Matzo of Zion by General Mustafa Tlass - English Translation

7/28/2019 Matzo of Zion by General Mustafa Tlass - English Translation

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Contents [ by ori gi nal pages]

I nt r oduct i on . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

I . The Ti p of t he St r i ng . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

I I . The Cr i me . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

I I I . Bl ood f or the Bread of Zi on (The J ews) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

I V. The Sl ayi ng of t he Servant I brahi m Amarah . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85

V. The Deni al of t he Aust r i an EmbassyEmpl oyee I saac Pi cci ot t o . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111

VI . The Memo of Accusat i on Agai nst I saac Pi cci ot t o . . . . . . . . . . 148

VI I . Lawf ul Use of Chr i st i an Bl ood and Weal t h . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159

VI I I . The Rol e of the Forei gn Consul ates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165

Readi ngs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185

Document s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211

Setting the stage

The Case: The Sl ayi ng of Fat her Thomas Al - Capuci and hi s servantI br ahi m Amar ah Al - Roumi t o use t hei r bl ood i n t he pr epar at i on of t he"Br ead of Zi on" .

The Date: Wednesday, t he 2nd of Zul - Hi j j ah, 1255 H. ( Febr uary 5, 1840A. D. ) .

The Place: The J ewi sh Quar t er i n Damascus.

The Participants in the slaying of Father Thomas Al-Capuci were the

following Jews:

1. Davi d Har ar i , 2. Aar on Har ar i , 3. I saac Har ar i , 4. J oseph Har ar i , 5.J oseph Li f yado, 6. Rabbi Moussa Abou Al - Af i eh, 7. Rabbi Moussa BokhoorYehuda ( known as t he Sal ani ki ) , 8. Sal i man Al - Hal l aq ( t he Barber) .

The Participants in the slaying of Ibrahim Amarah were the following

Jews:


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A Marbl e Pl at e marks t he Tomb of Fat herThomas Al - Capuci i nsi de t he Fr anci scan

Chur ch i n Damascus, Bab Toma.

The Tr ansl at i on of t he Document af f i xed over t he Mar bl e Pl at e.


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THE HISTORY OF THIS PLATE

The r enewal of accusat i on r egar di ng t he r el i gi ous r i t ual murder , i nDamascus, l ed Si r Moses Mont ef i or e t o real i ze t hat t he Met al l i c Pl at ewhi ch i s pl aced i nsi de the Capuci n Chur ch i n t hi s ci t y, i n addi t i on t ot he accusat i on of t he J ews of mur der i ng Fat her Thomas, wi l l cont i nue to

be the sour ce of r el i gi ous hat r ed towar ds t hem ( t he J ews) . And af t er her ecei ved, i n t he year 1840, f r om Car di nal Ri vor ol a ( t he Chi ef of t heCapuci n Or der i n Rome) t he assurance that t he t ext of t he host i l ewr i t i ng wi l l be removed; and the obt ai ni ng a f i r m and adequat e supportf r om t he French Government , Si r Moses f ound an appr opr i ate chance t ot r avel t o Damascus and i nt er vene, i n per son, on t he act ual scene of t hemat t er .

He ar r i ved i n Damascus on J ul y 3, 1849. Si r Moses had t he cour age togo, i n person, t o the Chur ch, and i n t he pr esence of t wo pr i est s hecopi ed t he t ext i n Ar abi c and I t al i an l anguages. I t appear s t hat t her ewas some doubt r egardi ng t he accur acy of t he t ext . . . .

The t ombst one i n t he Capuci n Chur ch i n Damascus, as a r emi nder ofFat her Thomas' deat h, became a sour ce of cont i nuous concern f or Si rMoses. I n order t o request t he assi st ance of t he French Government , Si rMoses and Lady Mont ef i ore ret urned t o Par i s dur i ng t he mont h ofDecember , 1849. I n Par i s, Si r Moses met wi t h Gener al Laf i t t e, t heMi ni st er of For ei gn Af f ai r s; and soon ther eaf t er he was r ecei ved byLoui s- Napol eon, t he Pr esi dent of t he Republ i c.

Accor di ng to Si r Moses, t he f ol l owi ng conver sat i on t ook pl ace at t heEl ysee Pal ace wi t h the Fut ur e Emper or of Fr ance:

"He recei ved me wi t h a gr eat wel come. . . . Then Iasked Hi s permi ss i on f or me t o r ead my r equest .He l i st ened wi t h gr eat at t ent i on and expr essedHi s agreement many t i mes. And when I f i ni shedr eadi ng He sai d: ' I shal l gi ve di r ect and st r ongorder s; I amver y happy t o be abl e to ser ve ar i ght f ul cause! ' . "

I n 1855 Si r Moses was pl anni ng t o t r avel agai n t o Pal est i ne. Dur i ng hi sst op i n Par i s he pr esented t o the Emperor , t hr ough t he Fr enchAmbassador, a request f or a di r ect i ve t o be sent t o t he Fr enchAmbassador i n Damascus t o secur e the thef t of t he host i l e ant i - semi t i cdocument f r om t he Capuci ns' Chur ch. There was no appar ent r esponse.Gr eat pr essur es were pl aced by Si r Moses f r omt hat t i me f orward as wel las by Ki ng Freder i c- Gui l l aume of Pr ussi a, dur i ng hi s vi si t t o London i n1842. Thei r cont i nuous i nt er cessi on di d not succeed i n put t i ng an end

t o thi s bl i nd pr ej udi ce, or t he f anat i ci sm whi ch l ay at t he f oundat i onof t hi s shamef ul document i n t he Chur ch of Damascus. *

* Quoted f r omt he book Sephardi c J udai sm by Paul Goodman.


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The Document af f i xed on Mar bl e Pl at e next t o t he

Tomb of Fat her Thomas i nsi de t he Fr anci scan Chur ch -Damascus, Bab Toma.


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The Tomb of Fat her Thomas Al - Capuci i nsi de t he

Fr anci scan Chur ch - Damascus, Bab Toma.

INTRODUCTION

I n t he t hi r t i es of t he 19t h cent ury, Muhammad Al i managed t o l i berat eSyri a and uni f y i t wi t h Egypt , t he t hi ng t hat gener at ed a ser i ousi nt er nat i onal cri si s emanat i ng f r om t he danger s t hat i t coul d

const i t ut e agai nst t he Eur opean i nt er est s. A new i nt er nat i onalcoal i t i on emer ged under t he l eadershi p of Engl and wi t h t he ai m ofdest r oyi ng thi s uni t y. France monopol i zed a speci al st andi ng i n f avourof Muhammad Al i i n the hope of ut i l i zat i on thi s f r i endshi p andobt ai ni ng pr i vi l eges i n t hi s i mport ant ar ea. Lat er on, and due t oEur opean pr essur e, i t was obl i ged t o qui t hi m. Several schemes spr angt o exi st ence t r yi ng t o dest r oy t hi s uni t y assumi ng di f f er ent f or ms.Some tr i ed t o at t ach t o Syr i a a speci al st andi ng t o al i enat e i t f r omi t s sur r oundi ngs, and other s asked f or t he r et ur n of t he J ewi shKi ngdom. l


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1 Vi enna, Feb. 8t h 1841. Abst r act f r om a tel egr am sent f r om Pri nce Met t er ni ch t oCount Appon. Ar chi ves of f orei gn af f ai r s, Tur key, French Embassy i nConst ant i nopl e, Pol i t i cal Depar t ment Vol ume 282. Fol . 70- 78.

I n t hi s t ur bul ent era and i n Muhammad Al i Pasha' s f i nal phase ofmandat e upon Syr i a, Damascus was t err i bl y shocked by a hor r i f i c cr i me,t he vi ct i m of whi ch was Fat her Thomas Capuchi . 2 Thi s cr i me was commi t t edby a gr oup of J ews who want ed t o ext r act hi s bl ood t o make a mat zo ( For

Yum Ki ppur ) . I t was not t he f i r st cr i me of i t s ki nd f or t he West hadal r eady exper i enced many cri mes of t hi s sor t , not t o f orget t hose onest hat f ound t hei r scene on Czari st

2 Capuchi n Pr i est , spent 33 years i n Damascus, ( 1807- 1840) . He was f ami l i ar wi t hPharmacol ogy and Medi ci ne. He used t o t r eat t he pat i ent s i n Damascus f r ee,Musl i ms, Chr i st i ans or J ews. He was ski l l ed i n Vacci nati on agai nst smal l pox,whi ch he pract i sed f or t he f i r st t i me i n Damascus. He rendered great humanser vi ces dur i ng t he pr ol i f er at i on of epi demi cs. He was an obj ect of t r ust ,r espect and l ove by al l peopl e.

