BY NASRI AL GHAWALI
It
all started in 1948, about 500 cities and towns were evacuated and depopulated.
Over 700,000 individual took refuge in neighboring countries like Jordan,
Lebanon, and Syria. The Palestinian catastrophe of 1948 reshaped geography.
Ever since then, it got worse. The conflict over the holy land heated. The
capital of peace, Jerusalem, witnessed bloody battles between Israeli Jews on
one side and Palestinian Muslims and Christians on the other. Unfortunately, in
a sense it grew as a religious conflict. The rest of the world watched; they
were nothing more than spectators with opinions the pour gasoline on fire. They
were oblivious of the reality of the situation and the number of innocent
people involved. Every region was blinded with what they were raised to
believe. While in reality, they forgot that it is the land of the three
Monotheistic religions, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The years passed and
it seemed that the idea of peace was made impossible from generation to another.
But is it?
Jerusalem
is one of the oldest cities in the world. It’s the home of the three
Monotheistic religions, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. All three religions
believe in the single almighty God. The name itself means peace. The first part
of the name “Jeru” comes from the Greek words “hieros” and “hierus” meaning
sacred. The second part “salem” and the prevalent part comes from the words
“shalem” and “shalom” which means wholeness, peace, and soundness. When the
whole word interpreted together it means the sacred and peaceful place. Jerusalem
is known as Yerushalayim in Hebrew and Al-Quds in Arabic. It has always been at
the center of dispute. In addition, it was once believed to be at the center of
the world. So much history can be dug up in the city. Every part of the city
has a story to tell and a great amount of history can be found under this holy
city. At the center of Jerusalem, the old city is found as one of the holiest
sites on earth. It includes a great deal of historic architecture that is part
of the holiest sites for the three monotheistic religions.
The
city of Jerusalem has always been a special place for Jews. In Judaism, it’s
considered the holiest city on earth. Jews that do not live in Jerusalem
perform their prayer facing the city. The first Jewish temple is believed to
have been built where the Temple Mount also known as “Al-Haram Al-Sahrif” is
located in the old city. It is believed that it is where Al Aqsa mosque and the
Dome of the Rock stand there today. Jews living in Jerusalem and visitors of
the city pray at the Western Wall or the Kotel which is located in Old
Jerusalem. It is believed that the wall is the only standing part of the second
Jewish temple built which is believed to include the Holy of Holiest for Jews.
On
the other hand, it is just as important for Christians. During his time on
earth, Jesus Christ spent a decent amount of his time in Jerusalem. He
preached, healed, and died in Jerusalem. His last days were there where the
last supper was held. After the last supper, Jesus was arrested in Jerusalem
and crucified. Today, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre stands where it is
believed that Jesus was crucified. Moreover, Christians believe it also has the
place where Jesus was buried and he resurrected. Annually, Christian
celebration of the Easter holiday starts from the Holy Sepulchre, where His
tomb is located, in Jerusalem and spreads to the cities around it through the
light on Holy Saturday before Easter Sunday. The church is one of the top
destinations for Christian pilgrims. In fact, Arab Christians living in the
West Bank get permits during the month of their holidays that allows them to
visit the holy sites in Jerusalem.
Finally,
Muslims value Jerusalem just as much as the two other monotheistic religions.
It was the first direction of prayer, the first Qiblah, prior to Mecca. The
significance is no surprise when one of three most holy mosques is located in
Jerusalem. Al Aqsa mosque, the third holiest mosque, is one of three mosques
that the Prophet Mohammed, peace be upon him, said to go on a journey to visit.
Moreover, it is the city that the Prophet Mohammed made a trip to during the
night to visit Al Aqsa and while he was in Jerusalem he was raised into heaven.
This night time journey of the prophet from Mecca to Jerusalem is called Isra’
and Mi’raj, an annual holiday still celebrated today. The mosque is located on
an elevated plane along with the shrine of the Dome of the Rock called the
Haram Al-Sharif or the Noble Sanctuary. Al-Aqsa is one of the destinations that
Muslims visit year round if they are able to get into Jerusalem. During the
holy month of Ramadan, the greatest amount of Muslims tend to pray at Al-Aqsa
every Friday. Similar to Arab Christians, Muslims living in the West Bank get
permits during the months of their holidays to visit the mosque.
