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

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

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

*********************

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.

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.

The crisis facing the Baha’is of Iran is gaining unprecedented global attention on a scale never seen before. The global outrage at the Islamic Republic of Iran’s actions against the innocent Baha’i population, and its incarcerated group of leaders, is manifested in numerous daily important press publications, government declarations and condemnation, statements by prominent organizations, parliamentarian and congressional resolutions, etc….

There have been so many critical developments that must be noted. By keeping up with these developments, one cannot but to appreciate their importance and their critical value in bringing an end to such utterly inhumane and systematic schemes by the Iranian authorities in their attempts to destroy the Baha’i religion.

In order to closely follow these important developments, it is highly recommended to frequently visit the following two sites which provide constant up-to-date information on this crisis

1) Persecution of Baha’is in Iran (official website of the Baha’is of the United States).

2) Iran Press Watch.

To sum-up the current struggle, seven leaders of Iran’s Baha’i community are to stand trial this week in Iran’s Revolutionary Court on trumped-up charges of “espionage for Israel, insulting religious sanctities and propaganda against the Islamic Republic.” This baseless allegation of espionage, a capital offense in Iran, has been categorically denied by the Baha’is of Iran as well as the International Baha’i Community.

This respected ad hoc group of individuals, named “Friends in Iran,” were entrusted with the duty of attending to the minimal needs of Iran’s largest religious minority of over 300,000 individuals. Baha’is in Iran have been forbidden by the government to elect their official administrative body that would have been in charge of the community. This ad hoc group of individuals, however, was formed with the full knowledge and approval of the government of Iran. They have been incarcerated, incommunicado, for nearly a year without any access to their defense lawyer, Mrs. Shirin Ebadi, the Nobel Laureate, who has also been denied all access to the prisoners and their files.

In its systematic scheme to annihilate Iran’s entire Baha’i community, the government has designed several strategies intended to achieve its ominous plan. Most important in its scheme has been “to cut off the heads of the Baha’is,” implying to destroy the Baha’i community’s entire leadership. This has been repeatedly pursued since the early 1980s by Iran’s revolutionary government when it executed all members of the Baha’i national governing body: the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of Iran.

It is feared that, if remains unchecked by the free world, Iran’s government might very well repeat its horrific acts. The regional and international reaction, however, is clearly demonstrating that the world will not stand for such violations and atrocities. This reaction must maintain its momentum and must be enforceable.

Antisemitism is ‘out of control’, say Turkish Jews. They are afraid to leave the house and feel increasingly unsafe, Ynet News reports:

“We are afraid to walk down the street, as the atmosphere is very tense. Slogans supporting the Palestinians and against Israel are plastered on walls everywhere, and Palestinian flags can be seen all around. A Palestinian flag was even hung opposite the great synagogue in the Neve Shalom neighborhood where the major bombing occurred.

“Anti-Israel graffiti has been sprayed on Jewish-owned stores and Judaica stores. “We are very reluctant to get out of the house these days. On Shabbat the great synagogue stood almost empty. Many were worried that someone might hurt them, even though police security has been massively boosted. “Everywhere, in every street corner and on every TV show people talk of only one thing: Gaza.

“A minute of silence in memory of the Palestinian victims was held in all the schools. My friends’ children felt very uncomfortable when they were asked to attend. They were also asked to donate money to the injured children in Gaza. Jewish families feel very strange with the kids bringing those envelops home. The parents know that if they don’t send money with their children, they could suffer at school.

Prime Minister Erdogan’s statements created a very unpleasant atmosphere for the Jews here, especially for the youth and children. At schools and in our workplaces we are confronted with harsh criticism about ‘what your people have been doing in Gaza.’ The hostility is felt not only from radical Muslims, but also from seculars, who are very critical. This has caused many of us to think of leaving Turkey and making aliyah to Israel.”

Read article in full

Sheila, a new olah from Turkey, had always dreamed of getting married in Istanbul’s magnificent Neveh Shalom synagogue. But rising antisemitism means she will be finding an alternative venue:

The Jerusalem Post reports:

“I was engaged three months ago,” said Sheila, who asked that her last name not be published out of fear for her family’s safety, all of whom still live in the Turkish metropolis. “My fiance is Israeli, and his family no longer wants to go there for the wedding. On top of that, when my mother goes to the ministry offices [in Istanbul] to try and get the marriage forms filled out, they won’t help her. They won’t help her because she’s Jewish.”