On t he day of t he cr i me he happened t o be i n t he J ewi sh Quar t er t r eat i ng asmal l pox- st r uck J ewi sh boy. ( See Al - Macsoud Fi Qawa' i d al - Tal mud Trans. YussefHanna Nasr Al l ah, pages 29- 30) .

Russi a. Some cri mes wer e di scover ed and recor ded despi t e al l ef f ort s t ocover up or t o dest r oy t he evi dence. 2

Resear chers' pens f l ocked f r omt he East and the West t o pr esent t hecont ent s and to reveal t he hi dden mot i ves of t hese cr i mes. Thus t hi scr i me of sl ayi ng Father Thomas Al - Capuci , and hi s ser vant , was not t he

f i r s t of i t s ki nd.3

2 A si mi l ar cr i me was commi t t ed i n Al geri a i n t he mi ddl e of t he 18t h cent ur ywhen J ews ki dnapped a Chri st i an boy and drai ned hi s bl ood; but t he J ewssucceeded i n gett i ng thi s i nci dent di smi ssed by of f eri ng money t o t he Tur ki shgover nor of Al ger i a.

3The Consul General of Egypt wr ot e t o t he Fr ench For ei gn Mi ni st er , on Apr i l 2,1840: " I f i nd mysel f obl i ged t o pr esent t o you a copy of a report , whi ch wassent t o Mohammad Al i and pr epared by a Rabbi who was convert ed to I sl am, t hatr eveal s t o us t he t r ut h that human bl ood i s necessary f or t he J ewi shcel ebr ati on of YomKi ppur . Thi s st r ange di scover y hel ps us under st and t hedi sappear ance of l arge numbers of peopl e wi t hout any knowl edge of t hei r f ate,and cer t ai n Gr eek sl aves bought by t he J ews dur i ng t he war may have di sappeared

f or t hi s reason. "

Al so, t he Fr ench Consul i n Damascus r ef err ed t o si mi l ar i nci dent s. He waswatchi ng and observi ng the devel opment i n thi s par t i cul ar case because t hevi ct i m Fat her Thomas was a French subj ect l i vi ng i n Damascus.


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Thi s cr i me, sur el y, i s not t he l ast of i t s ki nd ei t her . 1 But t hi spart i cul ar case gai ned speci al meani ng because of t he sur r oundi ngpol i t i cal envi r onment .

The Egypt i an author i t i es i n Cai r o and Damascus were very concer nedabout t hi s hor r i bl e cr i me. The French Consul par t i ci pat ed, per sonal l y,

i n t he i nvest i gat i on because the vi ct i m was a Fr ench subj ect . Thei nvest i gat i on r eveal ed ser i ous mat t er s t hat sur passed t he cr i me i t sel fas t o t he nature and mot i ves connect ed wi t h the J ewi sh t eachi ng,pr escr i bed by t he Tal mud, whi ch cont ai ned dest r uct i ve devi at i ons gui dedby bl ack hat r ed of humani t y and al l ot her r el i gi ons equal l y, andt ogether . 2

1 See Rohl i ng: J ewi sh Bel i ef s Accordi ng t o t he Tal mud. A chapt er cont ai nedquotes f r omt he Tal mud says: "The l i f e of mi sery and subj ugati on over t hePeopl e of I sr ael wi l l cont i nue unt i l t he el i mi nat i on of f or ei gn r ul e over t hem.Bef ore the J ews f i nal l y rul e over t he r est of al l nati ons, war must br eak outand dest r oy t wo thi r ds of t he worl d. Then t he J ews wi l l spend seven cont i nuousyears dest r oyi ng the weapons t hey had capt ur ed af t er t hei r vi ct ory. ( p. 65)

2

The Fr ench Consul i n Damascus sent a t r ansl at i on f r om t he Tal mud:

1. There i s not hi ng sai d or done i n Chr i st i an Chur ches whi ch i s notdi f f er ent f r om t he tr ut h, and not di f f er ent f r om what t he unbel i ever spr act i ce. The dut y of t he J ew i s t he dest r uct i on of t hese Chur ches. TheChr i st i an Bi bl e i s not hi ng but a bel i ef of Gr eat Si ns; t her ef or e, t he dut yof t he J ew i s t o bur n i t , r egardl ess of t he pr esence of God' s name i n i t .

2. I t i s t he dut y of t he J ew t o cur se t he Chr i st i ans t hr ee t i mes dai l y, andpr ay t hat God may dest r oy t hemal l , especi al l y t hei r Ki ngs and Rul ers. Thi si s t he Law, and i t s f ai t hf ul obser vance f al l s upon t he l eader s of t hi sbel i ef , especi al l y those whose dut y i t i s t o ur ge the cur se of t heChr i st i ans. God has or dered t he J ewi sh Peopl e to put t hei r hands onChr i st i an weal t h by al l means possi bl e, i t matt ers not whether t hey use

t r i ck, t hef t , or i nt erest charge.

3. I t i s t he dut y of t he J ews t o consi der t he Chr i st i ans as beast s and t ot r eat t hem as such. I f a J ew sees a Chr i st i an on t he edge of a cl i f f , heshoul d push hi m or t hr ow hi m t o the bott om.

The Fr ench Consul expl ai ned t hat t here ar e some Tal mudi c r ef er ences t o t heMusl i ms, whi ch ar e even more sever e t han t hose f or t he Chr i st i ans; and that her ef r ai ned f r om t r ansl at i ng t hem due to hi s f ear of Musl i m anger over t hem.

The J ewi sh r eact i on cr eat ed a great t umul t everywhere; and t hei rl eader s and support er s wer e knocki ng on the door s of t he rul er s i nEur ope and t he Uni t ed St at es t o i nt er vene on t hei r behal f and ef f acet he t r aces of t hi s cr i me, and decl ar e that t he J ews wer e not gui l t y oft hi s cr i me.

Even t oday, whenever t he J ews commi t a cr i me whi ch st i r s wor l d opi ni on,t hey ar e not sat i sf i ed t o be decl ar ed i nnocent of such a cr i me but t heyexpl oi t t o t he maxi mum t he opport uni t y t o obt ai n more i nf l uence overpubl i c opi ni on.


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They st ar t ed t hi s st r at egy by expl oi t i ng t he of f i ce of t he Aust r i anConsul i n Damascus t o i nt er vene i n the i nvest i gat i on on behal f of someof t he accused J ews on t he gr ound that t hey were Aust r i an subj ects; andt hey request ed t he i nt ervent i on of hi s gover nment on t hei r behal f .

The J ews expl oi t ed t he t ol er ance of t he Egypt i an author i t i es and t he

Fr ench Consul i n Damascus, when t hey got i n t ouch wi t h the accusedper sons ur gi ng t hem t o deny any i nvol vement ; t hey ent i ced t hose who hadal r eady admi t t ed commi t t i ng t he cr i me, and t hr eat ened t hemi n or der t or ever se t hei r conf essi on. Then t hey st ar t ed appl yi ng pr essure over t heFrench Consul t hr ough hi s super i ors i n Par i s and Const ant i nopl e. Theyaccused t he Fr ench Consul i n Damascus of i nj ust i ce and oppr essi on, andof bei ng j eal ous of t hei r J ewi sh weal t h. 1 Thi s accusat i on came f r omt heAust r i an Consul who al so accused t he nat i onal aut hori t i es, who wer econduct i ng t hei r i nvest i gat i on, by usi ng t ort ur e to compel t he accusedper sons t o admi t t hei r cr i me. They r epeat ed cer t ai n st at ement sconcer ni ng t he I sl ami c l aw i n t hi s r egar d;

1 The Fr ench Consul r esponded by sayi ng t hat Mr . Laur i n t he Aust r i an Consul , wasnot aware of t he f act t hat t he J ews of Damascus pai d much of t hei r gol d i n the

case of Father Thomas Al - Capuci because t hey knew, and f or l ong t i me, t hat t heywere responsi bl e f or t he di sappear ance of a l arge number of other r el i gi ouscommuni t i es' member s. He f urt her r ef er r ed t o the huge sums of money of f ered byt he J ews, as a br i be, t o some Fr ench Consul ate st af f , members t o get t hemt ocooper at e i n wi pi ng out al l t r aces of t hi s cri me.

and as t o t he accusat i on of t or t ur e, even i f i t t r ul y t ook pl ace, t hi swas an act of some i ndi vi dual s so, t heref ore, I sl ami c Law had no rol eor connect i on i n t hi s mat t er .