As
it is evident, all three monotheistic religions share a spiritual attachment
and admiration to the holy city of Jerusalem. Therefore, why not share more
than a spiritual attachment? Jerusalem and its people have not been living
their best days recently. The security situation is altering rapidly. It has
been tense, unpredictable, and frustrating. There has been a series of violent incidents.
This is what triggered my artwork idea of promoting peace and coexistence. The
artwork represents an image that portrays a vision. It symbolizes the
coexistence of all three monotheistic religions in one place. The interesting
part about it is that it is not a new idea. At some point in time, this was
actually real. In fact, in some parts of Palestine it still is. However, people
are oblivious of it. People are oblivious that there are Palestinian Jews that
actually have no problem in coexisting with Arab Muslims and Christians right
now. Unfortunately, the world still views the conflict as one between Arabs
against Jews. To make it worse, both sides are adding hate rather than love and
peace to the equation and if this continues, results will not change.
The artwork is influenced by the
violent incidents happening in Jerusalem. However, it is also influenced by
Fairuz, Mahmoud Darwich, Nelson Mandela, and others. Fairuz, who describes
Jerusalem as the flower of all cities, prays for the city of the prayer.
Mahmoud Darwich, a Palestinian poet, who loved a Jewish girl named Rita, wrote
“Between Rita and my eyes there is a rifle”. Mahmoud Darwich has been tenacious
about Israeli-Palestinian coexistence. In a newspaper article in the 1960s, he
shows it when he says, “Why shouldn't they understand?” referring to Jews, when
their religion does not encourage what was happening back then. Furthermore,
his article was interpreted by an Israeli scholar at the Tel Aviv University.
The scholar explained that there is no evidence that this man hates us even
though he’s an Arab. Finally, Nelson Mandela brought the apartheid to an end in
South Africa. He focused on destroying the effects of the apartheid in South
Africa through tackling the racism in the country through his government and
sports. Personally, I am influenced by the ideas and actions of these people as
much as my artwork is.
The
message behind the work is to remind everyone that peace is pretty hard to
accomplish, but yet it will never be impossible. Since it is hard to
accomplish, it will happen by changing us then the others and as Fairuz sings
“by our hands peace will return to Jerusalem”. The work is a reminder that
there are places where these three religions coexisting in peace. Darwich
describes Jerusalem as “the land that created the Peace and did not see a day
of peace”. Therefore, if anywhere, peace should be found in Jerusalem which is
the home of the three monotheistic religions.
My
choice of the city of Jerusalem is not out of nowhere. I was born and raised in
a neighboring city to Jerusalem named Bethlehem, located in the West Bank. Therefore,
being a first row witness and victim of the violence currently happening in
Jerusalem affects me more than a regular spectator outside of the country. I
spent 18 years of my life in Palestine before moving to Dubai in September 2013
to major in Civil Engineering at the American University in Dubai. People are
still surprised that Palestine is still my number one destination between semesters.
They do not understand how beautiful and warm the place is regardless of any
situation.
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References
“Jerusalem
Day: City of Peace.” The Jerusalem Post. Web. 19 Nov. 2015. http://www.jpost.com/Not-Just-News/Jerusalem-Day-City-of-peace-403116
“Palestine-Israel
Journal: The Significance of Jerusalem: A Muslim Perspective.” Palestine-Israel
Journal: The Significance of Jerusalem: A Muslim Perspective. Web. 19 Nov.
2015. http://www.pij.org/details.php?id=646
“The
City of Peace - Jerusalem.” The City of Peace - Jerusalem. Web. 19 Nov.
2015. http://www.bibletopics.com/biblestudy/47.htm
“What
Makes Jerusalem so Holy? - BBC News.” BBC News. Web. 19 Nov. 2015. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-26934435
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