Adalah to Municipality of Be'er Sheva: Use of Big Mosque as a General Museum Violates Supreme Court Ruling

(Beer el-Sabe) On 26 December 2011, Adalah sent a letter to the Mayor of Beer el-Sabe (Be'er Sheva) requesting a meeting to discuss the municipality's total failure to implement the 22 June 2011 Israeli Supreme Court decision to open the city's Big Mosque as an Islamic museum. The Mayor's office responded to the letter and a meeting is scheduled for 19 February 2012.

Dr. Thabet Abu Rass, Director of Adalah's Naqab Office, wrote the letter following the December 2011 opening of a general historical exhibit, entitled, "History of Be'er Sheva: From 1900 – 2011." In the letter, Adalah referred to the 2011 Supreme Court decision and inquired into the "preparation of the municipality in this matter."

On 27 December 2011, Dr. Abu Rass also met with the municipality's chief engineer, who is responsible for the preservation of historic sites. During the meeting, the engineer acknowledged that while she was aware of the Supreme Court's decision, she had not received any direction to alter the municipality's stated policy towards the mosque. A 2010 publication by the municipality entitled "Be'er Sheva 2010-2020: Transforming Plans into Action," referred to the mosque as the site for "The Museum for Archaeology." With a target implementation date of 2010, the publication noted that:

"Restoration of another historic Turkish building, to house the Archaeological Museum, has just been completed. The structure, adjacent to the Negev Museum building, has a total area of over 7,500 sq. feet, with a central hall, a foyer, an inner courtyard and rooms for study. The Museum, which will re-open during the course of 2010, will provide guided tours for diverse groups of visitors."

On 22 July 2011, the Supreme Court rejected the Municipality's position that the mosque should be converted to a general museum, and stated that doing so ignored the history of the mosque, its design and cultural and religious importance for the Muslim community. Adalah and the petitioners in the case demanded that the Big Mosque be re-opened for prayer for the 5,000 Muslims in Beer el-Sabe and the surrounding villages.

More information on the history of the mosque and the Supreme Court's decision

Pictures of the new general historical exhibit at the mosque