Jews-Muslims Relations in Samuel’s Tomb – A Peaceful Coexistence, or a Preservation of Public Interests Through Relative Peace-Keeping?
Abstract
Samuel’s Tomb (Hebrew: Kever Shmuel HaNavi; Arabic: Nabi Samwil) is a sacred site to Jews, Christians, and Muslims, located near Jerusalem. Throughout history up to today, believers have prayed and performed their different religious rituals side-by-side within the premises of Samuel’s tomb. Today the religious site is used mainly by Jews and Muslims. There are no security arrangements or any official agreements intended to control the use of Samuel’s Tomb as a holy site by followers of the different religions. Even so, the relations between Muslim and Jewish visitors to the site are relatively quiet; the prayers and religious ceremonies are often performed simultaneously, usually keeping a
respectful order and peace on the site. Nonetheless, throughout history the history of religious activity has not been free of confrontation.
So far, most articles published regarding Samuel’s Tomb have discussed the biblical, historical, or archeological aspects of the site. Articles have scarcely discussed Jewish-Muslim relations. Recently, Prof. Yitzhak Reiter published an article in which he discusses, what he claims to be, a state of coexistence in Samuel’s Tomb. Reiter claims that Samuel’s Tomb is an “oasis amid the desert”, an island of peaceful cohabitation between Jews and Muslims, an exceptional situation considering the tension, conflict, and confrontation characteristic of Israeli reality.
The following article focuses on investigating the relationship between Jewish and Muslim visitors to Samuel’s Tomb, and on reexamining Reiter’s claim to coexistence. A review of historical, archeological, and journalistic literature and interviews with people working and praying in the site reveals a reality different from that presented by Reiter. The conclusion of this article is that the use of the term “coexistence” to describe the situation in Samuel’s tomb is an exaggeration. In effect, conflicts, confrontations, and rivalry over control have been part of the reality in Samuel’s tomb throughout history and are still apparent today. And yet, it must be stated that a relatively peaceful state of affairs does exist in the site. However, it appears that this relatively peaceful state of affairs in Samuel’s tomb is kept due to many reasons, one of which is the common interests of Jewish and Muslim visitors. It is a state of relative peacefulness, which is not very much like coexistence.
