Published date: 30 December 2020 14:18 UTC | Last update: 2 months 3 weeks ago
A dance party on Saturday has caused controversy within Palestinian society, stirring up a heated debate on culture and religion. The uproar came after videos surfaced of partygoers drinking and dancing inside the ancient Muslim holy site of Nabi Musa, believed under Islamic tradition to be the burial place of Moses, in the occupied West Bank.
One video went viral, showing a group of young Palestinian men and women dancing under flashing lights to blasting techno music inside an ancient building at Nabi Musa, located between Jericho and Jerusalem.
Palestinian security forces have arrested popular Palestinian DJ Sama Abdulhadi in Ramallah for playing at the Christmas rave party in Nebi Musa Mosque.
Mufti Muneeb-ur-Rehman removed as chairman of the Ruet-e-Hilal Committee
Maulana Abdul Khabeer Azad replaces him SAMAA | Web desk - Posted: Dec 30, 2020 | Last Updated: 3 months ago SAMAA | Web desk Posted: Dec 30, 2020 | Last Updated: 3 months ago
File photo
The federal government has removed Mufti Muneeb-ur-Rehman as the chairman of the Ruet-e-Hilal Committee.
Mufti Muneeb has been replaced by Maulana Abdul Khabir Azad, according to a notification issued by the Ministry of Religious Affairs. Azad was until now the Khateeb of Lahore’s famous Badshahi Mosque.
The development comes as part of a major reshuffle in the 19-member committee. Representatives of the Suparco, Science and Technology Ministry and the Met Office have been inducted in the committee too.
By Zeena Saifi, Abeer Salman and Andrew Carey, CNN
Updated 10:34 AM ET, Wed December 30, 2020
Palestinian DJ Sama Abdul Hadi poses outside her apartment in Paris during a photo session in December 2017. (CNN)A leading female Palestinian DJ has been remanded in custody for 15 days after she was arrested by Palestinian Authority (PA) security forces for performing at a party at a Muslim holy site, leading to claims of official over-reaction to an event that sparked furious scenes over the weekend.
PA security forces detained DJ Sama Abdul Hadi and several others at the party on Saturday at Nabi Musa, the site where Moses is believed to be buried, which lies in the West Bank between Jerusalem and Jericho.
Amid fears of Muslim fraternizing with the Christian enemy. Tue Dec 29, 2020 Muslims are taught that they are the “best of people” and non-Muslims “the most vile of created beings.” They are commanded by several Qur’anic verses – 3:28, 4:14, 5:51 –not to take Christians and Jews as friends, “for they are friends only with each other.” Furthermore, they are instructed to fight, to kill, to smite at the necks of, to strike terror in the hearts of, non-Muslims (see, e.g.,2:191-193, 4:89, 8:12, 8:60, 9:5, 9:29, 47:4). And they must never recognize nor participate in the slightest way, in the religious observances of non-Muslims. That means, when it comes to Christmas, that there should be no participation by Muslims in the holiday, no matter how devoid of religious content that participation might be. No Christmas trees, no Christmas carols, no toy Santas, no reindeer or elves, no Christmas cards, no mistletoe, no Christmas presents, no Christmas lights, a