Muslims, Christians Clash on Easter By SAMAR ASSAD .c The Associated Press NAZARETH, Israel (AP) -- Easter Sunday turned violent in the town of Jesus' boyhood when clashes erupted between Christians and Muslims, angry over the planned construction of a plaza for millennium Christian pilgrims near a mosque. Thousands of young Muslim men gathered at the disputed site near the Church of the Annunciation, where Muslims have been holding protests for nearly a year. Some hurled insults and curses at worshipers as they left the church, where Roman Catholic tradition holds that the angel Gabriel appeared before Mary and told her she was pregnant. Other youths, wielding clubs, smashed windshields of cars with crosses dangling from the mirrors. More than 70 Israeli police in riot gear were brought in but made little effort to halt the violence. At one point, a group of policemen stood by while Muslim youths smashed the window of a gold-colored Mercedes. Seven people were injured and 30 cars were damaged, according to police. Some 18 hours after the clashes began, six Muslim stone throwers were arrested for rioting and public disturbances, said police spokeswoman Linda Menuhin. Muslim protesters responded by pelting troops with rocks, and police fired back with tear gas, she said. Church doors were shut after early morning prayers Sunday and there was no comment from Christian officials. The clashes, between the city's majority Muslims and minority Christians, came after months of rising tensions surrounding 2000 festivities. After municipal elections in November, snags arose over ambitious plans to give the city a facelift for the millennium. The Islamic movement won a majority on the city council for the first time and the Christian mayor, Ramez Jeraisi, was barely reelected. Topping the Muslims' agenda was the expansion of a mosque and the creation of an Islamic studies center next to the church, the same spot where city planners had hoped to build a Venetian-style plaza for tourists. The dispute is in court and plaza construction is on hold. Currently a small mosque occupies the far edge of the site, where a revered Muslim scholar, known as Shabeldin, is buried. The scholar's name was spray-painted Sunday across an ancient well where Orthodox Christians believe Mary drew her water and the annunciation took place. The clashes began after midnight Mass, around 3:00 a.m. Sunday, and continued until mid-afternoon. Muslims said that after Mass, a few Christian men threw rocks and empty bottles at their protest tent. Christians said they were attacked first. ``My house was attacked with stones today,'' said Salim Suliman, a 68-year-old Christian shopkeeper. ``I never imagined that this would happen, we always lived in tolerance. I understand their need to preserve their site but what is right is right and the land is not all theirs,'' he said. Muslims complained that projects for the year 2000 are only benefiting the city's Christians. Rafieh Shihaberi, a 53-year-old Muslim engineer from Nazareth said the religious tensions are a destructive development but insisted that the mosque be expanded. ``What is happening in Nazareth is not in the interest of either Muslims or Christians,'' Shihaberi said, ``but the issue of Shabeldin cannot be ignored.'' Mayor Jeraisi, an Orthodox Christian who will celebrate Easter next Sunday, stayed at home during the clashes. He blamed the Jewish state for the sectarian violence in Nazareth, accusing the Israeli government of caring little for Arab towns and expropriating land for the sake of tourism. Acknowledging a deep sense of mistrust in his city, Jeraisi said several other parties had been called in to mediate. ``They are working on calming the situation and setting up a meeting to discuss the issue,'' he told The Associated Press. Suliman, whose home was targeted during the day, said, ``it is very sad that it had to happen today on Easter and it's also sad that it is happening to one of the most important celebrations in not only Christianity but for the whole world.'' ``We are not celebrating Christ only, but the father of peace and neighborly love,'' he said.
