The Waqf Committee in Haifa City and the High Follow-Up Committee for Arab Citizens of Israel have announced the launch of a popular campaign titled “Knock the door” to raise funds to protect the Islamic mortmain property in Haifa against Israeli measures.
According to the organizers the campaign aims in particular to gather one million shekels to save al-Istiqlal Mosque and Cemetery from appropriation.
In a press release the Waqf Committee urged the national and political groups in Haifa neighborhoods the local residents and all citizens of Palestine to join and support the campaign which is slated to kick off on Saturday.
The Israeli central court in Haifa had already issued a ruling demanding Israeli companies which purchased Islamic mortmain lands in Haifa illegitimately in the 1990s to return the lands of the Mosque and Cemetery to the rightful owner (Haifa Waqf Committee) providing that the Waqf officials must give the purchase money about three million shekels back to the companies.
In this regard Sheikh Rashad Abul-Heija a Mosque Imam in Haifa said the Waqf Committee was able following negotiations with the Israeli competent authorities to reduce the amount to one million shekels.
“We have managed so far to collect 600000 shekels and the remaining amount is 400000. We are forced to pay one million shekels because there is a deadline we have to meet to avoid paying three million shekels and making things worse” Sheikh Abul-Heija explained.
He noted that the campaign would be launched in cooperation with the High Follow-Up Committee for Arab Citizens.