Al t hough, t he use of t ort ur e wi t h t he accused cr i mi nal , i n or der t oobt ai n hi s conf essi on, was a known pr act i ce t hen i n Eur ope and i n t heUni t ed St at es. We wi l l not over st at e t he f act i f we say t hat t or t ur e i s

st i l l pr acti ced i n t hese count r i es t oday.

The J ewi sh l eaders made t hei r move i n Eur ope and i n t he Uni t ed St at esby usi ng thei r f i nanci al and publ i c i nf or mat i on i nf l uence, and byur gi ng t hese Gr eat St at es t o i nt er vene on t hei r behal f . They st i r r edt hei r suppor t er s i n Par l i ament s and the Pr ess; t hey or gani zeddemonst r at i ons support i ve of t hei r cause, and sent notabl er epr esent at i ves of t he Eur opean J ews t o Mohammad Al i .

The J ews succeeded i n t hei r expl oi t at i on of t he di l emma f aci ng MohammadAl i by t he Gr eat Power s host i l i t y and enci r cl ement i n Syri a; and t heyal so expl oi t ed hi s f i nanci al cr i si s by of f er i ng hi m huge sums of money.

Because of al l t hi s, t hey succeeded i n obt ai ni ng a Fi r man orDecl arat i on Or der f r om Mohammad Al i . I n f act t hey hoped by f ormi ng i t scont ent s - t o end t he case i n t hei r f avor, and t o do away wi t h i tal t oget her .

And when t he Sul t an of Tur key recovered Syr i a, f r om Mohammed Al i ,Mont ef i or e obt ai ned f r omhi m anot her Fi r man decl ar i ng t he pr ot ect i on oft he J ews f r om t he i nvest i gat i on of cr i mes si mi l ar t o that of Damascus. l


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But t he J ews were not sat i sf i ed wi t h what t hey had achi eved so f ar, anddi r ect ed t hei r concent r at ed ef f or t t o er ase t he wr i t i ng i nscri bed ont he Tomb of Father Thomas i n t he Fr anci scan Chur ch whi ch reads: "Herel i es t he bones of t he mi ssi onary Fat her Thomas Al - Capuci , who wasmur der ed by the J ews on t he f i f t h of Febr uary, 1840. "2

Thus, t he J ews cont i nue t o commi t i ndi vi dual cr i mes and col l ect i vesl aught er i ng, and succeed i n wi pi ng of f t he evi dence of t hei r cr i mes byt he vi r t ue of usi ng t hei r f i nanci al , pol i t i cal , and pr opagandai nf l uence i n t he r ul i ng ci r cl es of Eur ope and t he Uni t ed St at es. Andt hey ar e not sat i sf i ed wi t h t hi s but t hey end up wi t h pol i t i cal andeconomi c gai ns, al most al ways. For t he demonst r at i ons whi ch wereor gani zed by t he J ews and t hei r suppor t er s i n Eur ope, especi al l y so i nt he Angl o- Saxon count r i es; and the pet i t i ons t hey i nt r oduced i n thewake of t hi s cr i me, were cent ered on t hei r demand of t he ret ur n of t he

J ews t o Pal est i ne.

They succeeded i n convi nci ng peopl e wi t h hi gh r esponsi bi l i t y andpol i t i cal st at us i n some Eur opean st at es t hat t he r et ur n of t he J ews t oPal est i ne woul d be the best sol ut i on t o the East er n Quest i on. 1

Ther ef or e, t hrough t he i nf l uence of t he J ews and t hei r support er s i nEngl and, t he Br i t i sh Gover nment adopt ed t he subj ect of J ewi shProt ect i on t hr oughout t he Ot t oman Empi r e, and t he adopt i on of t he i deaof t he r et ur n of t he J ews t o Pal est i ne. Accor di ngl y, Pal mer st on sent al et t er t o hi s ambassador i n Const ant i nopl e st at i ng t hat t her e exi st st he i dea of

1 Ar chi ves Af f ai r es Etr anger es, Al exandr i e, Di r ect i on Commerci al e, Vol 28, No.220, pp. 542- 543.

2 Mont ef i ore wr ote to Pal merst on and to Loui s- Napol eon on t hi s matt er. TheFr ench Consul i n Damascus was concer ned about t he anxi et y and r est l essness oft he Chr i st i ans i n Damascus over t he vi si t of J oseph Rothschi l d, t he f amous

French Fi nancer, and hi s ef f ort t o remove the i nscr i pt i on on Fat her Thomas'Tomb.

See Ar chi ves Af f ai r es Etr angers Consul at de Damas- Corr espondance pol i t i que,Vol . 2 ( 1848- 1853) , No. 1, pp. 132- 135.

1The Engl i sh Newspaper, The Gl obe, wr ot e t hat t he r et urn of t he J ews t oPal est i ne amount s t o t he f ormat i on of t he most beaut i f ul di amond i n t he Engl i shCrown.

The Morni ng Chroni cl e, whi ch r epresent ed t he of f i ci al vi ews of Pal mer st on, t heFor ei gn Mi ni st er , conf i r med t hat t he cr eat i on, or mor e pl ai nl y, t he r ecreat i onof t hi s Syri an- Pal est i ni an ( J ewi sh) Ki ngdom i s t he ul t i mat e need of t he East er nPol i cy, and i t wi l l ser ve Engl and.

See Dr . Haj j ar: L' Eur ope et l es dest i nees du Pr oche- Or i ent ( 1815- 1848) p. 333.

Dr . I br ahi m Haj j ar pp. 334- 335.

r eturni ng t o Pal est i ne among t he scat t ered J ews i n Eur ope; and t hatt hi s i dea needs a sui t abl e response, and that ever ythi ng i ndi cat es t hat


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t hei r wi sh now i s cl oser t o i t s f ul f i l l ment t han ever bef or e. I t i scl ear t hat t he J ews possess huge weal t h. As i t appear s, cl ear l y t oo,t hat each count r y t hat r ecei ves a gr eat number of t he J ews wi l l obt ai ngr eat benef i t s. But t hei r set t l ement i n Pal est i ne depends on t hesol ut i on of t he East er n Quest i on. Accor di ngl y, i t i s usef ul t hat t heSul t an shoul d encour age t he r et ur n of t he [ J ews] t o Pal est i ne, andt hei r set t l ement t her e. Not onl y because he wi l l benef i t mat er i al l yf r om t hi s but because t hi s wi l l pr event t he pr ospect of f ut ur eexpansi on pl ans by Mohammad Al i or hi s successor s.

Pal mers t on r equest ed t hat hi s ambassador expl ai n thi s t o t he Ot t omanGovernment and t o advi se i t , st r ongl y, t o encour age the r et ur n of t he

J ews t o Pal est i ne. What happened i n 1840 was r epeat ed many t i mes i n t het went i et h cent ur y when t he Zi oni st s commi t t ed col l ect i ve cr i mes i nPal est i ne and i n Lebanon, t hat st i r r ed t he consci ence of t he nobl e onest hr oughout t he wor l d, and were denounced by wor l d' s opi ni on. But ,agai n, Zi oni st f i nanci al , pol i t i cal , and pr opaganda i nf l uence succeededever y t i me i n thwar t i ng the resul t i ng f eel i ng of deep anger ,di st r act i ng t he peopl e' s at t ent i on and t hought f r om t hese cr i mes. Andt he Zi oni st s, i nst ead of bei ng penal i zed, came out wi t h gr eat r ewar ds

of huge sums of f i nanci al ai d, and huge amounts of t he most moderni zedand sophi st i cat ed weapons. And, i nst ead of one Mohammad Al i i n theni net eenth century, t hey f ound more than Mohammad Al i i n the t went i ethcent ur y.

