"Islamic Ziyāra and Halal hospitality in Palestine”.

Al-Ḳuds “Jerusalem”, al-K̲h̲alīl “Hebron” and Bayt Laḥm “Bethlehem"

between the years 2011-2016

Dr. Omar Abed Rabo and Dr. Rami K. Isaac

Abstract

This chapter goes over the importance of Palestinian cities for the Islamic and Halal tourism

sector, and dissects the issues and problems that prevent this type of tourism from

flourishing in recent years, due to political and economic instability. In addition, this

chapter suggests new concepts in the Halal sector, such as Halal volunteer-tourism, which

could be a positive addition to the sector of tourism in Palestine. While Palestinian cities

have historically been central locations for Islamic pilgrimages because of the vastness and

wealth of holy sites in the area, when compared to other cities in the region that are

experiencing extreme growth in the tourism sector, Palestinian cities have so far been

unable to reach their potential as prime Islamic and Halal tourism locales.

Keywords: Al-Ḳuds al-K ̲h̲alīl, Bayt Laḥm, Islamic tourism and Ḥalāl tourism

Index

Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 4

The historical background of Islamic visit to al-Ḳuds, al-K̲h̲alīl and Bayt Laḥm .............. 7

Concept Notes ................................................................................................................... 13

Islamic and Ḥalāl tourism in al-Ḳuds, al-K̲h̲alīl and Bayt Laḥm ..................................... 15

Tourist arrival, hotels and accommodations ..................................................................... 21

Ḥalāl food.......................................................................................................................... 25

Islamic tourism phenomenon in Palestine ........................................................................ 27

Which places Muslims tourist can visit: al-Ḳuds, al-K̲h̲alīl and Bayt Laḥm.................... 32

Conclusion ........................................................................................................................ 34

References ......................................................................................................................... 36

INTRODUCTION

Over the past few decades, international tourism activity has shown substantial and

sustained growth in terms of both the number of tourists and tourism receipts. While the

world tourist arrivals and tourism receipts have been growing substantially over the years,

world tourism markets witnessed some important changes in the direction of tourism. This

has been clear in the increase observed in the relative share of the developing countries,

including the Organization of Islamic Countries (OIC) member countries, in the world

tourist arrivals and tourism receipts. As group, the OIC countries attracted 174.7 million

tourists in 2013, compared with 156.4 million in 2009. International tourism receipts in the

OIC countries also recorded a significant increase of about $20 billion during the period

2009-2013 and reached $144.1 billion as of 2013 (OIC, 2015).

Islam is one of the world’s major religions (Esposito 1999) and has an estimated one- and-

a-half billion adherents. These are concentrated in the 57 countries belonging to the

Organization of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and there are sizeable Muslim populations

in other nations around the world (OIC, 2017).

Over the last two decades, Islamic life style market has been growing as shariah’h complaint

products and services (e.g. halal food, Islamic tourism and Islamic finance) have become an

important component of the global economy. With an increasing awareness and expanding

numbers of Muslim tourists around the world, many tourism industry players have started

to offer special products and services, developed and designed in accordance with the

Islamic principles, to cater to the needs and demand of these tourists. Nevertheless, despite

attracting significant interest across the globe, Islamic tourism is relatively a new concept in

both theory and practice. Islamic tourism activity remained highly concentrated in Muslim

majority countries of the OIC, which are currently both the major source markets for

Islamic tourism expenditures and popular destinations (OIC, 2015).

Nonetheless, several countries around the world and in the Mediterranean region paid

attention to this tourism growth, and this interest in the tourism sector attributed to the

growing numbers of Muslim tourists to various destinations across the globe. These

countries have built a service infrastructure equipped with facilities that provide services to

Muslim visitors (restaurants, resorts, accommodation, flights, etc.) in accordance with the

principles of the Islamic s̲h̲arīʿa law. Travel is one of the fastest growing tourism sectors in

the world, with an estimated growth rate of 4.8% against the 3.8% industry average (Dinar

Standard, 2012). In 2015, it was estimated that there were 117 million Muslim international

travelers. This is projected to grow to 168 million by 2020, where the travel expenditure

by Muslim travelers is expected to exceed 200 billion USD (Crescent Rating, 2015).

Recently, a new report compiled by the United Nations World Tourism Organization

(UNWTO) has revealed the world’s fastest growing tourist destinations for 2017 – and the

results throw up a few surprises. One of the fastest growing destination is Palestine (Haines,

2017). Earlier this year the street artist, Banksy, opened a boutique hotel in Palestine’s West

Bank, which, in hindsight, appears to have been a sage move: tourism in Palestine is

booming. According to the UNWTO, the occupied territories of Palestine witnessed a

57.8 per cent rise in international arrivals so far this year. Overlooking the Israeli West

Bank Segregation Wall (Isaac and Ashworth, 2012), Banksy’s politically-charged Walled

Off Hotel has likely helped raise awareness of tourism in Palestine, which is on course to

welcome more than 630,000 holidaymakers by the end of the year.

The numbers of tourists in general and Muslims in particular do not match the religious

status of cities, which can receive more than one million Muslim tourists annually. This

chapter deals with Islamic and Ḥalāl tourism in three Palestinian cities: al-Ḳuds

“Jerusalem”, “al-K ̲h̲alīl” Hebron and BaytLaḥm "Bethlehem", but before we present the

status of Islamic and Ḥalāl tourism in the three Palestinian cities. This chapter will present

the tourism situation in these Palestinian cities and the religious value of visiting the three

cities for Muslims according to Islamic teaching [s̲h ̲arīʿa law] and Islamic cultural heritage.

In addition, this chapter will raise questions about the forces that affect the tourist situation

in these cities, which leads to an increase in the number of Muslim tourists or decrease in

numbers.

