JPost: Iraq erasing Jewish identity of Prophet Ezekiel from tomb
For centuries Jews, Christians and Muslims came to Al-Kifl, a small town south of Baghdad, to visit the tomb of the Prophet Ezekiel and pray.
The distinctive Jewish character of the Al-Kifl shrine, namely the Hebrew inscriptions and the Torah Ark, never bothered the gentile worshipers. In the 14th century a minaret was built next to the shrine, but the interior design remained Jewish. The vast majority of Iraq’s Jewish community left some 60 years ago, but Shi’ites took good care of the holy site.
Until now.
Comment: Although the article seems to imply that Sunni insurgents are responsible for the desecration of Prophet Ezekiel’s tomb, I am not so sure about that conclusion. Contrary to popular belief, Shia Muslims are even more intolerant of Jews than Sunni Muslims are. While Shia Muslims in Iraq remained relatively quiet under Saddam Hussein’s Baath-inspired and essentially secular rule, the subsequent American occupation has helped to nurture unprecedented links between Iran’s ideologues and Iraqi Shias. These links are entirely one-way, because of Iran’s appeal as a mature Shia superpower and its ability to produce a coherent nationalistic framework. The vandalism of Ezekiel’s tomb is a strong signal of Iran’s growing, and anti-Semitic influence amongst Iraqi Shias. All in all, a worrying sign for the 8 Jews left in Iraq to ponder about.
If you would like to make a comment, please fill out the form below.
Members of the US State Department, military, and antiquite experts traveled to Ezekiel’s Tomb and the report about the Hebrew inscription being removed is false.
That was uncalled for.