Ekrima Sabri: The inclusive sheikh who was injured in the protests

During the 13 days in which the mosque was inaccessible, Sabri and tens of thousands of Palestinians prayed as close to it as possible, in an act of mass defiance and nonviolent protest that surprised many.

AMMAN: Shortly before Palestinian President Yasser Arafat’s burial in Ramallah in November 2004, the former mufti of Jerusalem and Palestine, Ekrima Sabri, went to an unpaved corner of Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque compound and under an olive tree, he stuck his hands in the earth and put two handfuls of it in a plastic bag.
He spread the soil on Arafat’s body moments before his burial. Arafat had asked that he be buried in Jerusalem, if possible on the grounds of Al-Aqsa Mosque. This was the nearest his body would be to the earth at the mosque. Seventeen years later, Sabri, now head of the Supreme Islamic Council and a revered religious leader in Jerusalem, was among worshippers praying on the city’s cobbled streets outside Lions’ Gate.
The mass prayers outside Al-Aqsa had been requested by a new coalition of Islamic institutions that united following Israel’s extraordinary decision to close off Islam’s third-holiest mosque. The decision, following the shooting of two policemen by three Palestinians from the Israeli town of Um Al-Fahm, marked the first time ever that Israel closed the mosque.
Arab News caught up with Sabri, born in the Palestinian town of Qalqilya in 1939, at his office in Jerusalem. “When we realized the level of danger that has engulfed Al-Aqsa Mosque, and when Internal Security Minister Gilad Eldan arrogantly declared Israeli sovereignty over the entire compound, a number of organizations got together and formed this coalition,” he said, referring to the Islamic Religious Reference Coalition.
During the 13 days in which the mosque was inaccessible, Sabri and tens of thousands of Palestinians prayed as close to it as possible, in an act of mass defiance and nonviolent protest that surprised many. During these prayers, Israeli troops tried hard to break the protesters’ will. “On July 18, I was injured when Israeli troops carried out a brutal attack against worshippers,” he said. Sabri fell to the ground and was taken to the nearby Maqassed Hospital.
After being treated and discharged, and refusing to stay at home and recuperate, he rejoined the protesters outside the empty mosque and was amazed at the turnout. “Even though the rest of the West Bank population were unable to reach Jerusalem because of Israeli checkpoints, we saw thousands of people joining the protest prayers. This went on for 10 consecutive days.”
The numbers were greater than when Al-Aqsa was open. “The more the Israelis attacked us, the more people would come out in support,” Sabri said. “This large popular protest has never happened in the Arab-Israeli conflict.”
He said the new coalition will continue its work. “We’re trying to listen to and allow the widest participation in discussions and debates. We listen to the young people and take their views seriously because we want to be as close to our people as possible, so when we make a decision people feel it’s from them, not imposed.”
Sabri brought into the coalition political, non-religious leaders of Jerusalem. His lifelong friendship with academics and activists such as Dr. Mahdi Abdul Hadi allowed relatively inexperienced religious leaders to engage with them, producing well-thought-out statements and public positions. This unifying act increased Sabri’s popularity, and the inclusivity was a source of praise.
Naser Qous, head of the Palestinian Prisoners Club in Jerusalem who was involved in all the protests, told Arab News: “Sabri and other revered leaders participated in all activities and listened intently to the opinions of the people.” Qous said Sabri won the people’s respect because he showed that religious men are not focused only on prayer, but are “also willing to join in the struggle.”
Amjad Abu Asab, head of the Jerusalem Committee for Families of Prisoners, was active in the protests, and Israel issued an order banning him from coming close to Jerusalem. “Sabri is a national leader who has always stood up to the Israelis and their plans against Al-Aqsa,” Abu Asab said. “We might have some disagreements, but when it comes to Al-Aqsa he has won everyone’s respect by listening to the youth and participating in the streets, not in the media.”