What is the importance of Sheikh Jarrah in the Palestinian conflict?

Al-Sheikh Jarrah or Sheikh Jarrah, an Arab-majority area of ​​East Beit al-Maqdis (Jerusalem), is today a battlefront in the ongoing tension between Palestinians and Israeli security forces.

The region has become the latest flashpoint in Israel’s expansionist plan. Zionist settlement is an ongoing process, by which Palestinians are being removed and replaced by Jews.

Until a few days ago, this area of ​​Sheikh Jarrah, which was considered a peaceful and prosperous district, was settled on a hill called Jabal Al-Masharif. Beit al-Maqdis can be well seen from this hill, so it was also considered to be very important from a military point of view.

Most of its current population consists of Palestinian refugees expelled from the Talbiyah area of ​​Jerusalem in 1948. The Jewish settlers are actually continuing the same bitter historical process with the help of the Israeli police to evict the Palestinians through force and terror.

Palestinians refer to the 1948 forced evictions as the ‘Ongoing Nakba’ (Arabic: النكبة) as the removal and forced deportation of 80 percent of Palestine’s indigenous population began between 1947 and 1949. Nakba means destruction.

This is the same fact that was observed in Khan Al-Ahmar and Araqib before him. Similarly, in 1948 every settlement was fortified from Tel Aviv to the new settlements of Mali Idomim and Givat Hamatos in the West Bank.

Fresh controversy

The Israeli government has decided to demolish dozens of Palestinian houses in the historical Sheikh Jarrah, which has been in the international media’s headlines for decades, in order to transfer the ownership of these houses to a Jewish organization called Safdarim.

On this, the Palestinian citizens came out of their houses and started protesting, to disperse which the Israeli police used force.

The residents of Sheikh Jarrah say that they will not give the land and property of their ancestors to the Zionists. His legacy is associated with this colony.

On the other hand, Jewish settlers claim that they have bought land and properties from Palestinians in Sheikh Jarrah and that these properties are owned by a Jewish organization. In 1972, a Jewish organization claimed that it had proofs and documents of ownership of Sheikh Jarrah’s land and that Palestinians had built houses on his land.

The Ashkenazi and Sephardim Jewish committees claim to have ownership documents of Sheikh Jarrah’s land and property dating back to the late 19th century.

Here is the recent viral video of an Israeli settler, in which he tells Mona al-Kurd, a Palestinian woman who was protesting the seizure of her house, “If I don’t take it, someone else will.”

The area is currently the focus of several property disputes between Palestinians and Israelis. Israeli nationalists have been trying to replace the Palestinian population in the area since 1967. Over the past five decades, numerous Israeli settlements have been built within and adjacent to Sheikh Jarrah.

Among the main attractions of this district is an Ottoman-era palace which has now been converted into a hotel. Its green gardens and shops are famous for selling old books and antiques. Consulates of many countries, St. George’s Cathedral and archeology are also found in this area. You will also find Arabic cuisine restaurants here and there.

The forced displacement in Jerusalem echoes throughout the West Bank, Gaza, and among forcibly displaced Palestinians throughout the global diaspora. A new generation on social media is now using the hashtag #SaveSheikhJarrah to once again make the rest of the world aware of the violence of the Zionist settlers. This hashtag is also trending in Pakistan on Tuesday morning.

Hashtags started trending on social media platforms in recent days, with many people complaining that their posts were being removed and accounts were suspended in large numbers. Many social media activists are alleging that these global platforms are trying to suppress the voice of Palestinians through censorship.

Muhammad Al-Kurd, a resident of Sheikh Jarrah, wrote on Twitter that the media is not being allowed access to the area at this time, the police are present in large numbers. He expressed the fear that hundreds of settlers are ready to attack their houses.

Who was ‘Sheikh Jarrah’?

Sheikh Jarrah’ Colony is an important place in East Jerusalem. The Palestinians demand the recognition of East Jerusalem as the capital of their proposed independent state.

According to Al-Arabiya news channel, there are conflicting opinions about the attribution of Sheikh Jarrah. A person named Sheikh Jarrah is buried in the cemetery of this colony, but no one can say with certainty who was Sheikh Jarrah?