Thi s cr i me, t he sl ayi ng of Fat her Thomas by t he J ews, t ook pl ace i n t heci t y of Damascus, Syri a, t he ci t y of r el i gi ous t ol er ance and peace.Many more cr i mes si mi l ar t o i t t ook pl ace i n many di f f er ent part s oft he wor l d. How coul d such a cr i me t ake a pl ace when t he J ews l i ve i nsoci et i es wher e t hey ar e onl y a ver y smal l mi nori t y? And, how di d t hosesoci et i es i gnor e the i mpact and i nf l uence of t hi s smal l spi t ef ulmi nori t y?

Here t oo, i t must be sai d t hat bot h West ern and East ern soci et i es wereway ahead of Ar ab- I sl ami c count r i es i n di scover i ng t he J ewi sh i deol ogy,and i t s hi dden cont ent s of dest r uct i ve evi l . Accor di ngl y; t hesesoci et i es embarked upon r esear ch and ser i ous i nqui r i es r egar di ng thesel f - i sol at i on of t he J ews, i n t hei r own quar t er s ( t he ghet t os) , andt hei r own i nsi st ence upon t hi s i sol at i on, i n or der t o at t r act andi nvi t e hat r ed, so t hey wi l l be si ngl ed out f or t hei r mar ked char act erand charact er i st i cs. And i t may have been t hat t he i mposed envi r onmentof t ol er ance by t he Musl i m Ar abs was t he pr i mar y f act or whi ch pr ovi dedt he oppor t uni t y f or t he J ews t o enj oy the l i f e of compl et e f r eedomt hroughout t he Ar ab- I sl ami c r egi on. They came t o know everyt hi ng aboutt he r egi ons of t hi s wor l d, at t he same t i me, t hey benef i t ed f r om t hei rpr i vat e i sol at i on, and shr ouded t hei r own wor l d wi t h obscur i t y, so that

t he wor l d woul d not know of t hem except a meager amount of i nf ormat i on.

I t was not s t r ange, t heref ore, t hat t he ci t y of Damascus was st r ongl yj ol t ed by t he di scovery of t hi s hor r i bl e cr i me, and t o be awakenedsuddenl y t o what had bef al l en her , t o the sad r eal i t y of not knowi ngt hose who l i ved wi t h t hem, and among t hem.

The al armed cal l of t he ci t y was expressed by t he mot hers warni ng t hei rchi l dr en: "bewar e of goi ng f ar f r omyour own house; because t he J ews


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mi ght pass by you, t hey mi ght put you i n thei r sacks and take you awayt o sl ay you and dr ai n your bl ood, t o make t hei r br ead of Zi on. "

Gener at i on af t er gener at i on car r i ed t hi s war ni ng of "J ewi sh bet r ayal "wi t h t hem. Then t he J ews est abl i shed a countr y f or t hemsel ves i n t hel and of Gr eat er Syri a. But di d t he J ewi sh hat r ed of ot her s di sappear ?

Or had t he Tal mudi c t eachi ngs, wi t h t hei r cr i mes and di st ort i ons,cont i nued t he pr act i ce of t hei r hat r ed agai nst humani t y, and t hesur r oundi ng soci et i es?

The obser vat i on of t he dai l y event s as t o what i s happeni ng i n t heoccupi ed l and gi ves dai l y conf i r mat i on beyond t he shadow of a doubtt hat what i s descr i bed as t he Zi oni st Raci sm i s not hi ng but anextensi on and remol di ng of t he Tal mudi c t eachi ngs. And i f t he J ewr ef uses t o l i ve i n a non- J ewi sh home, t hi s l ed t he r ef usal of t heenl ar ged ghet t o' s soci et y ( I sr ael t oday) t o l i ve i n t he home of someot her soci et i es.

My i nt ent i on i n publ i shi ng t hi s book was not hi ng more t han t he exposur e

of some secret s of a J ewi sh r el i gi on sect and t he pr act i ces of i t sadher ent s. Thei r hat ef ul , bl i nd sol i dar i t y t o t hei r bel i ef s, and t heexecut i on of Tal mudi c t eachi ngs whi ch were f ormul ated by t hei rr el i gi ous bel i ef s and t eachi ngs ( The Law of t hei r Pr ophet Moses) . TheHol y Qur an r eveal ed, adequat el y, God' s sayi ng: Sur as I I : 75, 79:

Can Ye ( O Ye Men of Fai t h) ent ert ai n the hope t hat t heywi l l bel i eve i n you? - Seei ng t hat a par t y of t hem hear dt he Word of God, and prevented i t knowi ngl y af t er t heyunder st ood i t .

Then woe t o t hose who wr i t e t he Book wi t h t hei r own hands;and t hen say: "Thi s i s f romGod, " t o t raf f i c wi t h i t f or ami ser abl e pr i ce!

Woe t o t hem f or what t hei r hands do wr i t e, and f or t he gai nt hey make t hereby.

I t i s al so my i nt ent i on t hr ough t he wr i t i ng of t hi s book t o show,i ndi r ect l y, t he i mpor t ance of t he st at e' s nat i onal sover ei gnt y i n t heSyri an r egi on because i t cl ear l y reveal s t he ar r ogance and def i antbehavi or of I saac Pi cci ot t o ( a J ew wor ki ng i n t he Aust r i an Consul at e i nDamascus) i n f r ont of t he Chi ef J ust i ce of t he Cour t . Thi s par t i cul ari nci dent coul d not have t aken pl ace i f f or ei gn i nf l uence i n Syri a hadbeen non- exi st ent at t he t i me. Ther ef ore, we want t o di r ect ourat t ent i on and open the eyes of our Ar ab br other s t o t hese f act s, andexami ne t he subj ect of nat i onal sover ei gnt y as i ndi vi si bl e. We wantal so t o show t hat no f orei gner has any r i ght what soever t o i gnore t hese

f act s. Pr esi dent Sadat ' s ( Pr esi dent of Egypt af t er Nasser ) gr avemi st ake, whi ch was t he cause of hi s assassi nat i on, was t hat he had al ow r egar d f or t he nat i onal r i ght s of ( Egypt , and) t he Egypt i an peopl e,and subsequent l y he sol d t hei r nat i onal r i ght s t o t he devi l .

For t hose reasons we have wi t nessed t he submi ssi ve post ur e of t hel eader of Egypt , t he l ar gest Ar ab count r y, i dl y st andi ng by as aspect ator whi l e t he t r agedy of Lebanon t ook pl ace i n t he summer of1982.


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The sover ei gnt y of Egypt became r el at i ve and i ncompl et e af t er t he CampDavi d agr eement .

Fi nal l y, I want ver y much t o di r ect my gr eat appr eci at i on and thanks t omy comr ade i n ar ms, Al - Muqaddam Bassan Assal i , who was my r i ght arm i nt he pr epar at i on of t hi s book. I hope t hat I have been abl e t o f ul f i l l

some of my dut i es i n t he pr ocess and t he task of exposi ng the pr act i cesof our nat i on' s hi st ori c enemy, seeki ng onl y the cause of God.

Damascus

Sept ember, 1986

THE MURDERING OF FATHER THOMAS AL-CAPUCI

AND HIS SERVANT IBRAHIM AMARAH

IN DAMASCUS, 1840 A.D.

