Our origins in this land didn’t begin with deep roots but with the sword of conquest, a story of colonization that began 1,387 years ago under The Khalifa Omar in 636/637, when Islam was only 27 years young, a religion that emerged from the Arabian Peninsula.
Prior to the capture of Jerusalem, the land was under Byzantine control, with a majority population of Christians and Jews along with other minorities. Up till then, the Jews have always had a constant presence in the land despite many being exiled.
The Palestinians have argued for so long to prove what’s never been: an indigeneity either through Canaanites or the Philistines, two extinct groups as I discussed here.
Another claim that continues is the claim of conversion of Jews and Christians. While some DNA evidence might suggest that for a very few, I will make the argument here for why this claim is not completely accurate on its own, and only factual to some extent. This leaves us with the fact remaining of migration, but I ask you, how can migration make people indigenous to a land in which they only existed for a short period of time?
Back to the issue at hand. Following the capture of Jerusalem, Omar entered into an agreement, known as al-Uhda al-Umaria, which ensured religious freedom for Christians. However, the widely circulated document in Arabic regrettably excludes Jews from such protection, and they were not permitted to remain in surrounding Jerusalem. However, some Muslim scholars argue that Jews were granted the same protections, and some historical sources may suggest that Omar was among the earliest proponents of Jews being allowed to return to Jerusalem.
With such an agreement in place, there’s no argument for mass conversion at the time, and if we are to argue the validity of the document, which excludes Jews from staying in surrounding Jerusalem, it did offer anyone leaving the land protection. Therefore, the claim of being the original Jews who converted is invalid since they would have left the land under said protection and weren’t allowed to remain in Jerusalem.
Now, on the issue of migration, there wasn’t a massive influx of Muslims into the land either. What’s reported is that migration happened gradually, with Arabs moving in and out, often for trade, seeking knowledge, or further conquests. The idea of nationalism or being tied to a specific land didn’t exist for them as it does today. We can even argue that by the late 10th to the 11th century, Jerusalem fell to the Crusaders, and not many Muslims remained, with persecution leaving only a limited presence until it was recaptured by Salahuddin (Saladin).
It wasn’t until the 1700s, under Ottoman rule, that migration picked up significantly, with people arriving from Egypt, North Africa, Turkey, Albania, Syria, Iraq, and the Arabian Peninsula, bringing with them their distinct languages, cultures, and traditions, which is evident by what we see today with similarities of words used, or clothing, even dancing and food. None of this fits under the meaning of indigeneity.
The majority of us, if we’re honest, can trace our roots back to lands outside of Palestine or Israel. We are not the indigenous people of this land; we are the product of migration that began with colonialism. To be indigenous, you must have your own story of origin, your own history, and a distinct language and culture tied to the land from which you came a story that spans thousands of years in the making. The Jews maintained their unbroken connection to the land, despite all odds and millennia of exile; their story, language, and culture are deeply rooted in the very soil from which they came, an enduring truth that no one can ever dispute.
However, this does not negate the legitimacy of our claim to the land. We have been here and continue to remain. We’re not indigenous, but we have built our lives here, lands we own, and memories that span century. The real argument should be for peaceful coexistence, recognizing that while we’re not the original inheritors of this land, we have an equal right to live here. And this can only happen if we Palestinians let go of hatred and violence and start seeing the Jews as our cousins and neighbors.
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