THE HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF ISLAMIC VISIT TO AL-ḲUDS, AL-K̲H̲ALĪL

AND BAYT LAḤM

Those who dig into the Arab and Islamic history of Palestine will find great interest in the

three major tourism cities of the country, and will join hundreds of companions, some of

whom spent their lives in Jerusalem and died there, and the well-known ʿulamāʾ, or

intellectuals and religious scientists, referred to traditionally as the: faḳīh, muftīun,

muḥaddit̲h̲un, mutakallimun etc., who came to Jerusalem to pray in the holy sites and to

study in al-Aqsa Mosque (Abed Rabo, 2012 Pp. 147, 151, 154). From the beginning of the

8th century, Muslim visitors and pilgrims came to al-Ḳuds, al-K ̲h̲alīl and Bayt Laḥm to pray

in the holy places. The places visited in al-Ḳuds were concentrated mainly on the al-Aqsa

Mosque, and in al-K ̲h̲alīl the visit focused in al-Masjed al-Ibrahimi and in Bayt Laḥm, the

Church of Nativity. In Islam al-Ḳuds is the land where Allah took the Prophet Muhammad

on a night journey from al-Masjid al-Haram in Mecca to al-Masjid al-Aqsa in al-Ḳuds,

which blessed its surroundings, and means the whole land of Palestine is blessed. Based on

the night of the Isrāʾ a special traditions were circulated and established special literature

"Literature in Praise of Jerusalem" "The Faḍāʾil literature" (Athaminah, 2013 p. 93-108), was

speared in the Umayyad period in an attempt to encourage pilgrimage to al-Ḳuds and to

pray there (Elad, 1995 p. 63).

In his book “Faḍāʾil al Bayt al-Muqaddas”, Abū Bakr al-Wāsiṭī (d. after 1019 A. D).

Presents an early tradition which dated to the first quarter of the 8th century. He wrote:

“He who comes to Bayt al-Muqaddas [Jerusalem] and prays to the right of the rock [on the

Haram] and to its north, and prays in the place of the Chain, and gives a little or much

charity, his prayers will be answered, and God will remove his sorrows and he will be freed

of his sins as on the day his mother gave birth to him…” (Al-Wāsiṭī. 1979 p.23).

During the beginning of the eighth century most of the Muslims who went to Mecca to

perform the Ḥad̲j̲d̲j̲ also came to Jerusalem before or after the Ḥad̲j̲d̲j̲, either to do the iḥram

from al-Aqsa or to sanctify their pilgrimage. The most frequent Duʿāʾ(addressed to God)

among the Muslims is the sanctity your Ḥad̲j̲d̲j̲, which is an indication of the phenomenon

of sanctifying the pilgrimage, and is preferred by Muslims to be done in Jerusalem. Those

who can perform the Ḥad̲j̲d̲j̲, visit Jerusalem to sanctify their pilgrimage and if the pilgrim

does so, his pilgrimage has been completed. Some pilgrims came to Jerusalem before the

season of the Ḥad̲j̲d̲j̲ in order to prepare themselves for Ḥad̲j̲d̲j̲ or the ʿumra. This action

was called iḥram [is an “act of declaring (or making) sacred or forbidden”]. The opposite is

iḥlāl is an act [“of declaring permitted”]. The word iḥrām had become a technical term for

the state of temporary consecration of someone who is performing the ḥad̲j̲d̲j̲ or the ʿumra ;

a person in this state is referred to as muḥrim. The entering into this holy state (also called

iḥlāl) is accomplished, for men and women, by the statement of intention, accompanied by

certain rites and in addition, for men, by the donning of the ritual garment. Famous

Muslim scholars like ʿAbd Allāh b. ʿUmar b. al-K ̲h̲aṭṭāb (d. in 692-3), the sun of the

second caliph (r. 13/634-23/644) ʿUmar b. al-K ̲h̲aṭṭāb, came to Jerusalem to perform the

iḥram in al-Aqsa Mosque before the ḥad̲j̲d̲j̲ (Elad, 1995, p.64). In the past, entering the state

of iḥram from al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem and specifically from the Rock of Jerusalem

was the common tradition of the majority of Muslims who performed the Ḥad ̲j̲d̲j̲ or ʿumra

, for example: Ṣāliḥ b. Yūsuf Abū S̲h̲uʿayb (d. in Ramla in 895 A D.) preformed the Ḥad̲j̲d̲j̲

seventy times, and each time he would perform the iḥram from the Rock of Jerusalem [min

Ṣak̲h̲rat Bayt al-Muqaddas] (Elad, 1995, p.65). In the second half of the tenth century the

Jerusalemite geographer al-Muqaddasī who describe the people of north Africa, said that

there were very few North Africans who did not visit Jerusalem. These huge numbers of

Muslims who were visiting Jerusalem in the past are linked to the holiness of Jerusalem and

stems from the combining of the pilgrimage to Mecca and al-Medina with the tradition of

praying in Jerusalem before and/or after the ʿumra or the Ḥad̲j̲d̲j̲. The Ḥad̲j̲d ̲j̲ activities,

which Muslim do before or after performing the ʿumra or the Ḥad̲j̲d̲j̲ are based on a very

strong Ḥadīth that permits the Ḥad̲j̲d̲j̲ to the three mosques: Mecca, al- Madina, and

Jerusalem.

Many Islamic countries explain the verses of Quran about tourism and there are numerous

forms of travel. First one is Ḥad̲j̲d̲j̲ that includes pilgrimage and journey to Mecca once in

lifetime at least which is obligatory for each healthy adult Muslim except unable physically.

Muslims can make the Ḥad̲j̲d̲j̲ to al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem and other Muslim sacred

sites in Palestine. Second is visit, in Arabic is Ziyara, which is related to visiting holy sites

and places. Third one is Trip, in Arabic Rihlah, which is trip to other motives for instance

learning and work, focusing on a meaningful movement as an element of the spiritual

journey in the service of God.

