Date: 06 / 11 / 2008  Time:  21:35
Jerusalem – Ma’an –

 A rally to save the Ma’man Allah Islamic cemetery took to Jerusalem streets on Thursday in protest of the Israeli occupation governmetn high court’s decision to allow the building of a museum for tolerance on the historic Islamic cemetery in East Jerusalem.

Undercover Israeli police were deployed around the thousands of demonstrators, and prevented hundreds from wearing the traditional Palestinian Kyffeieh on their heads, carrying Palestinian flags and protest banners. The group did, however, manage to finish its planned march from the Sa’ad and Sa’eed Mosque to the cemetery, accompanied by Islamic and Christian leaders and figures.

Al-Aqsa foundation of Waqf and heritage said that they were disappointed that Israeli officers attempted to halt the protest, since the group had obtained official permission to hold the protest.

Hatem Abdul Qader, President Mahmoud Abbas’ advisor on Jerusalem called the protest a part of the popular Palestinian reaction against the relentless attacks carried out by Israel against the Palestinian people in East Jerusalem. He called the decision to build over a historic cemetery a decision that affects the entire community, which “crowns” the myriad other decisions to demolish homes across the city.

Mufti of Palestine Shaikh Mohammad Hussain urged the Palestinians to stand by Jerusalem saying “harming the cemeteries means harming our religion and the dignity of the dead not only for Muslims but in the wider sense of respecting the human race and its religions.”

Father Issa Musleh spokesperson of the Orthodox Church expressed his disapproval of the Israeli attempts to building synagogues on Islamic Waqf lands in a bid to take the city away from its citizens.