Israelis spray Anti-Muslim graffiti on mosque

Palestinian Muslim worshippers witnessed a second round of mosque desecration as they arrived at a mosque near the Jaffa Port only to discover graffiti on its doors with the words "Muhammad is a pig" and "Death to the Arabs" spray-painted.

The Jaffa mosque graffiti marks the second desecration incident in December, following the desecration of mosques and cemeteries in Israeli-occupied West Bank villages by Jewish settlers.

Islamic Movement representatives in Jaffa filed a complaint with the police.

“The miserable and un-deterring punishments against those who carried out similar offenses only encourage their repetition,” Sheikh Ahmed Abu Ajawa, head of the Islamic Movement's northern branch in Jaffa, told Yedioth news, adding that the incident was "a continuation of the incitement against Muslims and Arabs, in which senior politicians take part."

Desecrating mosques: a trend

Earlier in December, Jewish settlers desecrated mosques with anti-Muslim graffiti insulting Prophet Muhammad. “Mohammed is a pig” and “Death to the Arabs” were sprayed on the walls and doors of a mosque in Al Sawyeh village. The Star of David and the word ‘Hebron’ were also painted.

In 2006, 35-year-old Shimon Ben Haim, was sentenced to nine months in prison by the Tel Aviv Magistrate’s Court for tossing a pig’s head into the Hassan Bek Mosque’s courtyard.

Muslims said that the words “Prophet Muhammad” were written on the pig’s head, wrapped in a kaffiyah. The incident incited a wave of Arab protests in Israel.

The start of 2008 witnessed the vandalism of the Hassan Bek Mosque’s courtyard where the property of the religious site was destroyed.