The Teacher's Bookshop

The Teacher's Bookshop (Arabic: مكتبة المعلمين‎) was a Christian religious bookshop in the Gaza Strip that was in operation between 1998 and 2007. Located in the centre of Gaza City, it was the territory's sole Christian goods store, and catered to the needs of the Gazan Christian minority. In addition to selling books, the store also ran educational services and an internet café.

The Gaza Strip, part of the de jure State of Palestine, was militarily occupied by the State of Israel in 1967 during the Six-Day War. In 2005, Israel removed its civilian settlers and military forces from the territory in a unilateral disengagement, returning Gaza to Palestinian control. The following year saw the victory of Hamas—a Palestinian Islamist militant organization—in the 2006 Palestinian legislative election. Hamas' rise to power led to growing chaos and lawlessness in Gaza as the group engaged rival Palestinian faction Fatah in a battle for control of the territory. During this conflict, Muslim 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 Fatah–Hamas conflict, Ayyad was kidnapped and subjected to torture before being murdered by unknown assailants.^[1] 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 Gaza Baptist Church, which functions as the sole Protestant church in the Gaza Strip as the majority of Gazan Christians adhere to Greek Orthodoxy. 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 Muslim residents.^[1][2] Relations between the Palestinian Muslim and Christian communities have generally been cordial throughout history.^[1]

The shop was managed by , a devout Christian and community leader who was widely known for his charitable activities.^[1] In addition to selling Bibles and other Christian publications, the bookstore also offered computer classes and ran an internet café.^[3]

Intimidation and attacks by Islamists[]

In an unprecedented outcome, the 2006 Palestinian legislative election was won by Hamas, an Islamist militant organization. The security situation in the Gaza Strip soon deteriorated amidst armed conflict between Hamas militants and forces loyal to the previous Fatah administration.^[4]

On the night of 3 February 2006, two small pipe bombs 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]} The store reopened five weeks later; Palestinian authorities were unable to determine the perpetrators of the attack.^[5]

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.^[6] Prior to the bombing, masked gunmen abducted and beat the shop's security guard, demanding the keys to the shop.^[7][6]

As no group claimed responsibility for the attacks, the perpetrators remain unidentified. Palestinian media speculated that a group of Islamists,^[7] who were targeting internet cafés for their access to pornography as well as other businesses deemed to have a corrupting and un-Islamic influence, may have carried out the bombings.^[6] Later events suggest that the Christian bookshop may have been targeted out of suspicion that its staff were engaging in evangelism and proselytism.^[8]

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 was discovered the following day.^[5][2] According to witnesses and security officials, Ayyad had been driven a few blocks away from the store by his abductors and subsequently beaten with clubs and rifle butts by three gunmen who accused him of trying to spread Christianity in the Muslim-majority territory, following which he was shot dead.^[8]

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."^[9] 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.^[10] , 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 American Evangelicals."^[8] Saqer demanded that Hamas "work to impose an Islamic rule or it will lose the authority it has and the will of the people."^[8]

As the first religiously-motivated killing of a Palestinian Christian in memory,^[3][5][2] Ayyad's murder sent shock waves throughout Gaza's Christian community.^[1][3] The bookshop was closed, and Ayyad's widow and 3 children relocated to the West Bank.^[4] In the years since Ayyad's death, the growing internal Islamization of Gaza, coupled with a vigorous Israeli blockade^[1] and rising chaos and lawlessness, has placed increasing pressure on Gaza's Christians.^[4] The Christian community of Gaza there has dwindled from a population of 3,000^[2] to just over 1,000 people.^[4]

See also[]

• Palestinian Christians
• Gaza Baptist Church
• Islamization of Gaza
• Persecution of Christians
• Fatah–Hamas conflict
• Christian–Muslim relations

References[]

External links[]

• Rami Ayyad memorial website^{[permanent dead link]}