[von Wrangell]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4721336.stm

For the last 40 years Mohammed Hamdi Bader has left his tailor's shop in the Old City once a month and taken a short walk to the heart of west Jerusalem where he prayed close to his grandfather's grave.

But the 49-year-old Palestinian father-of-five can no longer reach the grave and he's furious about it.

The Maamam Allah cemetery, which is at least 1,000 years old, has become a building site.

The Los Angeles-based Simon Wiesenthal Centre is constructing a Museum of Tolerance on the cemetery.

WTF?!



And let the regular partisan bickering commence.

[olePigeon]

That's a classic. Poltergeist anyone?

[Shaddim]

damn... no way I'd hang out there.

For a short while I worked in a place built on a Native American burial mound. Freaky stuff going on every day, very unsettling.

[deej5871]

All I can think of is this bash.org quote.

[PacHead]

Big deal, Israel is so tiny that practically everywhere is some sort of grave site or archaeological find. If they never moved around some graves, they'd never be able to build anything.

Israeli law requires archaeological excavations before any construction project, and it is common to discover ancient graves and human remains of Jews, Christians and Muslims in 3,000-year-old Jerusalem, said Osnat Gouez, a spokeswoman for Israel's Antiquities Authority.

In most cases, human bones are removed and buried elsewhere, she said. "We must do this, otherwise we won't build anything," Gouez said. "Everywhere in Israel there are graves."

[Mastrap]

These were not ancient graves, this was a working cemetery. How would you feel if somebody would bulldoze over your grandfather's grave?

[von Wrangell]

Originally Posted by Mastrap

These were not ancient graves, this was a working cemetery. How would you feel if somebody would bulldoze over your grandfather's grave?

Don't expect him to read the whole article. He just has to defend this. No matter what the facts are.

[Kerrigan]

Thats pretty inconsiderate to develop there, but I'm sure the gentleman Mr. Bader will take it in stride, judging by his comments in the article.

[PacHead]

So Israel is moving some bones in dirt and giving the bones a new home in a different pile of dirt, so what. It's not like they're using the gravestones for pavement and latrines like their neighbors do.

[CRASH HARDDRIVE]

Some folks don’t seem to realize they’ve already squandered all their “anyone gives a damn” points on Burger King ice cream wrappers and freakin’ newspaper CARTOONS. So whatever you’re crying wolf or not about this time… nobody really gives a flying fig.

Gee really? Yeah. That’s terrible. Uh huh.

[TETENAL]

Originally Posted by Mastrap

These were not ancient graves, this was a working cemetery. How would you feel if somebody would bulldoze over your grandfather's grave?

Are they bulldozering over the graves or are they relocating the graves? If it's the former, than that's indeed an outrage. If it's the latter, then that's rather normal.

[von Wrangell]

Originally Posted by TETENAL

Are they bulldozering over the graves or are they relocating the graves? If it's the former, than that's indeed an outrage. If it's the latter, then that's rather normal.

Why won't you guys just for once read the damn article!!?

Durgham Saif, the lawyer who brought the Islamic petition to the Israeli Supreme Court, says that bones have already been removed to boxes and that one skull has been smashed.

But the most important part of the article is this:

The Mufti of Jerusalem, Ekrema Sabri, says that Muslim religious authorities were not consulted about digging at the site.

Sitting in his office in the al-Aqsa Mosque, the mufti also says that the museum's claim to promote tolerance is absurd.

"How can a museum carrying the name of tolerance be built on a graveyard?"

[Kevin]

Originally Posted by Mastrap

These were not ancient graves, this was a working cemetery. How would you feel if somebody would bulldoze over your grandfather's grave?

Actually it happen to me. Never met the guy, died before I was born. It was the only place I had to go "talk to him" about mom.

But they moved it, I was somewhat upset. But the place he was moved to, he would be happier about I am sure.

I still go and see em a few times a year.

And I tell you what von. When you get JUST as outraged over what YOUR side does to graves, and holy places in the name of "Islam" I'll start taking your angst a bit more seriously.

Until then, this just looks like another thread of you telling ex-wife stories.

[TETENAL]

Originally Posted by von Wrangell

How can a museum carrying the name of tolerance be built on a graveyard?

Usually you would want to avoid relocating graveyards, so I assume there was no other good site available in this case.

Originally Posted by von Wrangell

one skull has been smashed

Relocation should have been handled with more care.