Blogger: Point of no return
Article: The Biblical shrine of Oholiav in southern Lebanon
Originaly Posted On: 2009-04-30 00:37:00

With thanks: Beitcafe

These pictures, showing the Biblical shrine of Oholiav in Lebanon, are a further reminder that ‘ Arab’ lands are full of Jewish history. (As with many such sites, this shrine was apparently venerated by Muslims as well as Jews). Oholiav’s shrine was recently the subject of a fascinating thread on the blog Salaam-Shalom. If any readers have any recollections of a pilgrimage to this shrine (at Lag La’Omer) or any other Lebanese holy sites, Point of No Return would be glad to post them.

The pictures show what remains of the shrine (bottom) after it was destroyed by fighting and (top) how the site would look if it were rebuilt.

Oholiav’s shrine at Sojod (Soujud) in southern Lebanon is the presumed burial site for a minor, but significant, biblical character referred to in Exodus. Oholiav (”tent-builder” in Hebrew) was said to have been a carpenter and a builder of the Mishkan (Tabernacle).

Posters on Salaam-Shalom suggest that the IDF demolished the site. Others point out that the area was already hotly-contested between the South Lebanon Liberation Army (SLA) and Hezbollah and the shrine could have been destroyed and the village abandoned before the Israeli withdrawal in 2000.

An Israeli poster points out that Sojod is associated with Hadi, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah’s son, who was killed there in 1997 at the age of 18. ” There were, if Hebrew discussion forums are to be believed, many dreadful battles there”, he writes. ” The two helicopters that crashed in Israel, also in 1997, killing 73 Israeli soldiers on board, was bound for Sojod. There was also, last September, another helicopter story. Shot down this time, and by Hezbollah, over Sojod: a Lebanese Army helicopter in an embarrassing incident that cost its pilot his life. However you look at it Sojod saw a lot of action besides prostration on shrines.”

The Jewish Theological Seminary librarian has this information on the shrine:

According to an article by Zvi Ilan “Towards a History of the Jewish Community in Lebanon in Modern Times” [the article is in Hebrew] in a journal called Kardom (March 1983) vol 26-27, p. 134-144: In Ottoman times Soujud was one of the most important sites of pilgrimage for Jews in southern Lebanon, being, according to tradition, the tomb of Oholiab Ben Ahisamakh. He was a Biblical figure mentioned in Exodus 31:6, 35:34, 36:1-2, and 38:23; he was described as a skilled artist and craftsman (engraver and embroiderer), appointed by God, to help Bezalel construct the Tabernacle.

Additional documentation connecting Sujud with the biblical Oholiab is from a website about the nearby village of Mlikh http://www.mlikh.com/history.html#_ftn29, which cites Dr. Estee Dvorjetski, of the University of Haifa esteed@research.haifa.ac.il as verifying the connection between Sujud and Oholiab Ben Ahisamakh.

You may have noted that various sources have spelled the site differently: Sajad, Soujud, Sijud. We are assuming that these differences are due to differences in local dialect, and the passage of time.We have not found reference to Sajad or Soujud in current gazetteers or maps, but we have found a location called Sijud (about 22 km north of el-Mutallah ) : map 16 in Atlas of the Historical Geography of the Holy Land, edited by George Adam Smith (London, Hodder and Stoughton, 1915). Nineteenth century travelers to the Holy Land, who have chronicled their journeys, have also mentioned this place: Edward Robinson and Eli Smith, in Later Biblical Researches in Palestine and the Adjacent Regions: A Journal of Travels in the Year 1852 (Boston, Crocker & Brewster, 1856), p. 44 mention a wely called Neby Sijud [neby means prophet in both Hebrew and Arabic].

William M. Thomson, a missionary, mentioned that local Jews sometimes make pilgrimages to the shrine of Sijud; now [1886] the location is the tomb of a Moslem saint (The Land and the Book, or Biblical Illustrations Drawn from the Manners and Customs, the Scenes and Scenery of the Holy Land, New York: Harper and Brothers, 1886, p. 168)

We have read many such travelers chronicles, and these two excerpts are quite typical.

A contemporary explanation of the term “wely” [also spelled weli] can be found in Karl Baedeker’s Palestine and Syria: Handbook for Travelers (1906). In short, it is the tomb of a saint, or holy man, held in veneration by the local population. “In Syria, almost every village has its weli, venerated alike by Moslems, Christians and Jews.” p. lxxiv. [At the time this was published, Syria referred to what is now Lebanon, Jordan, and Israel, as well as Syria].