According to Wikipedia, Sheikh Jarrah established a small mosque or school here called Zawiya Jarrah. Sheikh Jarrah was buried in the grounds of this school. A mausoleum was built here in 1201, which soon became a destination for worshipers and pilgrims.

A research by al-Arabiya.net shows that the ‘Al-Sheikh Jarrah’ colony or the people here by that name passed through here in the 16th century AD.

Mujir al-Din al-Hanbali, a historian of Bait al-Maqdis, writes in his book ‘Alans al-Jalil fi Tarikh al-Quds al-Jalil’ that he saw a place called ‘Al-Jarrahiya Zawiya’ in a corner of al-Quds. It is located north of Al-Quds. This place is also said to be attributed to Hussam al-Din al-Hussein bin Sharaf al-Din Isa al-Jarrahi.

Mujir al-Din says that al-Jarrahi was a governor of Salah al-Din Ayyubi. He dedicated this place and he himself died in 598 AH. They are buried here. Apart from his remains, there are also some other graves which are believed to belong to the people of the Yarjar Jamaat.

The name of Al-Jarrah was also mentioned by a traveler, Al-Sheikh Abdul Ghani Al-Nablisi. Al-Sheikh Nabulsi was an important figure who lived in the middle period between 1050 AH and 1143 AH. He wrote a book about his trip to Al-Quds with the title ‘Al-Khizra al-Ansiya fi al-Rahla Al-Qudsiyya’.

Al-Nablisi surprised his readers by saying that al-Jarrah’s grave was turned into a shrine and the master of the shrine was called ‘al-Sheikh’. According to al-Hanbali he was a governor. Nabulsi says that we went to the shrine of Al-Sheikh Jarrah and recited Fatiha there. This shrine is located in Madrasa Al-Jarrahia. The same person is described as the governor of Sultan Salah al-Din Ayyubi, but Al-Sheikh Nabulsi did not explain it in his travelogue.

From the Governor to the ‘Sheikh’ and the ‘Doctor’

Doubts about the identity and recognition of Sheikh Jarrah continued to grow whether his true identity was that of the governor or that he was Al-Sheikh. In al-Hanbali history he was a prince or governor, then he became a saint and a shrine was established in his name. According to Al-Shaykh Nabulsi, he was a physician, but there is no authentic description of his journey from surgeon to emir, sheikh and physician.

According to the historian Arif al-Arif in the historical book ‘Al-Musafal fi Tarikh al-Quds’, Sheikh Jarrah was a physician, but he could not explain his credentials. He has obtained this description from the context of the translation of Madrasah Jarjariah. He says that surgeon Sultan Salahuddin Ayyubi was a special physician.

The great books of history are silent

Sheikh Jarrah was an unknown person, who is not mentioned in the big books of history. Some historical sources reveal that among the people who became known as Hussam al-Din was Salah al-Din Ayyubi’s governor Hussam al-Din Abu al-Hija and he became known by the title of ‘Al-Samin’. He was a major Kurdish military commander of Saladin Ayyubi.

Another person known as Hussam was ‘Hussam al-Din bin Lajin’ who was Salah al-Din Ayyubi’s cousin. He died in 587 AH. As far as Al-Jarrahiya Fort is concerned, it is a part of Iraq’s Mosul Governorate.

There is no mention of the death of the person known as ‘Jarrah’ in the historical books. At least the major historical books are empty of this name.

According to Ibn Athir’s ‘Tarikh Kamil’, a concubine of Khalifa Abbasi died in 598 AH, but there is no reference to the death of any governor of Salah al-Din Ayubi in that year.

Even in Ibn Kathir’s ‘Al-Badayah Wal-Nahiya’, there is no mention of the death of any famous person in 598 AH. There is a reference to the death of King Bani Ayyub in this year. Apart from this, a concubine of Caliph Abbasi, whose death is also mentioned by Ibn Athir. There is no reference to the death of 598 AH in Ibn Imad al-Hanbali’s ‘Shazerat al-Dhuhab fi Akhbar min al-Dhuhab’ and al-Dhubi’s ‘Sira-Ilam al-Nabla’.