The Elements of the Research:

I . The Ti p of t he St r i ng

I I . The Cr i me

I I I . Bl ood f or t he Br ead of Zi on ( The J ews)

I V. The Sl ayi ng of t he Servant I br ahi m Amar ah

V. The Deni al of t he Aust r i an Embassy Empl oyee I saac Pi cci ot t o

VI . The Memorandum of Accusat i on Agai nst I saac Pi cci ot t o

VI I . The Lawf ul Use of Chr i st i an Bl ood and Weal t h

VI I I . The Rol e of t he For ei gn Consul at es

I

THE TIP OF THE STRING

Damascus was qui et as usual on Fr i days. On t hi s day peopl e at t end t ot hei r own pr i vat e l i ves and t o t hei r l i vi ng condi t i ons, r egai ni ngdur i ng t hei r day of r est what t hey have l ost i n str engt h dur i ng t heweek, and pr epare f or work t he next day. Government of f i ces and st atebui l di ngs ar e empt y on Fr i day except f or t hose who ar e responsi bl e f or


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mai nt ai ni ng secur i t y and t he requi r ement of publ i c ser vi ce. Dur i ng t hi sday on Fr i day ( t he 4t h of Zul - Hi j j ah, 1255 A. H) t he 7t h of Febr uar y1840 A. D. , t he Assi st ant t o t he French Consul i n Damascus, Mr . Beaudi n,came to the Of f i ce of t he Gover nor of Damascus and i nf ormed hi m of t hef act t hat Father Thomas Al - Capuci had l ef t hi s house on Wednesday ( t wodays ago) , as was hi s dai l y cust omt o go t o t he J ewi sh Quar t er t opr act i ce hi s wor k of t r eat i ng t he

1The Pat r i ar chat e Magazi ne, ( f ormer l y The Syr i an Magazi ne) , VI , vol . 19( November 15, 1931) , pp. 598- 608.

si ck and to gi ve vacci nat i ons agai nst smal l pox, and had not r etur nedhome. Due to t he f act t hat t he Musl i m communi t y Quart ers were f ar f r omhi s r esi dence, Fat her Thomas arr anged hi s vi si t s t o t he Musl i m Quar t er sear l y i n the morni ng. Af t er work he woul d r et ur n t o t ake hi s l unch andr est f or a short t i me bef or e he woul d go to t he Chr i st i an sect i on, andent er t he J ewi sh Quar t er at t he end of t he day, and ret ur n t o hi s housel at er i n t he eveni ng.

On t hi s par t i cul ar day he was car r yi ng wi t h hi m an adver t i sement f or apubl i c auct i on f or t he Tar noba est at e, si nce Tar noba had di ed ear l i er .

The t i me f or t he r et urn of Fat her Thomas t o hi s house drew near , andpassed, and yet he was nowhere i n si ght . Hi s ser vant , I br ahi m Amarah,became concerned and he hur r i edl y went t o the J ewi sh Quar t er l ooki ngf or Fat her Thomas, but he t oo di d not r etur n.

Mr . Beaudi n st ated t hat t he pharmaci st of t he Sham' s Hospi t al , Mr .Sant i , who bor r owed a book f r omFat her Thomas earl i er , came that day t or et ur n t he book. He knocked on t he l i t t l e chur ch door sever al t i mes,and when no one answered the door he went t o t he bi g Franci scan Chur ch.However , t he pr i est s di d not show much concern about t he mat t er , ast hey assumed t hat he mi ght have been vi si t i ng some si ck peopl e. Thenext day, whi ch was Thursday, Febr uar y 6t h, some Chr i st i ans came ear l yf or pr ayer and f i ndi ng the Chur ch' s door cl osed they t hought t hatFather Thomas had al r eady conduct ed t he ser vi ce and t hat he had l ef t onhi s dai l y rounds; so t hey al so l ef t . Al so Mr . Massar i , t he physi ci an oft he Gover nor of Damascus, Shar i f Pasha, had i nvi t ed al l t he pr i est s f ora di nner part y at hi s home on t hat day. Al l came except f or Fat her

Thomas. Thi s caused t he ot her pr i est s t o become concer ned f or Fat herThomas. Af t er t he di nner part y was over t hey went t o see t he Fr enchConsul t o i nf orm hi m r egar di ng thei r concer n over t he absence of Fat her

Thomas si nce Fat her Thomas was a Fr ench subj ect .

The Fr ench Consul , Mr . Comt e De Rat t i - Menton al so r ecei ved t he

i nf ormat i on wi t h concern. He went i mmedi atel y t o t he Chur ch of Fat herThomas Al - Capuci where he f ound a cr owd of concer ned peopl e gathered.They shout ed at once sayi ng t hat t he pr i est had l ef t yest erdayaf t ernoon t o the J ewi sh Quart er and t hat he and hi s ser vant weremi ssi ng i n that ar ea.

The Consul or dered one of t he nei ghbors t o cl i mb down t he l adder i nsi det he Chur ch and t o open t he door . When t he nei ghbor cl i mbed down he wentt o t he door and f ound i t cl osed but not l ocked. Thi s f act seemed t o


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i ndi cat e t hat t he ser vant l ef t t he chur ch wi t h t he i nt ent of comi ngback shor t l y. The Consul ent ered t he Chur ch, and when he went i nsi det he ki t chen he f ound di nner had been pr epared f or bot h, Father Thomasand hi s ser vant . I t was ready t o be eaten whi ch i ndi cated t hat both menwent out wi t h i nt ent i on of r et ur ni ng f or di nner .

Thei r concer n t urned t o f ears t hat bot h had met wi t h deat h out si de t heChur ch. There was no evi dence t o i ndi cate deat h caused by a t hef t ofmoney or val uabl es as everyt hi ng i nsi de was i n i t s proper pl ace andorder l y. I n addi t i on many had wi t nessed Fat her Thomas ent eri ng the

J ewi sh Quart er s yest erday af t ernoon. However , no one had seen hi ml eavi ng t he J ewi sh Quar t er s. The Consul r et ur ned t o hi s of f i ce and senthi s assi st ant t o meet wi t h t he Egypt i an Governor of Damascus, Shari fPasha, car r yi ng wi t h hi m what i nf ormat i on he obt ai ned.

The Governor of Damascus i mmedi at el y i ssued an or der t o make necessarysear ches and i nvest i gat i ons, and sent t he man who was r esponsi bl e f orsecur i t y (Al i Nounou) t o i nspect suspect ed pl aces i n t he J ewi sh Quart erand some houses i nsi de i t . But r esear ches di d not r esul t i n anythi ng.

Then t wo Chr i st i an nat i ves, Cat hol i cs, ( Ni ma Kassab and Mi chael Kal l am)

gave thei r evi dence whi ch sai d t hat t hey were passi ng t hr ough theJ ewi sh Quart er , on t he day f at her Thomas di sappear ed, 15 mi nut es bef or esunset . And when t hey reached t he l ane of Tal ei Al - Fi ddaha i n t he f i r stpart of t he J ewi sh Quart er, t hey saw t he servant of Fat her Thomas goi nghast i l y whi l e he was ent er i ng t he J ewi sh Quar t er. They st opped hi m andasked wher e he was goi ng and why he was wal ki ng so f ast . He repl i edt hat hi s mast er had t ol d hi m bef ore t hat he was goi ng t o the J ewi shQuart er, but he had not come yet , so, he came t o l ook f or hi m. At t hatt i me, suspi ci ons poi nt ed t hat Fat her Thomas and hi s servant had beenl ost t oget her i n t he J ewi sh Quar t er .

Shar i f Pasha, t he Governor of Damascus sent f or f our r abbi s and askedt hem t o announce i n t hei r t empl es, t hat f orgi veness woul d be gr ant ed t o

anyone who gave i nf ormat i on t hat woul d hel p i n reveal i ng the cr i mi nalcase, coupl ed by a pr omi se t o keep t hei r names secret i n case of anat t empt on t hei r l i ves. Mor eover , Shar i f Pasha, i ssued hi s or der s t oi nspect some houses bel ongi ng t o the J ews, but al l ef f ort s pr oved t o beof no avai l .

Mohammad Al i succeeded i n t he 19t h cent ur y i n t he l i berat i ng of Syr i aand uni f yi ng i t wi t h Egypt . Thi s act i on caused a ser i ous i nt er nat i onalcr i si s because t he uni t y posed a gr ave danger t o Eur opean i nt erest s.

Ther ef or e, an i nt er nat i onal al l i ance was f or med under t he l eadershi p ofEngl and. France di d not j oi n t hi s al l i ance because she was hopi ng t ocul t i vat e the f r i endshi p of Mohammad Al i i n or der t o gai n cer t ai npr i vi l eges i n t hi s sensi t i ve r egi on. But l at er on France deser t ed

Mohammad Al i because of t he i ncreasi ng Eur opean pr essure on her . And i norder t o dest r oy t hi s uni t y numer ous pl ans wer e f ormed ei t her t oi sol at e Syr i a i n t he r egi on or t o br i ng back t o real i t y theest abl i shment of t he J ewi sh Ki ngdom.

