Another Temple Mount related story ignored by the BBC

As readers may recall, a year ago the BBC refrained from reporting on its English language website the Israeli government’s decision to declare the Northern Islamic Movement an illegal organisation – but did cover that story on the BBC Arabic website.Kotel at night 2

English-speaking audiences were therefore deprived of information concerning the Northern Islamic Movement’s network of paid activists who disrupt visits by non-Muslims to Temple Mount. Those networks – known as the Murabitat and Murabitun – were banned by the Israeli authorities in September 2015.

Earlier this week the Israeli Security Agency announced the arrest and indictment of four members of the Northern Islamic Movement.

“According to a statement by the Shin Bet, the defendants incited unrest at the Temple Mount in Jerusalem and four of them tried to keep up the activity of the Murabitun and Murabitat, two groups outlawed in Israel since last year for harassing Jewish visitors. […]

Members were paid for being present on the Temple Mount and for taking actions toward Jewish visitors.

The Shin Bet named the four “senior members” as Hikmet Fahim Mustafa Naama, 35, from the town of Arrabe, Yahya Muhammad Mahmoud Sutri, 54, from Nazareth, Abdel Karim Muhammad Abdel Qader Karim, 65, from Kfar Kana and Ismail Diab Mahmoud Lohani, 61, from Arrabe.

According to the Shin Bet, the four “operated an extensive network for fund-raising and paying Murabitun activists, which included transportation from all over the country to Jerusalem and the Temple Mount.””

While the BBC has frequently covered outbreaks of unrest on Temple Mount, it has serially ignored the very relevant issue of the organised harassment of non-Muslim visitors to the site by paid Islamist activists. It was hence unsurprising to see that this latest story received no coverage and audiences were once again deprived of information which would enhance their understanding of this particular “international issue“.

Related Articles:

BBC News ignores Northern Islamic Movement ban – in English

The part of the Temple Mount story the BBC refuses to tell

BBC article on Temple Mount riot notes ban on groups it previously failed to report exist

 

 

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