The Prophet said: "Do not set out on a journey except for three Mosques, Al-Masjid-AI-

Haram, the Mosque of Allah's Messenger and the Mosque of al-Aqsa, (Mosque of

Jerusalem). (Al-Bukhari, 1189). This Ḥadīth (statement) clearly indicates that to complete

the Muslim pilgrimage it is highly preferred to do so by visiting all three mosques, which

explains the visits of the famous Muslim companions and followers to Jerusalem through

Arab and Islamic history of the city, and also this Ḥadīth is agreed upon by all Muslims as a

strong Ḥadīth. The Muslims used to visit Jerusalem after the ḥad̲j̲d̲j̲, for example: People

from K ̲h̲urāsān came to Palestine with large groups of pilgrims and visitors in Jerusalem

after their pilgrimage in Mecca. For example, in 414 H/1024 AD, the pilgrimage convoy

passed through Ayla (Elath) and from Ayla to Ramla to the Shamat road to Baghdad. This

convoy was described by al-Musabbiһ̣ī and mentioned that it included 60 thousand gangs

and 200,000 people. In his writing, he declared that the people of Syria gained many

economic benefits and that the people of the convoy were happy when they visited

Jerusalem (Al-Musabbiһ̣ī, 1980 p 43). The phenomenon of visiting Jerusalem, either to

sanctify the pilgrimage or to do proselytize before the pilgrimage or to visit al-Aqsa and

pray there since the rule of the Muslims during the Ottoman rule over Palestine, was

limited during the British mandate to the people of Bilad al-Sham until 1948, and after the

occupation of Jerusalem in 1967 was confined to the people of Palestine, who are still

practicing the rite today. This phenomenon has been renewed after the call by Palestinian

President Mahmoud Abbas and the activity of the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Holy Sites

in Palestine and groups of Islamic countries that are encouraging Arabs and Muslims to visit

Jerusalem and pray at al-Aqsa Mosque. Recently in the end of S̲h̲aʿbān in May 2017, a

number of Muslims from south east Asia came to Jerusalem and they visit al-Aqsa Mosque

to pray and to enter into a state of iḥram in Jerusalem's al-Aqsa before continuing to Mecca

(Ma’an, 2017).

For Muslims, al-K ̲h̲alīl and Bayt Laḥm are the places were prophet Muhammed prayed

during the night of the Isrāʾ on his way to al-Ḳuds. On this night the angel Jibril asked him

to come down and to pray two rak'ahs, saying to him, "Here is the tomb of your father

Abraham,” (Ibn al-Murajja, 1995 p. 331) and when Jibril passed by the Prophet

Muhammad over Bayt Laḥm, he said to him, "Come down and pray here two rak'ahs. Here

is the place where your brother Isa ibn Maryam (peace be upon him) was born." (Ibn al-

Murajja p.252). The Traditions in praise of al-K ̲h ̲alīl do not differ in their meaning and

structure from the traditions in Praise of al-Ḳuds, which also spread from the beginning of

the 8th century. These traditions deal with the praises of the tomb of Ibrahim, the rest of

the Patriarchs and their wives, as well as with al-K ̲h̲alīl itself. According to traditions, the

pilgrimage to Mecca, as is known, was combined with a visit to the Prophet’s Tomb. The

Muslims of that period combined a visit to Mecca with one to Jerusalem, as well as a visit to

the tomb of the Prophet Mohammed with one to the Tomb of Abraham in al-K ̲h̲alīl

(Hebron). The traditions say that all who visit both tombs in a single year are assured

acceptance into Paradise. Someone who cannot, or is prevented from, visiting the Tomb of

the Prophet, must visit the Tomb of Abraham, to pray and recite Muslim invocations. It is

said prayers at Abraham's tomb will be answered.

CONCEPT NOTES

Most of the scholars who studied this type of tourism as well as the tourism institutions in

different countries have used several concepts to define this phenomena; Some of them

used the concept: 1- “Ḥalāl tourism,” (Battour and Ismail, 2016). others used both terms 2-

“Islamic tourism” or "Ḥalāl tourism" in the same study, (Jaelani, 2017) both terms used

interchangeably. And some institutions used 3- “Ḥalāl friendly tourism,” to reflect the same

meaning for the previous two concepts. We believe that the definition of these concepts

should take into account some basic issues, which will affect the accuracy of the use of these

concepts, for example: the purpose of the visit, which may determine the destination of the

travel. The purpose of this visit leads us to wonder -- is it to perform, ([Ḥad̲j̲d̲j, the fifth of

the five “pillars” (arkān) of Islam, also called the Great Pilgrimage in contrast to the ʿumra

or Little Pilgrimage.]). So if the visit to perform religious obligation, such as Ḥad̲j̲d̲j and

ʿumra, the travel destination will be [Mecca, al-Madina, al-Ḳuds and al-K ̲h̲alīl], the four

Islamic cities that Muslims are obliged to visit according to Islamic law and Islamic legacy.

In this case, the Muslim cannot fulfill the obligatory duties without performing Ḥad̲j̲d̲j to

the cities of Mecca and al-Madina, but before traveling to Mecca, Muslims should prepare

themselves [Ihram] by praying at al-Aqsa Mosque in al-Ḳuds and in the Ibrahimi Mosque

in al-K ̲h̲alīl. These activities apply to the concept “Islamic tourism,” which also includes

visits to other religious sites such as shrines (Battour and Ismail, 2016). This kind of Islamic

religious tourism, of course, includes Ḥalāl activity, where a pilgrim obtains Ḥalāl services

in accordance with the Islamic Sh̲arīʿa and its principles and values. Therefore, "Islamic

Tourism" indeed encompasses what is now known as "Ḥalāl tourism,” with all its

requirements.