Dur i ng t hi s unst abl e per i od, and about t he end of Mohammad Al i ' s r ul eover Syri a, a horr i bl e cri me shocked Damascus, a cr i me that r esul t ed i nt he sl ayi ng of Father Thomas Al - Capuci by a gr oup of J ews who want ed t ouse hi s bl ood i n the maki ng of t he Yom Ki ppur unl eavened br ead. 1


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Thi s was not t he f i r st cr i me of i t s ki nd. The West knew of many si mi l arones, and so di d Czari st

1 Father Thomas spent t hi r t y- t hree years i n Damascus ( 1807- 1840) . He was aknowl edgeabl e physi ci an and a t r ai ned pharmaci st . He t r eat ed t he si ckr egar dl ess of t hei r r el i gi ous bel i ef - Musl i ms, Chr i st i ans, and J ews. He wasact i ve i n er adi cat i ng and f i ght i ng cont agi ous di seases. He earned the l ove and

t he respect of al l . Father Thomas was murdered on t he same day he was vi si t i ngand t r eat i ng hi s pat i ent s i n t he J ewi sh Quar t er , whi l e tr eat i ng a J ewi sh boyagai nst smal l pox.

Fat her Thomas had pl aced publ i c not i ces f or t he Auct i on Sal e of t heest ate of Tranoba i n al l t he Chr i st i an Chur ches. When i t was observedt hat t her e were no such not i ces f ound i n t he Roman Or t hodox Chur ches ort he J ewi sh Templ es i t was concl uded that t he di sappear ance of Fat her

Thomas was bef or e hi s ar r i val t o t hese pl aces. And when on t he next daya not i ce was seen mount ed, i n t he r egul ar pl ace, where publ i c not i ceswere usual l y pl aced, next t o t he J ewi sh Barber shop of Sol i man Sal oom,

suspi ci on now t ur ned on t hi s J ewi sh Barber .

The author i t i es r emoved t he not i ce and exami ned i t . I t r eveal ed t hatt wo waf ers ( medi ci ne capsul es) were used on t wo cor ner s as st i cker swhen al l not i ces were mounted by t he use of f our waf ers. Uponexami nat i on of t hese capsul es i t became cl ear t hat al l were of whi t ecol or , t he same ki nd used by Father Thomas. But t he t wo capsul es usedt o f ast en the not i ce next t o t he Bar ber Shop wer e of di f f er ent col or -one bei ng r ed, and t he other vi ol et .

The J ewi sh barber, Sol i man Sal oom, was brought f or quest i oni ng. He sai dt hat t he not i ce on t he wal l was mounted by Fat her Thomas hi msel f . Whenhe was asked about t he met hod of mount i ng i t he sai d that Fat her Thomas

used two capsul es. Then he was asked agai n about t he col or of t he t wocapsul es i n spi t e t he f act t hat t hey wer e on the back of t he paper andhow di d Father Thomas pl ace t he not i ce on a pl ace t hat was t oo hi gh f orhi m t o reach. The bar ber conf essed t hat because so many peopl e handl edt he not i ce he was concer ned t hat i t woul d f al l and be l ost i f he di dnot r emove i t f r om i t s ori gi nal pl ace and pl ace i t on a hi gher spot .

The barber , Sol i man Sal oom, was r ecal l ed f or f ur t her quest i oni ng andwas vi gorousl y dr i l l ed wi t h many quest i ons. He was al so warned andt hr eat ened. On Fr i day, 14t h of Febr uar y, 1840, t he bar ber conf essedt hat Rabbi Moussa Abou Al - Af i eh, Moussa Bokoor Yehuda ( Sal ani ki ) , Davi dHar ar i , and hi s brot her s I saac and J oseph Har ar i , and J oseph Li f yadower e t ogether , and t hat t hey al l wal ked t hr ough Zi qaq ( al l ey) Al -

Tal l aj , i n t he Tal l aj nei ghborhood, passi ng t he house of Davi d Harar ibetween noon and af t ernoon of Wednesday, t he day of Fat her Thomas'di sappear ance, when Fat her Thomas met wi t h t hem.

The barber , Sol i man Sal oom, al so conf essed t hat I saac Pi cci ot t o, one oft he J ewi sh el i t es, st opped at hi s bar ber shop af t er hi s f i r stquest i oni ng t o ask hi m i f he had conf essed t o anyt hi ng. When t he barberr epl i ed negat i vel y, Mr . Pi cci ot t o sai d t o hi m: "I was expect i ng t hat ofyou, and hoped i t woul d be the case. " He al so st ated t hat he had beent o t he French Consul r egar di ng t he i nvest i gat i on t o hel p t he bar ber


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dur i ng hi s j ai l - det ent i on. Thi s was i n or der t o keep Mr . Sal oom, t hebar ber , si l ent . Fol l owi ng t hese r evel at i ons by Mr . Sal oom, t heauthor i t y summoned t hose whose names had been gi ven by Mr . Sal oom. Theywere asked t o st ate what f act s t hey knew r egardi ng t he di sappearance ofFat her Thomas Al - Capuci and hi s ser vant . Thei r answers were as f ol l ows:

J oseph Li f yado st at ed t hat hi s daught er had di ed on a Fr i day, f i f t eendays ear l i er , and as was t hei r cust om f or t he f ami l y of t he deceased,t hey di d not l eave t hei r homes so t hat he di d not know anyt hi ngr egardi ng t he case.

I saac Harari st ated t hat he di d not know anyt hi ng about t he case, andt hat he and t he bar ber Sol i man Sal oom were t he t ype of busi ness men whodi d not i nt er est t hemsel ves i n matt er s ot her t han thei r work whi ch wasbuyi ng and sel l i ng. He deni ed any knowl edge of what had been repor t ed.

Davi d Harar i st ated t hat he had not seen Father Thomas f or t womont hs. He deni ed t hat he had a meet i ng wi t h t hose ment i oned by Mr .Sal oom. He f ur t her st at ed: " I t i s t r ue t hat my house i s l ocat ed i n t he

Tal l aj Al l ey, but I know not hi ng about t he meet i ng of t hose ment i onedby Mr . Sal oom dur i ng hi s i nt er r ogat i on by t he aut hor i t i es.

J oseph Har ar i st at ed t hat he was an ol d man who sel dom l ef t hi s house;t hat he had not met wi t h Fat her Thomas i n more t han t hree mont hs. Hesai d t hat he had l i ved wi t h t he Chr i st i ans al l hi s l i f e, spendi ng t heni ght i n t hei r homes, and t hey i n t ur n sl ept at hi s home.

Fi nal l y i t was the t ur n of Rabbi Moussa Abou Al - Af i eh t o speak and hest at ed t hat : " I r et ur ned t o my house f r omwork around sunset . Enr out e Ipassed f r omQassat l i yeh road and not t hr ough the Tal l aj nei ghborhood.

Ther ef or e, I di d not see Fat her Thomas even one t i me. As f ar as t heassoci at i on i s concer ned, i t i s not our s. I have not met wi t h t hem oncei n t he l ast si x mont hs. However, we mi ght have seen each ot her casual l yand then depar t ed. I have no knowl edge r egardi ng t he meet i ng of t hose

ment i oned i n t he case.

Aar on Har ar i st at ed t hat : "I l i ve i n a house near t he Br i t i sh Consul ' sr esi dence. Sel domdo I go t o t hat ar ea t o meet wi t h my br et hr en. I havenot seen the barber f or ei ght days, and I l eave f or my work, and do notl eave t he market t o retur n home bef ore sunset . So thi s bei ng t he case,how coul d t he seven of us have met . "

Those men gave t hei r st at ements i n t he absence of t he barber becauset hey wer e al l booked toget her i n a si ngl e room. Ther ef ore, t hey wer eabl e t o agr ee among t hemsel ves on what t o say and to deny thei rmeet i ng. Then t he bar ber Sol i man Sal oomwas br ought back t o f ace t hemwi t h hi s own st atement . They i nsi st ed on t hei r own st atement s, and

ever yone t ur ned t o hi m sayi ng: "O bel oved one, di d you see us your sel f ?I pr ay t o God f or your sal vat i on. "

Then J oseph Li f yado deci ded t o conf i r m hi s st at ement by sayi ng: " I havepr oof ; t he deat h of my daughter was on the ni ght of Thur sday. Both I saAl - Mukhowi l and Mat t a Ghi breel were i n my house and they can conf i r mt hat . " The ot her s i nsi st ed by stat i ng t hat t he r epor t of t he bar ber wasf al se and had no f oundat i on i n t he tr ut h si nce t hey di d not r et ur n tot hei r homes f r omt he market pl ace unt i l sunset .


