Tucked away in a corner adjacent to the Al Aqsa compound in Jerusalem’s Old City is the neighborhood of Bab al-Majles. It is a rather small neighborhood, but is heavily fortified and gated by Israeli forces at its entrance, the reason being that the locale leads directly to an entrance to the Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif. The area is home to 350 residents that make up the Old City’s Afro-Palestinian community, giving the area the informal designation of an African quarter. Descendants of pilgrims, migrants and even slaves that made their way to the Holy Land from countries such as Nigeria, Sudan and Chad, the Afro-Palestinians have been living in the area since 1930. Today the community is considered well integrated into Palestinian society, and are even actively engaged in the Palestinian freedom movement. Living in Jerusalem under occupation has presented its own set of challenges that are unique for the Afro-Palestinian community.
Ali Jiddah, who is considered a patriarch among the Afro-Palestinians, says their community faces racism on two fronts - “Firstly, for being Palestinian, and then for being black.” Jiddah says, “Our role in the national struggle, and the relationship we share with the Israelis of an occupier and people living under occupation, makes us frequent and easy targets.” In 1968, as part of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, Ali Jiddah was arrested by Israeli authorities for placing bombs on Jerusalem’s Jaffa Street which injured several Israelis. He was later released in a prisoner exchange deal. Today he gives alternative tours of Jerusalem’s Old City, and takes an active interest in protecting the rights and future of young Palestinians in Jerusalem. “When these young Palestinians are stopped for random checks by the Israeli forces, in most instances they are humiliated and have abuses hurled at them. We’ve even had instances of the children being asked to strip down to their underwear. This leads to total psychological destruction, and no matter how hard we try, we can’t provide these children with a normal childhood.
The "African Community Society" – grassroots activity for the people
Within the confines of the African Quarter, is a grassroots organization called the “African Community Society”, run by Mousa Qous. Mousa’s organization is thought of with affection by mostly everyone in the Afro-Palestinian community, since it provides guidance lessons and mentorship programs for at-risk Palestinian youths, who come by in increasing numbers to Mousa’s office. “On any given day we could experience an outbreak of violence, arrests, detention and sometimes even deaths in the Old City, and this has led to a sort of ‘pressure cooker’ environment for our youth, that can boil up any second. We hold these seminars and mentorship programs for our local children so they have an outlet to express themselves and not have to resort to violence.”
Recently, due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, the African Community Society has had to put a stopper on most of its activities, though they are still trying to spread awareness regarding the pandemic. “One of my friends who helps out at our organization was part of a small team that was recently distributing free masks and hand sanitizers just outside the Old City’s Damascus Gate. Mousa then goes on to narrate that his friend, was stopped by Israeli forces, and eventually arrested. “When we asked why, they said the distribution of masks and sanitizers by Palestinians is a ‘political act’, and that we are in some way sponsored by the Palestinian Authority. Where is their humanity? We’re being put in jail even for something as simple as spreading information on Covid-19 among our community.” With frequent arrests such as these, Mousa says it is imperative to provide emotional assistance to Palestinian youths. “It's easy to tempt these children into violence, especially when they’re instigated by the settlers or the police. Most of the children living in the Old City have done prison time.”
The next generation of Palestinians will achieve freedom
Mousa has a 20-year-old son, Mohammad, who sometimes helps his father in engaging with the community. He says there are so many things about living under occupation that could infuriate a Palestinian youth and eventually lead to violence. “I remember once while walking on Jaffa Street, I saw this Israeli boy, who couldn’t be older than 18, wearing civilian clothes and carrying a heavy machine gun on his shoulder. According to the Israelis this is normal, but when I or one of my friends are going back home after a day’s work, carrying nothing but a backpack pose a threat to society and must be stopped and frisked. Where’s the logic in that? It is without a doubt that we are raised knowing there is someone out there to target you. Whether it is the color of our skin, or the fact that we are Palestinian, we always carry a target on our back.”
Despite the challenges the Afro-Palestinians face merely by living in the Old City, Ali Jiddah remains optimistic and committed regarding a Palestinian future. “If you go back to the first Palestinian woman ever arrested by the Israelis, Fatima Bernawi, you’ll find that not only was she of African descent, but was also an inhabitant of the African Quarter where we currently live. Our struggle for freedom, and for the creation of an independent Palestinian state, is also our way out of the discrimination and economic hardship we face as people of African descent.” Jiddah remarked that though he is old and frail today, he believes the next generation of Palestinians will not only achieve freedom, but also continue their struggle in a peaceful way.