War on Gaza: Israel kills hundreds of imams offering message of hope and patience

Israel's onslaught on Gaza since October has taken a heavy toll on faith leaders from the majority Muslim population, but officials say they are undeterred.

Around 300 Islamic scholars and sheikhs, including Quran instructors, Islamic preachers, and imams, have been killed so far in the military assaults, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Religious Affairs. 

Meanwhile, more than 500 mosques have been completely flattened, and dozens of mosques have been partially destroyed, including the historic Al-Omari Mosque.

Three churches have also been reduced to rubble, including the historic Church of Saint Porphyrius. The ministry’s main building and the Quran Podcast Institute were also struck and damaged by Israeli raids. 

Despite the massive losses, the ministry continues its work by delivering sermons and messages of hope and patience in displacement camps and hospitals, reopening damaged mosques for prayers, and holding Quran teaching and memorisation sessions.  

A ministry spokesperson said that Israel's targeting of mosques and Muslim scholars is "a deliberate act aimed at breaking the faith of Palestinians".

'We call on especially the Islamic scholars and ministries in the Arab world to seriously act and stop the ongoing atrocities against our people'

- ministry spokesperson

"Religious scholars and facilities are protected by all international laws and traditions, so targeting them is a war crime,” the spokesperson told Middle East Eye.

“Our message to the world is that we want you to stand with us, protest to provide protection for innocent civilians, and stop the genocide in Gaza,” they added.

"We call on especially the Islamic scholars and ministries in the Arab world to seriously act and stop the ongoing atrocities against our people, particularly against our sheikhs and scholars," they said.

“We are leaving this responsibility to them, and tomorrow in the hereafter, we will question them before God about what they have done for their Muslim brothers and sisters in Gaza.”

Prominent scholars and sheikhs in Gaza, such as Taiseer Ibrahim, Najeeba Al-Da'alees, Awni Own, Wael Al-Zird, Basem Al-Safadi, and many others, have been among those targeted during the ferocious military campaign. 

'We need to stop this horror'

Professor Taiseer Ibrahim, the dean of the Sharia and Law Faculty at the Islamic University of Gaza and a member of Palestine's Scholars’ Community, spent his entire life learning about Islam. He earned his bachelor's and master's degrees in Islamic doctrine and fiqh (Islamic Jurisprudence) from the Islamic University of Gaza and then travelled to the Islamic University in Malaysia to pursue his PhD in Islamic fiqh.

In addition to his sermons, he used his knowledge to advise his community on matters of divorce, disputes, and inheritance. 

Ibrahim was killed in the first days of the war after an Israeli air strike bombed his home in Al-Nusairat Refugee Camp. 

His son Mohammed, a fifth-year medical student, talked about his loss to MEE.

“He wasn’t just my father but my brother, friend, and companion,” he said.

Mohammed described his late father as “a symbol of love, forgiveness, and generosity".

“We need to stop this horror,” he added.

An Israeli attack also killed a woman imam, Najeeba al-Da’alees, in the first week of the brutal assault on Gaza. She was a long-serving Quran teacher for girls and women for more than 20 years.  

“She was a mother to her students, a leader of the women’s community in Gaza, and a truly kind person,” Quran teacher Om-Bilal Toman told MEE.

“She had a talent for reading the Quran in different tones and achieved the highest recitation courses, which she was very keen on passing on to her students during her life.

“I was both her student and colleague. She was an inspiration to me.

“She taught us that Islam is a peaceful religion and supports development, open-mindedness, and love of life,” she said.

'Where is the Muslim world?'

Owni Own, a famed Quran teacher, a public orator, and an imam, was killed alongside members of his family in an Israeli air strike on his house in Al-Maghazi Refugee Camp in March on the 21st day of the holy month of Ramadan. 

The 65-year-old was also an English teacher at the United Nations Refugee and Works Agency for the Palestinians (Unrwa). 

He served as a Quran teacher at Al-Zaytoona College in Gaza. In addition, he had a currency exchange office in Al-Nusairat Refugee Camp.

“His smile never left his face. He always showed people love and kindness and loved making jokes with them. He used to teach his students the Quran with an unmatched, sheer passion,” said Abu-Abid al-Bayoomi, a former colleague of Own.

“Until when the world will stay silent? Where is the Arab and so-called Muslim world?” Abu-Abid al-Bayoomi questioned.