Describing a “climate of fear” in her former hometown, the Turkish immigrant said she will most likely cancel her wedding plans.

“Frankly, I’m scared to have my wedding there now,” she said. “On the one hand, yeah, it’s my dream, but on the other hand, the situation there has simply gotten out of control.”

“Every day it gets worse,” Sheila continued. “My parents told me that a shopkeeper near one of the Jewish neighborhoods, where my grandparents live, put a sign in the window of his store that said, ‘No Jews allowed, but dogs are welcome.’

“Even when my parents go to buy a phone card to call me, they get harassed by the shopkeepers the minute they say they’re trying to make a call to Israel.”

Sheila also said that during the war, billboards went up around town decrying the Israeli “crimes” in Gaza, and the government made students in every Turkish school stand for a moment of silence in solidarity with the children of Gaza.

“They even had to do it at the Jewish school I went to as a kid,” Sheila said. “I can only imagine how uncomfortable the students must have felt.”

Read article in full

Anti-Israel protest in Turkey (photo: Jerusalem Post)

After ruling on all the cases before the court today, and in the midst of confusion and lack of accountability, the Egyptian Supreme Administrative Court’s Judge informed those present that he has not “seen” the Baha’i file needed to announce the verdict in that case!

The answer to this situation was quite simple: come back again on 16 February 2009, and by then, may be…just may be, the judge will have something to say. In the interim, the Baha’is of Egypt are left hanging and with very little hope for justice or civil rights….

Following the initial hearing of the appeal on 27 September 2008 by this court and the scheduled verdict date of 20 October, this is the fifth postponement (3 November, 15 December, 19 January 2009 & 2 February) by Egypt’s Supreme Administrative court regarding the appeal brought by Islamist lawyers in their attempt to reverse the 29 January 2009 ruling that permitted the Baha’is of Egypt to obtain ID cards and birth certificates with dashes [--] inserted in place of religious identification.

Attached is a prayer by Abdu’l-Baha, the son of the Founder of the Baha’i religion, revealed for the Baha’is of Egypt. It was scanned from Howard Colby Ives [early American Baha'i] personal papers in the U.S. National Archives.

Below, is the complete version of the prayer for the Baha’is of Egypt that was sent for publication in 1919 by Shoghi Effendi Rabbani who later became the Guardian of the Baha’i Faith:

STAR OF THE WEST

Recent Tablet to the Bahá’ís of Egypt

Translation of the blessed Tablet revealed by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and sent by him for publication

Haifa, Palestine, March 17, 1919.

TO THE STAR OF THE WEST:

Dear Sir: I herewith enclose a copy of a Tablet recently revealed for the
friends and maid servants of the Merciful in the country of Egypt, which the
Beloved wishes you to publish in the columns of your well known STAR THE WEST.
Shoghi Rabbani.

To the friends and the maid servants of the Merciful in the country of Egypt
Upon them be El Baha el Abha!

0 ye who are sincere! 0 ye who are attracted! 0 ye who are of the new creation!

God, the Praised and the Exalted, hath said: “Are these the same as the old
creatures Nay rather, they are clothed in garments of a new creation!” Then know
ye that in the estimation of God, the example of the creatures is like unto a
pure, blessed tree of a wonderful trunk and strong seeds. He causes it to grow
gracefully, then its roots become firm, its twigs spring forth, its leaves
become verdant, its flowers bloom and its fruits appear. Then its shade expands
over all the regions, until it reaches its ultimate evolution and growth,
attains to its development and height, its significance become perfect and its
branches extend over the East and the West of the earth.
Then its creation is completed, its evolution is accomplished, its hopes become
evident, it obtains its desire, it attains to its utmost perfection and its
beauty becomes manifest. Then its withering begins, its leaves turn yellow, its
flowers become scattered, its fruits fall down and its earthly elements return
to the layers of its soil. No fruits remain upon it, no leaves, no
attractiveness, no beauty, no sweetness and no freshness, until it becomes like
unto an old hollow palm tree.

