Israeli authorities turn mosque into museum

Israeli authorities have recently turned a historic mosque into a museum despite the fact that 10,000 local Muslims have nowhere to pray, locals said.

Arabs.48 reported locals saying that the Israeli authorities changed Bir El-Sabe Grand Mosque into a museum for Islamic culture despite the urgent need for somewhere for Muslims to perform their daily prayers.

The Mosque was built during the Ottoman era in 1906 and in 1948, the year of the Palestinian Nakba; it was converted to a detention centre.

Later, it became a magistrates’ court and in 1953 it changed into a museum. In 1992, it became dilapidated and was closed.

The Bir El-Sabe Grand Mosque is the only one in the area.

Representatives of the community have long petitioned the Israeli authorities to allow them to open the mosque for daily prayers or at least for Friday prayers.

The exhibit being held in the mosque is due to close in June 2015.