Muslim conqueror) is buried on the site. I’m not in a position to know whether that claim is credible and that nephew is an important figure, or whether it’s all a trumped-up excuse for a provocation.
From past reports on the case, I’ve heard that the issue is not promoted by local Muslims.