The concept "Islamic tourism" cannot be applied in all destinations, whether Arab or

Islamic countries because, performing Ḥad̲j̲d̲j can be done only in Mecca and the Ihram

preferred to be in al-Ḳuds, and praying in al-Aqsa Mosque, and visiting the Cave of the

Patriarchs in al-K ̲h̲alīl and praying there. While in terms of “Ḥalāl tourism”, it is the

concept that applies to the activity of Muslims in Arab or Islamic countries where there are

no religious places associated with Ḥad̲j̲d̲j and ʿumra. Therefore, the daily activities of

Muslim in these destinations and the services that the Muslims receive there are services

based on Islamic law. The third concept that is also used in the Islamic tourism market is:

“Ḥalāl friendly tourism” which has appeared in the tourism industry market through non-

Muslim countries in order to attracted Muslim visitors to visit non-Muslim destination.

“Ḥalāl friendly tourism” is another form of “Ḥalāl tourism”, but in non-Arab and non-

Muslim countries. It aims to Islamize the services provided to Muslim tourists in non-

Muslim countries. The common denominator between “Ḥalāl friendly tourism” and

“Ḥalāl tourism” is the term Ḥalāl, means that everything permitted in the Islamic Sh̲arīʿa is

Ḥalāl.

ISLAMIC AND ḤALĀL TOURISM IN AL-ḲUDS, AL-K̲H̲ALĪL AND BAYT LAḤM

The center of al-Ḳuds and/or East Jerusalem is the Old City, which is located within the

walls of the Ottoman city. While it is just a square kilometer, it was and remains a

destination for tourists who have come to the city to visit historical and religious places

within its walls and explore its rich legacy. Al-K ̲h̲alīl, located 32 kilometers south of

Jerusalem, is similar to al-Ḳuds in that it is a holy city for Palestinians and Muslims. It is the

place where Ibraham al-K ̲h̲alīl immigrated to dwell in, and it was destined to contain his

remains, and those of his family, Sara, Isaac, Rebkah, Jacob and Leah. The location of their

tombs was the reason al-K ̲h̲alīl became a holy place. Between the end of the 7th century

and the beginning of the 8th century the name of the village of Hebron was “Habra” or

“Hibra.” Muslim geographers of the 9th century called the place the Mosque of Abraham

“Masjid Ibrahim.” In the middle of the 10th century the Jerusalemite geographer al-

Muqaddasī (d. around 1000 A.D), used the names Habra and Masjid Ibrahim in his book

Aḥsan al-taqāsim fī maʿrifat al-aqālīm (The Best Divisions in the Knowledge of the

Regions) (Al-Muqaddasī, 1906 p. 172). The name “Ibrahim al-K ̲h̲alīl,” means Abrahm the

Friend (of God), was well known during the early Muslim period, and was used in all

traditions that related to the area. Only in the thirteenth century does “al-K ̲h̲alīl” emerge as

the actual name of the city (Elad, 1996 p 24). Bethlehem “Bayt Laḥm,” is a Palestinian city

located 9 kilometers south of Jerusalem, it began to be honored and visited by Christians

from the 4th century until today. It became equally venerated by Muslims as the birthplace

of “ʿĪsā ben. Maryam” (Bayt Laḥm).

Arabs and Muslims lost their access to visit al-Ḳuds and the West Bank after the Israeli

government declared occupation in 1967. Even after the signing of the Camp David

Accord between Egypt and Israel in 1978, the Egyptian people refused to visit Jerusalem

and the West Bank and considered visiting these cities normalization with the occupation.

Political and field events developed in Jerusalem and the West Bank when the first

Palestinian Intifada began in 1987, which ended with the signing of the 1993 Oslo

Agreement between the PLO and Israel. Other Arab countries such as Jordan signed the

Jordanian-Israeli peace agreement, but these agreements have not made an effect on the

prohibition of Arabs and Muslims from visiting al- al-Ḳuds and the West Bank under

occupation.

Tourism began to flourish after the Oslo Agreement. By 1999 the number of tourists to

Israel and al-Ḳuds has reached up to 2,923,200 tourists and in 2000 the number was still

climbing, reaching around 3,000,000 tourists. In 2001, the outbreak of the al-Aqsa Intifada

led to a significant drop in the number of tourists who visited Jerusalem, plummeting from

3,000,000 to 639,300. The drop in tourism was due to the violence that erupted during the

Intifada (Jerusalem Institute for Israel Studies, 2012-2017). Eventually tourism began to

recover as a result of stability, and by 2004 the number of tourists began to increase. This

number is almost unassuming if we compare it with Christian and Jewish tourists arrivals to

Jerusalem, and it will be negligible compared to the huge number of Muslim tourist arrivals

in other cities in the OIC, which in 2011 reached about 58.7 million Muslim tourists.

Palestinian cities have received few Muslim tourists in comparison to other cities in the

region. For example, during 2016, Mecca received 6 million Pilgrims (This number is not

including the Ḥad̲j̲d̲j̲), who performed the ʿumra (Al-Emarat alyoum, 2015). While

Jerusalem has received 2,568,300 tourists during 2015, only 440,900 of them stayed

overnight in al-Ḳuds hotels, 54,331 of whom were Muslims, which is about 2.5%. The

number of visitors from different nationalities and religious increased very slowly during

2016 to reach 2,665,600, only 481,100 of whom stayed overnight in al-Ḳuds (Jerusalem

Institute for Israel Studies, 2012-2017).

Up until 2011, very few Arab and Muslim tourists visited Palestine – their presence almost

nonexistent. However, since 2011 there has been a new phenomenon in the Palestinian

and regional tourism market, namely, Islamic tourism to al-Ḳuds, al-K ̲h̲alīl and Bayt Laḥm,

despite the controversy among Muslim scholars over the legality of visiting the cities, due

to the ongoing occupation.

