The prayer in Umm al-Fahm
Umm al-Fahm holds service in memory of Muslim Brotherhood leader
While Arab countries barred supporters of the Islamist movement from holding events honoring Mohammed Mahdi Akef, jailed in Egypt for his involvement in killing of protesters in 2012, public ceremonies were held in only three places: Turkey, Gaza... and Israel.
A religious ceremony in memory of former Muslim Brotherhood leader Mohammed Mahdi Akef was held in Umm al-Fahm on Saturday.
The Muslim Brotherhood is a patron of both Hamas and the outlawed northern branch of the Islamic Movement.
Akef was sentenced to life in prison after being convicted, along with the rest of the leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood, for his involvement in the killing of demonstrators outside the organization's offices in Cairo during the wave of mass protests against the regime of Mohamed Morsi in 2012.
The prayer in Umm al-Fahm
The ceremony in his memory was held at a mosque in the Israeli Arab city of Umm al-Fahm, with several dozens of people in attendance.
Dr. Mashoor Fuaz, a prominent religious leader in the city, led the ceremony. "The Islamic nation lost one of its great preachers, who stood firm in the face of tyrants and refused to serve as a tool for oppression," Fuaz said in his eulogy. "He preferred to live behind bars than give up his religious and political principles."
Most Arab states barred religious services in Akef's memory, and ceremonies that were held were mostly done in secret. In Egypt, the family had to bury him in a small ceremony late at night to prevent the Muslim Brotherhood from taking advantage of the funeral to hold a rally.
Muslim Brotherhood leader Mohammed Mahdi Akef
The only places where public ceremonies were held in Akef's memory were Turkey and the Gaza Strip, two countries with strong affiliation to the Muslim Brotherhood and its worldviews.
The Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), Maj. Gen. Yoav Mordechai, slammed Hamas for holding a memory for Akef, saying "It appears Hamas can erase from its flag the empty words and leave only its true symbol: the two swords of the Muslim Brotherhood, their real leaders."
Mordechai's comments were made before the memorial service in Umm al-Fahm.
One of the participants at the Umm al-Fahm ceremony told Ynet, "It doesn't matter if we're attacked for holding a prayer in memory of the former Muslim Brotherhood leader. He deserves more than this. We don't care about any objections, only about doing what we believe. The Muslim Brotherhood is always portrayed as a group of terrorists, but the truth is they want to make life good and safe."
The prayer in Umm al-Fahm
Another participant insisted that "All we can do is hold prayer in his memory. A person like this contributed a lot. We will never forget him."
Umm al-Fahm has been in the spotlight in recent months as the home of three Israeli Arab terrorists who carried out a shooting attack on the Temple Mount, killing two Israeli Border Policemen.
The attack led to a temporary closure of the Temple Mount complex, followed by the addition of security measures, which caused violent rioting in east Jerusalem and in the West Bank and to a crisis in Israel's relations with Jordan and with the Palestinian Authority.
Thousands took part in the funerals of the three attackers in Umm al-Fahm, calling them "heroes" and "martyrs."
