An imam’s plea amid rampant violence in Arab sector - opinion

Violence is rampant in Israel’s Arab society, and no one appears able to stop the torrent of blood. Without a shadow of a doubt, the year 2023 will be remembered as the bloodiest year in Arab society, and the situation is only getting worse. Every day we witness more murders. The count is rising as we shout out. Does anyone care?

As the imam of the Shuhada Mosque in Kfar Qasim and, until recently, the principal of Kfar Qasim High School, the problem of violence and crime has troubled me for many years. The personal pain I feel every time I hear about another violent incident intermingles with my sense of responsibility as a religious leader and educator. For years I, along with many other imams, school principals, community center leaders, mayors, and public activists, have been engaged in a Sisyphean struggle to eradicate criminality from our midst. Sadly, I must admit our failure. Year after year the number of victims increases.

Every day I wonder what we did wrong. How did my society get into this terrible state of all-out war? If I could do more, I would spare neither effort nor risk to put an end to this wave of crime and destruction. As a religious leader, I emphasize again and again in my sermons in the mosque that Islam holds humanity sacred. We have many verses to support this. Let me quote one of the familiar ones here. Allah says: “O mankind, indeed We have created you from male and female and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another. Those who are most noble in the sight of Allah are those who are most righteous. Indeed, Allah is All-Knowing and All-Discerning.” (Surat Al-Hujurat 49:13)

The Quranic verse will certainly remind my Jewish neighbors of the verse from Genesis: “God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” (Genesis 1:27)

All human beings are equal. The right to freedom belongs to all of us, regardless of race, religion, nationality, or gender.

The State of Israel is a multifaceted mosaic, and Arab society is an integral part of it. My society is drowning in a sea of ​​blood and the disaster is getting worse – if that’s even possible. Many families are destroyed. There is a complete loss of personal security and a terrible fear of walking around city centers. Children and parents are huddled in their homes, fearful for their lives.

'Is this fate? Or is it the hand of the Israeli government?'

I ask: Is this fate? Or is it the hand of the Israeli government?

Regrettably, many sections of the Israeli public see my society and religion as the source of the problem.

It’s the culture they say. It’s Islam. But I say that the violence in society is a consequence. It is the result of an internal social and economic crisis that has intensified dramatically because of a long-standing government policy of deliberate neglect and blatant disregard for the needs of a society that contributes to the state economically, medically, and socially. Let’s remember how hundreds of Arab doctors and nurses were saluted during the COVID epidemic!

In the book of Genesis it is written: “And He said, what have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood cries to me from the ground.” (Genesis 4:10) 

IN TODAY’S context, the voice of the blood of the murdered indeed cries out from the ground, and so I cry out to you, my Jewish friends and partners, if we are destined to live together on this same piece of land, then the responsibility for this hardship is on all of us – and first and foremost on the government. This crisis in Arab society will not be solved instantly. The profound issues that gave rise to the crisis need long-term treatment, but we need to start.

First of all, we need to restore a sense of personal security to ordinary families. We need massive law enforcement against crime, against violent gangs, and against reckless driving in the streets of our country – and for public leaders to fully cooperate. Even though Arab society is the main victim of this disaster, there are those who repeatedly blame us and prevent any chance of us working together for the benefit of Israeli society as a whole.

The violence in one street does not stop at the end of that street. It is already spilling over into many districts, whether on the roads or in lines at the supermarket. Crime is not found only in Arab society, it is in Israeli society as a whole, and we must all buckle down and do as much as we can to fulfill God’s commandment to preserve the sanctity of life.

The state must make significant educational changes to offer hope to the younger generation, so that their role model is not the criminal in his luxury car, but rather the student, the teacher, or the cleric. I, along with many of my people, have done, am doing, and will do everything I can – but please, do not abandon us in our dire straits.

As a leader and religious man, I am addressing all Jewish religious leaders of all denominations, because I am confident that the sanctity of human life is of utmost importance to you. Your influence on government decision-makers can greatly contribute to reducing the rising level of violence in Arab society.

We need a well-thought-out plan that will institute drastic changes. It must incorporate concrete resources for young unemployed people in Arab society; measures to collect illegal weapons; an experienced project director who knows Arab society intimately; and a police force with the capability to solve murder cases. We must deter and prevent the next murder.

Every day there are more reports in the media about the violence that is raging in Arab villages. Who are we waiting for?

Please do what you can to encourage government leaders to make the necessary changes that will lead to the end of the carnage – and save innocent human lives.

The writer is the imam of Shuhada Mosque in Kfar Qasim.