Religion : And What Are They Fighting Over ?

By Syed Akbar Ali


Hi folks. I am back. Its nice to be home. I always get this thrill when the plane crosses into Malaysian airspace and we are flying over our own country. The green, the rivers, the coastline, the towns and the plantations all look so pretty from the air. I am sure you know this feeling. I am just so grateful to our Creator for giving us this place which we call home.



Well switching to a relevant subject, here is a picture.

This is a picture of a wooden ladder placed under a window at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. The ladder has not been moved since it was placed there. It was placed there in 1852.

The Holy Sepulchre is considered the most “holy” of holies in Christianity. This is the site where Jesus was believed to have been crucified (according to Christians, Muslims believe that Jesus was not crucified). It is also the site where Jesus was believed to have been buried (hence the Sepulchre).

In Christianity this is Ground Zero. So they built a Church over the site. That is when the fighting started. And that is how the ladder got stuck under the window too.

For over a thousand years (and until today Saturday Nov 7, 2009) numerous Christian sects have claimed the right over this Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

The Roman Catholics call it the Sanctum Sepulchrum. The Greek Orthodox call it Naos tis Anastaseos; the Arab Christians say Kanīsat al-Qiyāma; the Armenians say Surp Harutyun. The site is also venerated by many Christians as Golgotha or the Hill of Calvary. Today the Church also serves as the headquarters of the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem.

As a result there is constant fighting among the Christians over the control of this church. In 1192, the Muslim General Saladin The Great (Salaah-ud-deen Al Ayoobi) laid some ground rules and established a status quo to help manage the running of the Church. Saladin formulated a novel solution that holds until today. Read about it at the end of this article. The control of the building is shared between the rival Christian sects in very complicated arrangements quite unchanged since the time of Saladin.

But the fighting and squabbling went on. Before we go further, here is a YouTube video of some recent brawling at this “holy” of holies :

You can also Search YouTube for “Brawling at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre” and watch all the videos that pop out. You will be surprised.



In 1555, during the time of the Ottomans, control of the church oscillated between the Franciscans and the Orthodox. In 1767, weary of the squabbling among the Christian sects, the Ottomans issued a “firman” (English : firmament) or fatwa that divided the church among the claimants.



The primary custodians are the Eastern Orthodox, Armenian Apostolic, and Roman Catholic Churches, with the Greek Orthodox Church having the lion's share. In the 19th century, the Coptic Orthodox, the Ethiopian Orthodox and the Syriac Orthodox acquired lesser responsibilities, which include shrines and other structures within and around the building. Times and places of worship for each community are strictly regulated in common areas.



Establishment of the status quo did not halt the violence. In 2002, the Coptic monk who is stationed on the roof to express Coptic claims to the Ethiopian territory there moved his chair from its agreed spot into the shade. This was interpreted as a hostile move by the Ethiopians, and eleven were hospitalized after the resulting fracas.



In 2004 during Orthodox celebrations of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, a door to the Franciscan chapel was left open. This was taken as a sign of disrespect by the Orthodox and a fist fight broke out.



On Palm Sunday, in April 2008, a brawl broke out due to a Greek monk being ejected from the building by a rival faction. A clash erupted between Armenian and Greek monks on Sunday 9 November 2008, during celebrations for the Feast of the Holy Cross.



Now about the ladder. Someone placed the wooden ladder there sometime before 1852, when the status quo defined both the doors and the window ledges as common ground among all the sects. The ladder remains there to this day, in almost exactly the same position it can be seen to occupy in century-old photographs and engravings.



So what was Saladin’s solution? None of the rival Christian communities controls the main entrance. In 1192, Saladin assigned responsibility for it to two neighboring Muslim families. The Al Husseinis were entrusted with the key, and the Nusseibeh, who had been the custodians of the church since the days of Caliph Omar in 637, retained the position of keeping the door.



This arrangement has persisted until today. Twice each day, everyday until today, a Husseini family member brings the key to the Church, which is then locked and unlocked by a Nusseibeh. You can see more pictures of the opening and closing of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre here.




This story has relevance to the turbans and beardos in our country too. As my good friend Pak Man used to say : “Kepala depa semua sama saja”. Indeed a factual statement. The turbans, beards and robes look so much alike. But the question is : what are they fighting for?


Here is the suggested answer from a lawyer and Blogger friend of mine who said, “my imaginary friend is better than your imaginary friend’. So lets fight. And a younger man involved in the movies and also a Blogger said, ‘my pet animated unicorn is better than your pet animated unicorn’. That’s reason enough to fight too.