Palestinians in general and the people of the three Palestinian cities, al-Ḳuds, al-K̲h̲alīl and

Bayt Laḥm live in a traditional conservative society, whose traditions are reflected in the

social context and in the preservation of traditional principles of socialization, which are

transferred from society to the individual. The conservative traditions stem from the Islamic

religion, as well as Arab customs and traditions, which are not separated in Palestinian

society. Because Palestinians have kept and preserved the importance of Palestine as a holy

land, tourists are able and encouraged to visit Palestine under the concept of Islamic/ Ḥalāl

tourism. They will pray at al-Aqsa mosque, which is one of the three holy mosques in

Islam, visit the Nativity “Mahd Isa” in Bayt Laḥm (the birthplace of Jesus, considered a

prophet in Islam) and pray at the Ibrahimi mosque in al-K ̲h̲alīl. Because Palestinians have

maintained a religious culture, Muslim tourists will receive Ḥalāl services at their hotel

accommodation and Ḥalāl food served in Palestinian restaurants. In addition, any tourist in

Palestine will find a mosque is never more than a few blocks away from their

accommodations. Muslims visiting al-Ḳuds, al-K ̲h ̲alīl and Bayt Laḥm will also find that

within hotels there are places designated for prayer, while those who wish to pray in local

mosques of these cities only need a few minutes to walk through the tradition markets to

reach a mosque. The advantage of these cites is the location, where hotels, restaurants and

the aswāḳ (market\ Sūḳ) traditional markets, and shopping centers are located close to

religious and historical sites, which is a strong feature to attract Muslim tourists to visit these

cities. During their stay, Muslim tourist will also discover the daily lives of Palestinians in

the cities and refugee camps nearby.

There are also some Muslim tourists who come individually from non-Islamic countries to

Palestine. These Muslim tourists often rent small apartments or rooms from Palestinian

families to live in. Some of them rent rooms in refugee camps in Bayt Laḥm and al-K ̲h̲alīl.

Palestinians in al-Ḳuds, al-K ̲h̲alīl and Bayt Laḥm especially, have created many initiatives

and organizations to encourage this type of tourism, such as, Jerusalem Tourism Cluster

(JTC), Visit Palestine, and Volunteer Palestine. Volunteer Palestine for example, is an

awareness-raising travel organization for international visitors, established by refugees from

Bayt Laḥm which runs volunteer placements within refugee camps in Palestine. As part of

the volunteering placement, they facilitate homestays, political tours and cultural activities

to ensure the visitors experience the best of Palestine. While the organization welcomes

volunteers and tourists from all over the world, it places a special importance on targeting

the Palestinian diaspora and Muslim international communities.

With the success of such programs in the volunteer-tourism sphere, one could imagine a

new concept of [Ḥalāl volunteer-tourism] flourishing in this market. With many Muslim

cultures maintaining a conservative lifestyle around the world, the option of volunteering

with an organization promising a Ḥalāl experience could open up options for youth from

conservative communities, particularly young women, to travel with the blessings of

conservative family members.

While Palestine offers a plethora of religious sites and institutions for volunteers and

tourists, the land also offers visitors an opportunity to go site-seeing at the natural sites and

villages of the country, where they will also find all the necessary requirements for Islamic

tourism and Ḥalāl services. Muslim tourists can enjoy The Masar Ibrahim al-K ̲h̲alīl

(Abraham's Path, see Isaac, 2017), a trail that runs through the West Bank from the

Mediterranean olive groves of the highlands of the north to the silence of the deserts in the

south, from the area west of Jenin to the area south of al-Haram Al-Ibrahimi in the city of

al-K ̲h̲alīl (Hebron).

In July 2017, the United Nations’ cultural arm declared the Old City of Hebron a

protected heritage site in a secret ballot, an issue that has triggered a new Israeli-Palestinian

spat at the international body. UNESCO voted 12 to three - with six abstentions - to give

heritage status to Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

Hebron is home to more than 200,000 Palestinians and a few hundred Israeli settlers, who

live in a heavily fortified enclave near the site known to Muslims as the Ibrahimi Mosque

and to Jews as the Tomb of the Patriarchs. The resolution, brought by the Palestinians and

which declares Hebron's Old City as an area of outstanding universal value, was fast-

tracked on the basis that the site was under threat, with the Palestinians accusing Israel of an

‘alarming’ number of violations, including vandalism and damage to properties. Hebron

claims to be one of the oldest cities in the world, dating from the chalcolithic period or

more than 3,000 years BC, the UNESCO resolution said (Aljazeera, 2017).

TOURIST ARRIVAL, HOTELS AND ACCOMMODATIONS

Despite the religious and historical importance of the city in Islam, the number of Muslims

who visit al-Ḳuds is small compared to the number of Christians and Jews that visited

Jerusalem (Table 1), or compared to Muslim tourists visiting other Muslim cities or non-

Muslim cities in the world.

Table 1: Tourist arrivals

Year Total Christians Jews Muslims No affiliation Others

2011 2,142,481 61.6 % 23.2% 1.4% 10.5% 3.2%

2012 2,168,820 63 % 19% 3% 11% 3%

2013 2,240,128 63% 19% 3% 11% 3%

2014 2,333,720 58.7% 24.5% 2.2% 12.4% 2.2%

2015 2,173,210 58.6% 24.9% 2.5% 11.8% 2.2%

Table 1 shows the percentage of Muslim tourists who visited Jerusalem during the period

2011-2015, compared to other tourists from other religions during the same period

(Jerusalem Institute for Israel Studies, 2012-2017).

