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| {{Short description|Former Christian bookstore in the Palestinian Gaza Strip}} | |||
| {{Use dmy dates|date=May 2021}} | |||
| {{Use Oxford English|date=May 2021}} | |||
| '''The Teacher's Bookshop''' ({{lang-ar|مكتبة المعلمين}}) was a ] bookshop in the ] that was in operation between 1998 and 2007. Located in the centre of ], it was the territory's sole ], and catered to the needs of the ]. In addition to selling books, the store also ran ] and an ]. | |||
| The Gaza Strip, part of the de jure ], was ] by the ] in 1967 during the ]. In 2005, Israel removed its ] and ] from the territory in a ], returning Gaza to Palestinian control. The following year saw the victory of ]—a Palestinian ] militant organization—in the ]. Hamas' rise to power led to growing chaos and lawlessness in Gaza as the group engaged rival Palestinian faction ] in a ]. During this conflict, ] militants threatened the life of the bookshop's manager, Rami Ayyad, and the establishment was bombed twice, with the second attack dealing substantial damage to the property. | |||
| In October 2007, amidst the ], Ayyad was kidnapped and subjected to ] before being murdered by unknown assailants.<ref name="msnbc_23dec2007" /> Hamas condemned the attack and pledged to protect the remaining Christian minority in Gaza. However, in the wake of Ayyad's murder, the bookstore ceased all operations. | |||
| ==History== | |||
| The bookshop was established in 1998 by the ], an arm of the ], which functions as the sole ] church in the ] as the majority of ] adhere to ]. At the time of the bookshop's establishment, there were approximately 3,000 Christians living in Gaza, comprising a tiny minority amidst more than 1.5 million ] residents.<ref name=msnbc_23dec2007/><ref name="independent_8oct2007">, ''The Independent'', 2007-10-08.</ref> Relations between the ] and Christian communities have generally been cordial throughout history.<ref name=msnbc_23dec2007/> | |||
| The shop was managed by ], a devout ] and community leader who was widely known for his charitable activities.<ref name=msnbc_23dec2007>, NBC News, 2007-12-23.</ref> In addition to selling ] and other Christian publications, the bookstore also offered computer classes and ran an ].<ref name=haaretz_1nov2007>, '']'', 2007-11-01.</ref> | |||
| ===Intimidation and attacks by Islamists=== | |||
| In an unprecedented outcome, the ] was won by ], an ] militant organization. The security situation in the Gaza Strip soon deteriorated amidst armed conflict between Hamas militants and forces loyal to the previous ] administration.<ref name="Belz"> Mindy Belz, May 8, 2010, World Magazine.</ref> | |||
| On the night of 3 February 2006, two small ] exploded and destroyed the bookshop's doors. Soon afterwards, employees received a threatening note demanding that the shop close permanently. In the aftermath of the attack, many Gazans held rallies and gathered to show support for the shop remaining open.{{Citation needed|date=May 2021}} The store reopened five weeks later; Palestinian authorities were unable to determine the perpetrators of the attack.<ref name=christoday_8oct2007/> | |||
| On 15 April 2007, the store was bombed a second time. The bombing took place as part of a string of attacks that targeted internet cafés and music stores on the same day. No overt threats had been made against the store since the first bombing that was carried out 14 months earlier.<ref name=abp_20apr2007> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120302082336/http://www.abpnews.com/content/view/2203/120/ |date=2012-03-02 }}, Associated Baptist Press, 2007-04-20.</ref> Prior to the bombing, masked gunmen abducted and beat the shop's security guard, demanding the keys to the shop.<ref name=christianpost_17apr2007>, ''The Christian Post'', 2007-04-17.</ref><ref name=abp_20apr2007/> | |||
| As no group claimed responsibility for the attacks, the perpetrators remain unidentified. Palestinian media speculated that a group of Islamists,<ref name=christianpost_17apr2007/> who were targeting internet cafés for their access to ] as well as other businesses deemed to have a corrupting and un-] influence, may have carried out the bombings.<ref name=abp_20apr2007/> Later events suggest that the ] bookshop may have been targeted out of suspicion that its staff were engaging in ] and ].<ref name=nysun_11oct2007/> | |||
| ===2007 murder of shop manager=== | |||
| Following the second bombing of the institution, the shop's manager, Rami Ayyad, began receiving death threats. On 6 October 2007, as Ayyad was locking up the bookshop at around 4:30 p.m., he was abducted by unidentified assailants. His body was discovered the following day.<ref name=christoday_8oct2007>, ''Christianity Today'', 2007-10-08.</ref><ref name=independent_8oct2007/> According to witnesses and security officials, Ayyad had been driven a few blocks away from the store by his abductors and subsequently beaten with ] and ] by three gunmen who accused him of trying to ] in the Muslim-majority territory, following which he was shot dead.<ref name=nysun_11oct2007>, ''The New York Sun'', 2007-10-11.</ref> | |||
| Hamas condemned the killing as a "murderous crime", adding that "Muslim and Christian relations are very strong and will not be affected by such crimes committed by criminal elements."<ref name=kuwait_times_8oct2007> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110617025002/http://www.kuwaittimes.net/read_news.php?newsid=MTIwNDI3NDc5MQ |date=2011-06-17 }}, ''Kuwait Times'', 2007-10-08.</ref> Hamas officials made visits to Christian community sites in Gaza, and its spokesman promised to bring those responsible to justice. No group claimed responsibility for the murder of Ayyad.<ref name='AP 2007-12-23'> {{cite news | title = After murder, Gaza's Christians keep low profile | date = 2007-12-23 | publisher = ] | url = http://www.nbcnews.com/id/22380080 | agency = Associated Press | access-date = 2010-09-20}}</ref> ], the leader of ], an Islamist group suspected of perpetrating the April bookshop bombing, denied any involvement in Ayyad's killing, but accused Gaza's Christian community of "proselytizing and trying to convert Muslims with funding from ]."<ref name=nysun_11oct2007/> Saqer demanded that Hamas "work to impose an ] or it will lose the authority it has and the will of the people."<ref name=nysun_11oct2007/> | |||
| ==See also== | |||
| {{Portal|Palestine|Christianity}} | |||
| * ] | |||
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| * ] | |||
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| *] | |||
| {{-}} | |||
| ==References== | |||
| {{reflist|2}} | |||
| ==External links== | |||
| * {{Dead link|date=June 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=no }} | |||
| {{coord missing|Gaza Strip}} | |||
| {{DEFAULTSORT:Teacher's Bookshop, The}} | |||
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