Then a new tree grows from its seeds, green, verdant and freshened by the
divine outpouring, the merciful breeze, the heat from the Sun of Reality, the
heavy rain from the clouds of the abundant mercy and the blowing wind from the
wafting place of Providence. “Whatever verse we abolish or forget we replace by
a better one.” This is the example of the new creation, the miraculous cycle and the second resurrection, which is in conformity with the first creation.

Then thank ye God, the Praised and the Exalted, for the light of guidance, this
complete bounty and this great bestowal.
He chooseth for His mercy

whomsoever He wisheth.” Then it is incumbent upon ye to cry out with most
wonderful melodies:

Praise be to the One who created this marvelous dispensation!

Praise be to the One who made this new creation wonderful!

Praise be to the One who ordained this great outpouring!

Praise be to the One who shone forth with this evident light!

Praise be to the One who renewed this wonderful springtime!

Praise be to the One who perfumed the nostrils of the people of oneness with
the merciful fragrance which is diffused in all the countries! “And

thou didst see that the land which was barren and lifeless when we caused the
water to descend upon it, moved and grew and brought forth a beautiful pair of
all things.”

Praise be to the One through the outpouring of Whose clouds these countries
became verdant!

Praise be to the One through the heavy rain of Whose compassion these rose
gardens became beautified!

Praise be to the one through the current of Whose stream, these reservoirs
became overflowing!

Praise be to the One who has chosen the sincere ones to spread His teachings in
the countries!

Praise be to the One who selected for His mercy pure souls; through the
fragrance of whose love and perfumed breaths the hearts of the pious throb!

Praise be to the One who made the stars of guidance to smite the wicked!

Praise be to the One who guided the chosen community to the upright way and
straight path!

- SW v. 10, p. 73-74

I have been following the release of the Vatican YouTube Channel for a week now. It’s a project in progress. CBS News has some details:

It is certainly a case of the old being fused with the new, but will the Pope’s partnership with Google be a match made in heaven?

That’s a question Catholics are asking as organized religion continues to expand its reach onto the Internet.

The Vatican announced Saturday that its radio and television arms will be collaborating with the Internet search engine giant – which also owns video sharing site YouTube – to bring news of the pontiff, as well as video and text of his speeches to the World Wide Web.

The Roman-Catholic church provided scant details, but promised to release more information about the project on Friday at a media conference so big it has a title and a subtitle: “New Technologies, New Relationships: Promoting a Culture of Respect, Dialogue and Friendship.”

So, we must wait a few more days before we get more details about this exciting project.

Advice by Ibn al-Qayyim [rahimahullah], he said,

When a person spends his entire day with no other concern but Allaah alone,
Allaah [subhaa nahu wa ta’ala] will take care of all his needs and take care of all that is worrying him.

He will empty his heart so that it will be filled only with love for Him, free his tongue so that it will speak only in remembrance of Him [dhikr], and cause all his faculties to work only in obedience to Him. But when a person spends his entire day with no other concern but this world, Allaah will make him bear its distress, anxiety and pain.

He will leave him to sort himself out, and cause his heart to be distracted from the love of Allaah towards the love of some created being.

He will cause his tongue to speak only in remembering people instead of remembering Allaah.
He will cause him to use his talents and energy in obeying and serving the people.

This person will strive hard, laboring like some work-animal, to serve something other than Allaah. Everyone who turns away from being a true slave of Allaah by obeying and loving Him, will be burdened with servitude to some created being.

Allaah says in the Qur’an

“And whosoever turns away [blinds himself] from the remembrance of the Most Beneficent, We appoint for him a shaytaan to be his Qareen [intimate companion]. (Sura al-Zukhruf, Ayah 36).

It was narrated that Anas [radi Allaahu anhu] said that the Prophet [sallal laahu alaihi wa sallam] said:
Whoever is mainly concerned about the Hereafter, Allaah will make him feel independent of others and will make him focused and content, and his worldly affairs will fall into place. But whoever is mainly concerned with this world, Allaah will make him feel in constant need of others and will make him distracted and unfocused, and he will get nothing of this world except what is decreed for him. (narrated by al-Tirmidhi, Hadith No. 2389 and classed as Saheeh by Shaykh Muhammad Naasiruddin al-Albaani [rahimahullah]) (Source: al-Fawaa’ id, page 159)