We will present here the number of tourist arrivals in general, and Muslims in particular,

and the hotels and restaurants which operate in the three major Palestinian tourism cities. In

2011, 2,142,481 million tourists visited Jerusalem. Only 477,300 of those tourists stayed in

East Jerusalem hotels, 29,995 of which were Muslims, making up just 1.4% of the total

number of tourists who visited the city that year. The number of Muslim visitors to

Jerusalem doubled in 2012. With 3% of all visitors to Jerusalem being Muslim in during

that year, the number of Muslim tourists in the city increased to about 65,646 out of the

2,168,820 visitors documented. Of those in 2012, 448,200 tourists among them stays in

East Jerusalem. In 2013, the number of Muslim visitors continued to increase, reaching

67,204 Muslim tourists out of 2,240,128 visitors who came to the city. Among them, just

443,300 tourists stayed in East Jerusalem hotels. The number of Muslim tourists who

visited Jerusalem decreased slightly in 2014 and 2015. In 2014, 51,342 tourists visited

Jerusalem, representing 2.2% of the total 2,333,720 tourists who visited the city, among

them only 510,000 tourists stayed overnight in East Jerusalem hotels.

But a newspaper report published in the Israeli newspaper Haaretz in 2015 indicated that

the number of Muslim tourists significantly increased in 2015, official numbers dispute the

reported increase. While Haaretz reported 80,000 Muslim tourists to East Jerusalem in

2015: 26,700 of which were Indonesians, 23,000 Turkish, 17,700 Jordanians, 9,000

Malaysians and 3,300 Moroccans (Paltoday, 2015). These numbers differ from the official

numbers given by the JIIS center In 2015, which documented 54,330 Muslim tourists,

about 2.5% of the 2,173,210 total (Jerusalem Institute for Israel Studies, 2012-2017), which

indicates an increase of 3000 Muslims tourists between 2014 and 2015.

While the highly respected Travel and Leisure (T&L) magazine listed Jerusalem as one of

the top ten tourist destinations in the world in 2015 (Lieberman, 2015), Jerusalem still

experiences low rates of tourism when compared to other international tourism cities due

to the instability created by occupation. For example, Tourism Observers attribute the drop

in the number of tourists who visited Israel during 2014 and 2015 to the Israeli war on

Gaza (Al-Jazeera, 2015). Analyzing the statistics, it seems the war in Gaza caused a decrease

in the number of Muslim tourists in particular during that period (See table 1)

Between 2011 and 2015, the number of hotels operating in Jerusalem's Old City and

surrounding area, stood at 30 hotels. In 2016 the number rose to 31. The total number of

rooms offered in these hotels ranged between 1,905 in 2011 to 2,052 in 2016 (Jerusalem

Institute for Israel Studies, 2012-2017). During the period between 2011 and 2015, the

restaurants available in al-Ḳuds Hotels increased from 32 restaurants to 41, creating an

increase in potential capacity from more than 3,105 customers to a new capacity of 4,000

customers (Palestinian Central Bureau for Statitics, 2011-2016).

Regarding the number of Muslim tourists who visited Bayt Laḥm and al-K ̲h ̲alīl., we do

not have official statistics from the Ministry of Tourism or the Palestinian Central Bureau of

Statistics for its numbers. The statistics provided by the Ministry of Tourism through the

tourist and Antiquity police or those provided by the PCBS are statistics according to the

country or the regions that tourists came from. The figures and percentages presented in

this chapter about the numbers of Muslim tourists who visited East Jerusalem are supposed

to apply also to the Muslim tourists who visits the cities of al-K ̲h̲alīl and Bayt Laḥm

because these cities are part of the organized tour for Muslim tourists who visit these three

cities (Paltoday, 2015).

The number of tourists who visited the cities of al-K ̲h̲alīl and Bayt Laḥm and stayed

overnight between 2011 and 2015, according to the PCBS, ranged between 225,164 and

314,380 tourists, which is half of the total number of tourists visiting East Jerusalem, and

less than one percent of the total tourists who visited Jerusalem in general. The number of

hotels operating in al-K ̲h̲alīl and Bayt Laḥm is slightly higher than the hotels in al-Ḳuds. In

2011, there were 28 hotels operating in Bayt Laḥm and al-K ̲h̲alīl, while in 2015, the

number of hotels increased to 37, most of which were located in Bayt Laḥm. The number

of rooms in these hotels during the period between 2011 and 2015 ranged from 2,125

rooms to 3,194 rooms in 2015. The number of restaurants operating in these hotels during

this period range between 40 restaurants in 2011 with a capacity of 2125 customers. In

2015 it increased to 56 restaurants, reaching a capacity of 10,899 customers (PCBS, 2011-

2016). The number of restaurants mentioned above is are those located within hotels, but

there are dozens of special tourist restaurants located within the historical markets and in

the centers of these cities (Halaika et al., 2016).

ḤALĀL FOOD

All restaurants within hotels or private restaurants in Palestine serve Ḥalāl food to their

customers. The meat of poultry or sheep offered in these hotels and restaurants is meat

slaughtered in slaughterhouses in al-Ḳuds, al-K ̲h ̲alīl and Bayt Laḥm. In the process of

creating Ḥalāl meat, the name of God is mentioned during the slaughter, based on the rule

of the "good things" or “ṭayyibāt,” which outlines what is lawful for Muslims to eat, which

constitutes an important part of Ḥalāl food according to the Quran: “Eat then of that over

which the Name of Allah has been mentioned (when slaughtered), if you truly believe in

His verses”. (Quran). And Allah Said: “O you who believe, eat of the good things, that are

lawful, wherewith We have provided you, and give thanks to God, for what He has made

lawful for you, if it be Him that you worship”. The Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon

him) said: “O people, Allah is ṭayyib (pure and good) and He accepts only what is ṭayyib.

Verily, Allah has commanded the believers as He commanded His Messengers. Allah said:

O Messengers! Eat of the Tayyibat and do righteous deeds. Verily, I am well-acquainted

with what you do”.

Eating Ḥalāl food and living a Ḥalāl lifestyle is a prerequisite for Allah to respond to the

prayer of Muslims, and according to Islam, Allah does not respond to the person who live a

Ḥarām (the opposite of Halal) lifestyle and eat Ḥarām food.