Other Biblical figures reportedly buried in Lebanon are Job (Ayyub to Muslims). Job has a tomb in the Druze Shouf Mountains of Lebanon, but other tombs are claimed for him in Oman, Yemen and Turkey.

The tomb of Zebulun is located in Sidon, Lebanon. Towards the end of the month of Iyyar, Jews from all corners of Palestine would make a pilgrimage to this tomb. Zebulun was the sixth son of Jacob and Leah and the Prince of the Israelite tribe of Zebulun.

The tomb of the prophet Zephania is located more to the south closer to the Lebanon-Israel border. It is said to be atop an inaccessible mountain. It can be seen from afar but cannot be reached.



The tomb of Job in the Druze Chouf District, Lebanon. Another tradition locates it at Salalah, Oman

List of Holy Sites (Wikipedia)


Read Salaam-Shalom thread in full

Blogger: Baha’i Faith in Egypt & Iran
Article: A Mob Burns Baha’i Homes in a Southern Egyptian Village
Originaly Posted On: 2009-04-01 06:55:00

al-Ahram article (burning of 5 homes), dated 1 April 2009

Even though there have been glimpses of hope for peaceful resolution to the struggle of the Baha’is of Egypt, supported by the judiciary as well as the government, a sickening undercurrent of activity is being propagated and stirred by an Egyptian journalist, named Gamal Abdel Rahim, who writes for Egypt’s Al-Gomhoryiah [the Republic] newspaper. His activities can easily be regarded as plots that are leading to sedition, intended to entice public unrest and disrupt “public order.”

This journalist has been one of the most vocal opponents of the Baha’is in Egypt. His rhetoric is cloaked with hatred and disgust. He advocates pronouncing all Baha’is as apostates and urges their killing. As a consequence to his urging, during a recent television program (posted below), a mob attacked and assaulted the Baha’is in the village of Showranyiah (island in the center of the Nile) in the southern Egyptian province of Sohag on 31 March 2009 at 8 PM. The mob, reportedly, burned their homes and expelled the Baha’i families from the village.

This story was reported in a comment by the leader of that mob on Gamal Abdel Rahim’s blog, which has been dedicated to attacks on Baha’is. This mob leader, who claimed responsibility for the attack, is named Mohammad Youssry Mohammad. He identifies himself as the secretary of the youth committee of the village’s National Party (al- Hezb al-Watany) and a teacher in the religious institute of the village. He describes the village to have a population of 16,751 with a surface area of approximately 1,567 feddans [acres]. It has 17 mosques, 3 churches, 16 elementary schools, 2 preparatory schools and 1 secondary “commerce” school. He also reports that the Baha’is, who were expelled from the village following the burning of their homes, consist of 15 individuals from three families, among them children and nursing babies.

Latest developments on Copts United

A television program, aired on 28 March 2009, provided a forum for discussion between a representative of the Baha’i community of Egypt, Dr. Basma Moussa, the journalist Gamal Abdel Rahim and a Baha’i from the village of Showranyiah, Ahmad El-Sayyid. The host was Wael El-Ebrashy of Dream Channel. This recent attack was triggered by the hateful comments made by the journalist Gamal Abdel Rahim against the Baha’is during the TV program (see videos below).

Although this is regarded as an outrageous and heinous act against an innocent Baha’i population of an Egyptian village, it should be emphasized that this is not a normal occurrence in Egypt and does only represent the reaction of an ill-informed number of individuals who are driven by hatred and ignorance. There are many Egyptians who have been supportive of the Baha’is and of their rights. Among them are leaders of society, such as journalists, academics, politicians, artists, human rights activists and jurists.

The Egyptian authorities must take action against the perpetrators of these acts and must hold responsible those who have caused them. The rule of law has to prevail over such irresponsible terror and has to halt this state of unbridled anarchy. Egypt cannot afford to tolerate such a state of lawlessness.

Update (2 April 2009 Egypt-time):
Human rights activists and Egyptians Against Religious Discrimination are holding a demonstration at the office of Egypt’s Attorney-General and are requesting that Gamal Abdel Rahim be charged and prosecuted (see report here).

