MK Tibi Vows to Continue to Fight the "Muezzin Bill"

Jerusalem, 28 November, 2016 (TPS) -- Joint List MK Ahmad Tibi stated on Monday that he would continue to fight the “Muezzin Bill,” intended to ban loudspeakers for early-morning Muezzin calls to prayer, even if the measure is approved in first reading at Wednesday’s Knesset Plenum.

Tibi said that if the bill passes its first reading, he and his Joint List colleagues would continue to fight it on the parliamentary, political, legal and national arenas.

Speaking to the Fatah conference in Ramallah, Tibi added that while Israeli Arabs are part of the Palestinian people, their situation is different, because they are citizens of the State of Israel, who struggle for peace and equality.

The bill, tabled by Jewish Home MK Moti Yogev as a noise-prevention regulation during sleeping hours, was approved by the Ministerial Committee for Legislation last Monday, but has been consequently met with severe criticism from Arab MKs, Palestinians, and human rights organizations who say the bill constitutes racial persecution which will breed hatred and incitement against the Arab public.

Earlier this month, Tibi called on the “Palestinian” community in Israel to fight the law with “grass-roots” activities and those behind it.

“I say and repeat that there must be insubordination and rebellion against this law. No one must obey it. I call on all my people to refuse this bill until it gets to the third reading in the Knesset and is approved.”

Tibi also claimed the early-morning calls to prayer to the sirens in Jewish neighborhoods on Friday afternoon announcing the Jewish Sabbath and claimed that should the law pass, he would try and fight those as well.

Some Arab-Israelis on social media said the recent wave of brush fires which raged throughout Israel were a form a “divine retribution” for the “Muezzin Bill,” while some Jewish religious leaders interpreted the fires as God’s punishment for the scheduled eviction of Amona residents.

While Tibi called both those interpretations “illusions,” Yisrael Beiteinu Chairman MK Robert Ilatov placed the blame for the “Arson terrorism” on Tibi’s shoulders. Ilatov said it was a direct consequence of Tibi’s calls to rebel against the Israeli establishment. Ilatov also called Monday on Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit to open a criminal investigation against the Joint List MK.

A spokesman for Tibi said the MK would be unavailable to answer questions about the statements, potential alternatives to the “Muezzin Bill” or what solutions he has to offer the Arab supporters of the proposal.