In the Muslim Hadiths, The Prophet makes mention of travelers who travel for a long

period of time. In the writings, an example is given of a traveler with disheveled hair who is

covered in dust. The traveler lifts his hand towards the sky and thus makes the supplication:

'My Rubb! My Rubb!' But his food is unlawful, his drink is unlawful, his clothes are

unlawful and his nourishment is unlawful, how can, then his supplication be accepted?"

The vegetables and fruits offered in these restaurants and hotels produced in the Palestinian

land in Al-K ̲h̲alīl , Bayt Laḥm , Jericho or the northern Palestinian governorates, which

provide the Palestinian market with the freshest types of vegetables and fruits. The

Palestinian farmers in these governorates apply the rules of Ḥalāl agriculture and they are

also fighting and controlling their land despite the attacks of Israeli settlers on Palestinian

farmers in these provinces (Al-Haq, 2012).

ISLAMIC TOURISM PHENOMENON IN PALESTINE

The phenomenon of Islamic tourism has not been prevalent before 2011, the absence of

which may be related to the instability that followed the al-Aqsa Intifada in October 2000,

and the Fatwas issued by Muslim scholars forbidding visits to al-Ḳuds, and the West Bank

under Israeli occupation. But since 2011 this phenomenon has become remarkable and the

cities in the West Bank are witnessing an influx (see above: numbers of Muslim tourists

between 2011- 2015) of tourists from Muslim countries. In an interview conducted by

Ma'an News Agency in June 2013 the Palestinian Tourism Minister Rula Maa'yaa said:

"Islamic tourism to Palestine began late last year (2012), and was increased day after day,

especially with the President's calls and the ministry's contacts with Islamic countries, to

encourage its residents to visit the Palestinian cities Ma’an, 2013)." It seems that the speech

of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at the international conference held in Doha,

Qatar, on 26-27 February 2012, in which he called upon Arabs, Muslims and Christians to

visit Jerusalem in order to preserve the Arab and Islamic character of the city, has resonated

in many Arab and Islamic countries such as Turkey, Malaysia, Indonesia, Jordan, Morocco.

During the conference, Abbas discouraged countries from continuing a boycott of tourism

to the area, declaring the importance of: “encourage[ing] all who can, especially our

brothers from the Arab and Islamic countries, as well as our Arab, Muslim and Christian

brothers in Europe and the United States to visit al-Ḳuds. This move will have its political,

moral, economic and humanitarian repercussions. al-Ḳuds belongs to us and we all have no

one to prevent us from reaching it. The influx of crowds and the congestion of its streets

and holy sites will strengthen the steadfastness of its citizens and contribute to the

protection and consolidation of the identity, history and heritage of the city targeted by the

eradication. The occupiers will remember that the issue of al-Ḳuds is the cause of every

Arab, every Muslim and every Christian. We confirm here that the visit of the prisoner is a

support for him and does not in any way mean normalization with the prisoner.” (Abbas,

2012).

In April 18, 2012 Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad, the King Abdullah II personal advisor and

head of the Royal āl al-Bayt Society, and the former Egyptian Mufti Ali Gum'a, visited

Jerusalem together (Al-Jazeera, 2012). It seems that the Call of the Palestinian President

Mahmoud Abbas to encourage Arabs, Muslims and friends to visit al-Ḳuds have led to a

debate among Muslim scholars on the issue of Muslims and Arabs visiting al-Ḳuds under

Israeli occupation control. In opposition to the Palestinian President's call to visit al-Ḳuds,

the chairman of the International Union of Muslim Scholars (IUMS), Dr. Yusuf Qaradawi,

has issued a fatwa prohibiting the visit of al-Ḳuds to non-Palestinians, in order to "not

legalize the Israeli occupation in the city (Donia al-Watan, 2012).

The Palestinian official position remained constant and called for intensifying visits by

Muslims to al-Ḳuds, al-K ̲h̲alīl and Bayt Laḥm , as well as the Jordanian position. Therefore,

the two sides held a series of activities: On Sunday March 31, 2013 King Abdullah II and

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas signed a "trusteeship and sovereignty" agreement,

which continued Jordan's right to "guardianship" and "defense of al-Ḳuds and holy sites" in

Palestine (Jordanzad, 2013).

Between April 28 and 30, 2014, an international conference concerning Jerusalem was held

in Amman, entitled "al-Tariq 'ila al-Ḳuds\ The Road to Jerusalem", under the patronage of

Jordan's King Abdullah II, the Jerusalem Committee for Jerusalem Affairs and the Arab

Parliament. The subject of the discussion was Israeli violations at al-Aqsa Mosque and ways

of assisting Palestinians living in Jerusalem. The conference was attended by Muslim and

Christian clerics: the former Egyptian Mufti, Ali Gum'a; Mufti al-Ḳuds, and the Palestinian

territories, Sheikh Muhammad Hussein, Palestinian Minister of Religious Affairs

Mahmoud al-Habash; Jordanian Minister of Endowments, and others, as well as politicians

(Al-wakeel, 2014). At the end of the conference, the participants issued a fatwa permitting

Muslims to visit al-Aqsa, but, restricting it only to Palestinian visitors or to Muslim visitors

with citizenship from countries outside the Muslim world. The fatwa actually cancels the

earlier fatwa issued by al-Qaradhawi. Palestine and Jordan encouraged all Muslims to visit

al-Aqsa Mosque, but the fatwa that issued in the conference “The Road to Jerusalem” does

not permit visits to al-Ḳuds to all Muslims, it is includes "Palestinians...regardless of their

nationalities" and "Muslims with passports from countries outside the Muslim World" could

visit al-Ḳuds, as long as they didn't financially aid the "occupation." (Al-wakeel, 2014).