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When Rabbi Moussa Bokhour Yehuda came f or quest i oni ng, he st at ed t hathe had no knowl edge of t he case; t hat he di d not meet wi t h thement i oned gr oup associ at i on; and t hat he knew not hi ng r egardi ng t hi s socal l ed "meet i ng, " and t hat he di d not l eave hi s house bef ore sunset .

Ther ef or e, he di d not see Fat her Thomas and di d not meet wi t h hi m.

Faced wi t h t he deni al s of t hese accused, t he aut hori t i es deci ded t obook t hem f or f ur t her i nvest i gat i on.

The i nvest i gat i on r esumed on Sunday, 13th, Zul - Hi j j ah ( February 16,1840) . At t hi s poi nt , t he bar ber Sol i man Sal oom di d not conf ess t oot her t han havi ng seen Fat her Thomas meet i ng wi t h t he seven men. Thei nvest i gat or s deci ded t o di r ect t hei r ef f or t s t o the bar ber becauset hey f el t t hat he knew more regardi ng thi s case, more than he had t ol dt hus f ar . They cont i nued t hei r quest i oni ng of hi m, and kept up t hei ri nt er r ogat i on of hi m at t i mes wi t h ki ndness, at ot her t i mes wi t ht hreat s. The barber began to br eak down and r equest ed t hat he begr ant ed i mmuni t y and pardon bef ore gi vi ng f ur t her t est i mony. Thi s wasgrant ed. Then he conf essed t hat t he above ment i oned group of seven ment ook Fat her Thomas t o Davi d Har ar i ' s house. "Af t er hal f an hour t hey

cal l ed me f r om my shop, i t was af t er sunset . They sai d t o me:

' Sl ay t hi s pr i est . ' Fat her Thomas was i n t he r oom wi t h hi s hands t i ed.I sai d t o them: ' t hi s i s not my busi ness, ' and I r ef used t o do i t . Thent hey gave me money, and they al so gave me t he publ i c not i ce of t heest ate auct i on sal e. Aaron Har ar i gave i t t o me. They i nst r uct ed me tomount i t near my shop.

When you f i r st brought me f or quest i oni ng, Davi d Harar i saw me and hesai d to me: ' bewar e of admi t t i ng anythi ng. We wi l l gi ve you money. ' I twas t he ser vant ( Murad Al - Fat t al ) of Davi d Harar i who came to my shopt o request me t o go t o t he meet i ng pl ace.

The above st at ement of conf ess i on was r ecor ded, and t he servant MuradAl - Fat t al was summoned f or quest i oni ng.

The I nvest i gator r esumed hi s quest i oni ng of Sol i man Sal oom, t he barber,by sayi ng t o hi m: "Your conf ess i ons yest erday wer e st at ements di f f er entf r omyour st at ement s t oday. And you sai d that t he quest i oni ng and theconf essi on was obt ai ned due to beat i ngs. That i s t o say t hat t heconf essi on was obt ai ned f r om you by f orce. Now you are accusi ng t hesemen; we want t o know t he t r ut h. Do not be af r ai d. We do not want t oaccuse anybody. And i f t her e i s anot her si de to t he case, st at e i t anddo not be af r ai d. "

The barber i nsi st ed t hat he had t ol d t he t r ut h, and t hat he was notdenyi ng anyt hi ng of what he sai d. The I nvest i gator t hen asked: "Weret her e any women or chi l dren i n the house?" The barber answered: "Therewere none ot her t han t he seven men, and t he ser vant who r emai nedout si de the house. "

The quest i ons by t he I nvest i gator and t he r epl i es of t he barber ,Sol i man Sal oom, were as f ol l ows:


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Q: Who opened t he door ?

A: Davi d Harar i opened t he door .

Q: Af t er t hey asked you t o sl ay t he Pri est , di d you st ay t here? Wher edi d you go?

A: I di d not st ay. I l ef t f or my shop, cl osed i t , and t hen I wenthome.

Q: Di d Fat her Thomas t r y t o cr y out ?

A: He was enci r cl ed by t he men. Thi s I t hi nk pr event ed hi m f r omcryi ng. Even i f he hadcr i ed, hi s voi ce woul d not have been hear d out si de. I n addi t i on, t hesur r oundi ng houseswere al l occupi ed by J ews.

Q: Was hi s servant wi t h hi m or not?

A: Hi s ser vant was not wi t h hi m. Anot her group murder ed t he ser vant .Thi s I know t o be t r ue.

Mur ad Al - Fat t al , t he servant of Davi d Harar i , came and was quest i onedby t he I nvest i gat or. The ser vant sai d: "My t eacher sent me af t er sunsett o cal l t he barber Sol i man Sal oom. I cal l ed hi m t hen went t o my house. "

Q: Was anyone el se present ? Who was wi t h your t eacher?

A: I di d not see anyone ot her t han my mast er ( t eacher ) who di d notl eave t he house on t hat day because he was compl ai ni ng of a t oothache.

Q: How di d you spend your day on Wednesday of Zul - Hi j j ah 2nd, t he dayon whi ch Fat her Thomas di sappear ed?

A: I was i n t he mar ket pl ace. I went t o t he cust om house t o cl ai m abal e of wool mat er i al . Then I went t o Geor gi Anj our i . I r emai ned i n themar ket pl ace unt i l about sunset .

Mr . Anj our i was quest i oned r egar di ng t he t r ut hf ul ness of what Davi dHar ari had sai d of hi s meet i ng wi t h hi m l ast Wednesday. He sai d thatDavi d Harar i di d not come t o hi s pl ace on Wednesday, but t hat he came

on Thursday af t ernoon. Some of what he sai d t o me was t hat " t heChr i st i ans wer e accusi ng us r egar di ng the case of Fat her Thomas. I s i tpossi bl e that we woul d do somethi ng l i ke t hat "? Ar e we t hat ki nd ofpeopl e? I answered hi m: "That ' s what t hey are sayi ng".

Then t he I nvest i gator sent a wr i t t en l et t er t o t he cust om house. Therepl y to the l et t er arr i ved, seal ed wi t h t he customoff i cer ' s seal . I t


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st ated t hat Davi d Harar i di d not come on Wednesday, but t hat hi sser vant came on Thursday and cl ai med a bal e of wool ; t hat Davi d Harar ihad not come to the cust omhouse at al l .

The Ass i st ant t o t he Fr ench Consul Beaudi n - perf or med t hei nvest i gat i on on Tuesday, 16 Zul - Hi j j ah. He star t ed by quest i oni ng t hebar ber Sol i man Sal oom.

Q. Who gave you t he publ i c not i ce of t he auct i on whi ch was f oundmount ed next t o your shop?

A. Aaron Harar i i s t he one who gave me t he publ i c not i ce paper .

Q. Wher e di d he gi ve you t hat paper ? And at what t i me?

A. He gave i t t o me hal f an hour past sunset on Wednesday. That waswhen I went t o Davi d Harar i ' s house. I t was t here t hat he gave i t t o

me.

Q. Where di d you get t he capsul es f or mount i ng i t ?

A. Aaron Harari gave i t t o me.

Q. Wher e di d Aaron Harar i get t he capsul es?

A. I do not know. Al l I know i s that he gave i t t o me wi t h t he not i cepaper .

Q. Di d anybody see you when you were mount i ng t he paper ? At what t i me

was t hat ?

A. I mount ed i t ear l y Thursday morni ng. No one saw me.

Q. Di d you di scuss thi s wi t h anyone of your f ami l y, l i ke your f at heror your wi f e?

A. I di d not di scuss t hi s wi t h anyone at al l .

Q. Di d t hey pay you money t o buy your si l ence?

A. They gave me nothi ng except a promi se to gi ve a sum of money.

Q. Who has been r esponsi bl e f or your f ami l y and house expenses si ncet he day of your i mpr i sonment ?

A. They promi sed me t hat t hey woul d t ake car e of t he expenses f or myf ami l y. However , t hey have not l i ved up t o t hei r pr omi ses.

Q. How di d t hey gi ve you t hi s promi se?


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A. When t he pol i ce- Abou Shi hab Tof nakj i - came and ar r est ed me onSunday af t ernoon, Davi d Harar i passed by my si de and whi spered t o mesayi ng: "do not be af r ai d, we wi l l gi ve you money".

