Sheikh Ekrima Sa'id Sabri (Arabic: عكرمة سعيد صبري; born 1939)[1] is a religious leader and former Grand Mufti of Jerusalem and Palestine from October 1994 to July 2006. He was appointed by Yasser Arafat.
Ekrima Sa'id Sabri عكرمة سعيد صبري | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Personal | |
| Born | 1939 (age 84–85) |
| Religion | Islam |
| Denomination | Sunni |
| Creed | Ash'ari |
| Muslim leader | |
| Period in office | October 1994 - July 2006 |
| Predecessor | Sulaiman Ja'abari |
| Successor | Muhammad Ahmad Hussein |
| Post | Grand Mufti of Jerusalem |
Mahmoud Abbas removed Sabri as mufti in July 2006, reportedly for his growing popularity and open expression of racially charged, one-sided political views.[2] Abbas appointed Muhammad Ahmad Hussein in July 2006 as Sabri's successor.
Israel has arrested Sabri several times, most recently on August 2, 2024 after allegedly mourning Ismail Haniyeh's assassination.[3]
Controversy
editIn a 1999 interview regarding the political situation on the Temple Mount, Sabri stated, "If the Jews want peace, they will stay away from Al Aqsa. This is a decree from God. The Haram al-Sharif belongs to the Muslim. But we know the Jew is planning on destroying the Haram. The Jew will get the Christian to do his work for him. This is the way of the Jews. This is the way Satan manifests himself. The majority of the Jews want to destroy the mosque. They are preparing this as we speak."[4]
In a 2000 interview with the Italian newspaper la Repubblica, Sabri responded to a question about the Holocaust by stating, "Six million Jews dead? No way, they were much fewer. Let’s stop with this fairy tale exploited by Israel to capture international solidarity. It is not my fault if Hitler hated Jews, indeed they were hated a little everywhere. Instead, it is necessary to denounce the unjust occupation endured by my people. Tomorrow I will ask John Paul II... to support our cause."[5]
In a July 2001 interview with Jeffrey Goldberg for The New Yorker, Sabri remarked: "Look at the society of the Israelis. It is a selfish society that loves life. These are not people who are eager to die for their country and their God. The Jews will leave this land rather than die, but the Muslim is happy to die."[6]
On 20 February 2005, Sabri appeared on Saudi Arabian Al Majd TV to comment on the assassination of Rafic Hariri, the former Lebanese Prime Minister. Sabri stated, "Anyone who studies The Protocols of the Elders of Zion and specifically the Talmud will discover that one of the goals of these Protocols is to cause confusion in the world and to undermine security throughout the world."[7]
See also
edit
Notes and references
edit- ^ Kuttab, Daoud (19 August 2017). "Ekrima Sabri: The inclusive sheikh who was injured in the protests". Arab News. Retrieved 27 August 2024.
- ^ Berman, Yaniv (17 October 2006). "Top Palestinian Muslim Cleric Okays Suicide Bombings". The Media Line. Archived from the original on 17 July 2011. Retrieved 22 January 2012.
- ^ "Israeli Occupation detains Aqsa Mosque Imam". Roya News. 2024. Retrieved 27 August 2024.
- ^ Goldberg, Jeffrey (3 October 1999). "Israel's Y2K Problem". The New York Times Magazine. Retrieved 27 August 2024.
- ^ "[Pope] Wojtyla Free Us From the Jews - An Interview With the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem About the Pope's Visit". MEMRI. 29 March 2000. Retrieved 27 August 2024.
- ^ Hoffman, Bruce (2017). Inside Terrorism. Columbia Studies in Terrorism and Irregular Warfare (3rd ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 164. ISBN 978-0-231-54489-4.
- ^ Hypermedia seduction for terrorist recruiting. IOS Press. 2007. p. 5. ISBN 9781586037611.