During the 22nd season of the International Islamic Fiqh Academy (IIFA, 2015), which was

held in Kuwait between March 22 and 25, 2015, the IIFA issued a decree stating that

visiting al-Ḳuds is a permissible and recommended act and it is obligatory to help the city

and its people. In the same year the Organization of Islamic Countries (OIC) general

secretary selected al-Kuds as the Capital of Islamic tourism for 2015 at the eight conference

of Ministers of Tourism held in Banjul, Gambia, between December 4 and 6, 2013. The

Ministry of the Awḳaf and Religious Affairs, as well as the Palestinian Ministry of Tourism,

continued to coordinate with the Ministries of the Awḳaf in the Islamic countries and also

with the OIC to encourage Muslims to visit al-Ḳuds, al-K ̲h̲alīl and Bayt Laḥm . Between

June 14 and 15, 2015 The Palestinian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities hosted the

United Nation's World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) International Conference on

Religious Tourism in Bayt Laḥm (Isaac, 2015). It was the first time that the UNWTO

organized a conference in an observer member state. The attendants of the conference

included international ministers, tourism professionals, and tourism academics. At the

conference, the Palestinian private sector presented the services it offered through an

exhibition alongside the meeting. The conference was very important for Palestine, the

audience was aware of the potential of tourist sector in Palestine, which is witnessing an

increase in the number of hotels and a remarkable development in the services provided,

which include traditional crafts, transportation and services of tourist offices, tourist police

services and qualified tourist guides from the Palestinian universities and colleges.

WHICH PLACES MUSLIMS TOURIST CAN VISIT: AL-ḲUDS, AL-K̲H̲ALĪL AND BAYT

LAḤM

There are many places Muslims can visit here in al-Ḳuds especially within the Aqsa mosque

area, e.g. : The Dome of the Rock, The Dome of the Prophet, The Dome of Ascension,

the Dome of the Chain, the Gate of Mercy, The gate the Tribes and the gate of the

prophet and also there were places outside the Aqsa mosque to visit such as the Mount of

olives. Muslims in al-K ̲h̲alīl can visit Masjid Ibrahim: The Cave of Patriarchs, Bir Haram

Ar-Rameh (Ramet Al-khalil\ Mamre), The Old city of al-K ̲h̲alīl, al-K ̲h̲alīl Refugee

Camps al Aroub Refugee Camp and Fawwar. And in Bayt Laḥm, Muslim can Visit the

church of the Nativity and Omar Mosque, the old city of Bayt Laḥm and the Refugee

camps within the city.

Despite the historical and religious status of the country, Palestine has one of the lowest

numbers of visitors in comparison to other countries in the region, which receive millions

of tourists every year. Therefore, its regional market has remained extremely low and very

weak even amid global increases in the number of tourists. During 2015, about 2,799,397

tourists visited Israel \Palestine (Jerusalem Institute for Israel Studies, 2012-2017) out of 53

million tourists who visited the Middle East region (UNWTO, 2016). Al-Kuds, al-K ̲h̲alīl

and Bayt Laḥm, are three major holy cities in Palestine. These cities have long been a

destination for travelers from all over the world, because of the religious-cultural status of

their holy sites. These cities also have the lowest number of both non-Muslim and Muslim

tourists in comparison with other cities in the region.

The main obstacles facing tourism in Palestine are the continued Israeli occupation of the

Palestinian territories, where Palestinians cannot exploit the abundant amount of tourist

resources in their cities, which are under Israeli control, such as Jerusalem and Hebron. For

example in 1997 the al-K ̲h̲alīl Protocol divided the city of al-K ̲h̲alīl into two parts. H1,

comprising around 80 percent of the city under full control of the Palestinian Authority,

and H2, comprising around 20 percent and including the Old City and the most affected

areas – under the control of Israel. The Palestinian Authority has control over civil affairs,

except in the settlement, and Israel controls the security affairs of both H1 and H2 (Clarke,

2000).

Israel continues to control the tourism sector in general by controlling the crossings and

borders and stringently controls the numbers of tourists coming to Palestinian cities. Efforts

must be intensified in order to make Palestinian cities independent tourist destinations,

which would have a positive impact on the development of these cities economically, due

to the likely increase in private sector investments in tourism.

The lack of Muslim and non-Muslim tourism in Palestinian cities has extreme negative

effects on the Gross Domestic Products of these cities, and severely impacts the operational

capacity, including employment opportunities, investments, development and so much

more.

CONCLUSION

This chapter deals with Islamic and Ḥalāl tourism in three Palestinian cities: al-Ḳuds

“Jerusalem”, “al-K̲h̲alīl” Hebron and BaytLaḥm "Bethlehem", This chapter presented the

tourism situation in these Palestinian cities and the religious value of visiting the three cities

for Muslims according to Islamic teaching [s̲h̲arīʿa law] and Islamic cultural heritage.

Islamic tourism is an activity, experience, occasion or purpose to visit historical places,

heritage, cultures, arts, business, health, education, Islamic history, sports, shopping or any

other human interests but on condition of shari’a compliance. Also, in Islamic tourism,

people travel for their vacation and recreation and to be satisfied with Allah. Thus, tourism

is a section of human life which is not contradict with the main theme of Islam. Islamic

Islamic and Halal tourism are indeed a promising market for the tourism industry in

Palestine. One of the main opportunities for the tourism sector in Palestine consist of the

need of the Muslims conducting the Hajj rites to visit the al-Aqsa mosque, in Jerusalem as a

complimentary part for their Hajj, which could open the potential for millions of visitors to

Palestine per year. Islamic tourism is a recent phenomenon in the theory and practice of

global tourism industry. Traditionally Islamic tourism was often associated with Hajj and

Umrah only. However, recently there has been an influx of products and services designed

specifically to cater the business and leisure related segments of Muslim tourists across the

globe Islamic tourism remained as an emerging niche market with 108 million Muslim

travellers, accounting for 10 to 12 % of the global tourism sector.

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