Below is the TV program that apparently has triggered the current violence. The program was intended to discuss the Nowruz feast celebrated by the Baha’is in a Cairo public park on the 21st of March:

Part-1

Part-2

Part-3

Part-4


Part-5

Blogger: Point of no return
Article: Oud music for prayers and parties
Originaly Posted On: 2009-04-01 06:15:00

Najib Shaheen (Zina Saunders)

Najib Shaheen is a Palestinian Christian in New York City who makes, restores, buys and sells ouds, the classical Arabic instrument. His clientele is cosmopolitan and varied. The Wall Street Journal’s Nina Roberts has this interesting profile: (with thanks: Lily)

‘We Arabs export two major things, oil and ouds,” says a laughing Najib Shaheen, this city’s most respected oud maker, restorer and dealer. The oud is a stringed Arab instrument that, after it was brought to Andalusian Spain in the eighth century, spawned the European lute, guitar and mandolin.

Today’s ouds are usually walnut or rosewood, and have a pear-shaped shell, a short neck with no frets — allowing the musician a broader tonal range — and typically one single bass and five double strings. When expertly plucked, the oud emits an earthy sound with a hint of melancholy, eliciting an emotional response similar to that of the cello. Played in the Middle East, North Africa and Turkey for centuries, it continues to be integral to Arabic orchestras and ensembles. It’s also used as a composing tool.

“I am most interested in the acoustic aspects of oud making,” says Mr. Shaheen, a 62-year-old with salt-and-pepper hair and a matching mustache. In his booming, authoritative voice, cascading with rolling R’s and articulated consonants, he explains that the oud’s soundboard comprises seven “braces,” pieces of unvarnished spruce wood. The thickness, placement and age of the wood all contribute to each oud’s particular sound. They are attached underneath the instrument’s face. “There are rules where they should be placed, but it’s really up to you, the feel of it. What you don’t want is a hollow sound with echo.”(…)

“This is Arabic music and Jews have been using it for prayers and parties for hundreds of years,” said Rabbi Roly Matalon during a recent oud lesson with Mr. Shaheen at his temple. Rabbi Matalon, an oud player in the New York Arabic Orchestra, considers himself an Arab Jew, as his family came from Syria by way of Argentina. He has introduced Arabic melodies from his childhood into the prayers at his congregation, B’nai Jeshurun. And despite the majority of the members being of Ashkenazi descent, the rabbi exclaims, “They love it!”

Read article in full

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Website on Iraqi Jewish musicians (with thanks: Suzanne)

Tuningbaghdad.net brings together a growing archive of rare video footage, audio clips and historical information on Iraqi Jewish musicians and the music scene that was displaced from Baghdad in the late 1940s and early 1950s. The last generation of Iraqi Jewish musicians who performed in Baghdad, now in their 70s and 80s, represent an era when an unusually large number of the Iraqi-Jews were composing and performing Arabic music. For decades, these musicians were the national teachers and beloved performers of Iraq’s traditional maqams and modern compositions on Iraq’s National Broadcast Station.

Many of these Iraqi musicians and enthusiasts now live in Israel, England or North America where they trade home-made cassettes and organize musical parties at which this international community comes together. The musicians continue to play and produce an Arabic repertoire of Iraqi folk songs, popular Egyptian and Lebanese songs as well as Iraqi-Jewish ceremonial songs at weddings and Barmitzvahs.

Blogger: Baha’i Faith in Egypt & Iran
Article: A New Book in Arabic About the Baha’i Religion
Originaly Posted On: 2009-03-30 13:45:00

A very informative book about the Baha’i Faith by Drs. Wendi and Moojan Momen, first published in 2007 by Dunedin Academic Press, was recently translated to Arabic and is now available for orders from bookstores. This is indeed a very welcome addition to the growing range of materials in the Arabic language about the Baha’i religion.

The English title of the book is Understanding the Baha’i Faith and the Arabic translated title is Fahm ad-Din al-Baha’i. It was translated by Mr. Ramsey Zeine and published by Al-Furat firm in Lebanon.

The book focuses on the impact that the Baha’i religion has by looking at what it has to say about personal life, the home, the community, social issues, global concerns, as well as the spiritual life. The book provides a factual and straightforward account of the history, organization, development and sacred texts of the religion, as well as a time-line of important events and a glossary. It is suitable for general audiences, students of comparative religion and teachers.

The book can be identified through its International Standard Book Number or ISBN, 9953-417-65-2 and can be ordered by all bookstores from Al-Furat publishers in Lebanon (email: alfurat@alfurat.com). [address: Basement, Rasamny building, Hamra street, Hamra sector, Beirut, Lebanon. Phone: +9611-750054; Fax: +9611-750053]

As Al-Furat’s website is still under construction, one can acquire the Arabic version of the book by asking any local bookstore to stock a number of copies of the book for purchasing by directly contacting the publishers as indicated above.