Q. Ar e you pr epar ed t o swear , accor di ng t o your f ai t h, t o t he t r ut hof your t est i mony?

A. I am ver y much r eady t o swear .

Unt i l t hi s poi nt i n the i nvest i gat i on the bar ber Sol i man Sal oom hadmai nt ai ned hi s deni al of any knowl edge of t he mur der , or of hi spresence t her eof . So Beaudi n asked hi m:

Q. Di d you t r y t o spy on what had happened t o Fat her Thomas af t er youl ef t Davi d Harar i ' s house on Wednesday?

A. The bar ber answered t hat he was not abl e t o come back to ent er t he

house.

Q. Di d you know t hat Fat her Thomas has post ed t he not i ce paper onWednesday?

A. Yes! I di d. But I di d not see i t because I was not i n t he shop att hat t i me. I was at Rabbi Moussa' s house. He had sent f or me. When Ir eturned to my shop I f ound a cr owd of l aborers r eadi ng t headver t i sement . I asked them what does i t cont ai n? They sai d t hat Fat her

Thomas had put i t t here f or t he auct i on.

Q. Di d you know t he shape of t he paper ?

A. I di d not see i t . Ther e i s no doubt t hat t he Har ar i ' s f ami l yr emoved i t because i f t hey were not t he ones who r emoved i t , t hey woul dnot have gi ven i t t o me to put i t back.

On Wednesday, Zul - Hi j j ah 14, Mur ad Al - Fat t al was br ought i n agai n, andt he I nvest i gat or asked hi m:

Q. Where wer e you, and where was your mast er Davi d Harar i when heasked you t o br i ng the barber Sol i man Sol oom t o hi m?

A. I was i n t he market pl ace. When I passed by t he Harar i Fami l yhouses, he was st andi ng i n f r ont of hi s house. He sai d t o me: "Send t hebarber t o me. " So I went t o t he barber and sent hi m. Then I r etur ned t omy house.

Q. Your mast er has deni ed t hat he asked you t o send t he bar ber t ohi m.


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A: What i s my j ob? Am I not a ser vant? That i s what he order ed me t odo, and t hat i s what I di d.

Q: I f he was t he one who demanded of you t o send t he bar ber t o hi m,why i s he denyi ng i t ?

A: Per haps t he bar ber i s accusi ng hi m of t hi s because i f he deni es i the mi ght be l abel ed wi t h t he accusat i ons.

Q: Davi d ment i oned t hat he was suf f er i ng f r om a t oot hache. Thi s doesnot seem t o agr ee wi t h the st at ement t hat he was st andi ng i n f r ont ofhi s house. I f i t was necessar y f or hi m t o st ay i nsi de hi s house due t oa toothache. You need t o gi ve us what ever i nf ormat i on you have. Becauseyou ar e a servant , no har m wi l l come t o you. So tel l t he t r ut h and donot be af r ai d.

A: The t r ut h of t he mat t er i s that I was af r ai d, and t hat i s why Isai d what I have sai d. The t r ut h i s t hat my mast er di d not ask me tosend f or t he bar ber , and I di d not send f or hi m.

At t hi s poi nt i n t he i nvest i gat i on pr essur e on t he ser vant Mur adi ncr eased wi t h added t hreats. Then he st ated: "You brought me i n f r ontof my mast er Raf ael Farhi and quest i oned me. He l ooked at me andwi nked, so I deni ed i t . "

The I nvest i gator sai d t o hi m: "Do you f ear Raf ael mor e t han you f earme?" The servant answered, "You wi l l whi p me and t hen l et me go. But hewi l l beat me unt i l deat h. For t hat I am mor e af r ai d of hi m t han ofyou. "


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II

THE CRIME

Fr i day 25t h of Zul - Hi j j ah, 1255 H ( 28t h of Febr uar y 1840) .

The Meet i ng of t he I nvest i gat i on Commi t t ee Par t i ci pant s:

Li wa Sadi q Bey, Commander of Caval r y Ar t i l l ery

Fr ench Consul t o Damascus Comt e De Rat t i - Menton

Assi st ant t o the French Consul , Mr . Beaudi n

Mr . Massar i Hakeem, Governor of Damascus.

Due t o t he deni al of t he accused men, who were j ai l ed and separatedf r om each ot her , as of now, and t he f act t hat t hey ar e al l hol di ng f i r mt o t hei r st atement s " t hat t hey knew not hi ng r egardi ng t he di sappear anceof Fat her Thomas, and due t o the i ncr easi ng doubt about t he r ol e of t hebar ber , Sol i man Sal oom, i t i s necessar y t o br i ng hi m back t o st andbef ore t he I nvest i gat i on Commi t t ee. When he was br ought bef ore thei nvest i gators agai n he was bombarded wi t h f ast and repeat ed quest i ons.At t he same t i me he was pr omi sed pr otect i on i f he conf essed t o t hewhol e t r ut h. So he conf essed as f ol l ows:

Davi d Har ar i , and hi s ser vant Mur ad Al - Fat t al , l ef t f r om my shop t o hi shouse about hal f an hour al t er sunset . When I ent ered the house I f oundt her ei n Aar on Har ar i , I saac Har ar i , J oseph Li f yado, Rabbi Moussa AbouAl - Af i eh, and Rabbi Moussa Bokhoor Yehuda ( Sal ani ki ) , and Fat her Thomaswho was bound. Then Davi d Harar i and hi s br ot her Aaron sai d t o me, "goand sl ay Fat her Thomas. " I sai d t o them, " I cannot do that . " They sai d,"wai t . " Then t hey got up and br ought a kni f e. I t hr ew hi m ( Fat her

Thomas) down on t he ground and hel d hi m down wi t h t he hel p of t heothers, and pl aced hi s neck on t he edge of a l arge wash basi n. Davi dt ook t he kni f e and sl ew hi m. Aaron compl eted t he sl ayi ng af t erward.

They drai ned hi s bl ood and were car ef ul not t o spi l l one drop outsi det he di shpan. We then pul l ed hi m f r om t he room i n whi ch he was sl ai n toanot her r oom cont ai ni ng some wood. We t ook of f hi s cl othes and bur nedt hem. Mur ad Al - Fat t al , t he ser vant of Davi d Harari came and f oundFather Thomas, i n the r oom wi t h wood, sl ai n and naked. The seven ment hen request ed me wi t h the hel p of t he ser vant Murad t o cut t he bodyi nt o smal l pi eces. We asked t hem, "what are we t o do wi t h i t ?" Theyr epl i ed, "t hr ow hi m i n t he Bl ack Ri ver , whi ch i s t he car r i er of t heci t y wast e. " I t passes by t he J ewi sh Quar t ers near t he house of RabbiMoussa Abou Al - Af i eh. We st art ed t o cut t he body i nt o smal l pi eces andt o put t hem i n a sack and we empt i ed i t i n t he r i ver , i n a r epeat edf ashi on. When we had compl et ed our wor k and ret urned to Davi d' s house


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t hey t ol d t he ser vant t hat t hey wer e goi ng t o mar r y hi m at t hei r ownexpense. And t hey sai d to me t hat t hey were goi ng t o gi ve money. I ,t hen, r et urned t o my house.

Q: What di d you do wi t h t he bones?

A: We pl aced t he bones on t he t i l es and smashed t hem wi t h t hemort ar ' s handl e.

Q: What di d you do wi t h t he head?

A: We smashed i t t he same way.

Q: Di d t hey pay you some money?

A: I ment i oned t o you t hat t hey pr omi sed t hei r servant marr i ageexpenses, and pr omi sed me money. They al so t hreatened t hat t hey woul daccuse us of t he mur der i f we tol d of t hei r secr et .

Q: What ki nd of sack di d you use t o move t he cut pi eces of body? Di dyou use one or more sacks? Di d you carr y t he sack by your sel f or di dyou and t he servant t ake t ur ns i n car r yi ng t hem? What col or were t hesacks?

A: The sacks were made of j ut e. They were of a bl ui sh col or . Onl y onesack was used. The ser vant and I car r i ed i t t oget her .

Q: How di d you cooper at e wi t h t he servant i n car r yi ng i t ?

A: We car r i ed i t t oget her . Somet i mes I car r i ed i t by mysel f . At ot hert i mes t he ser vant car r i ed i t by hi msel f .

Q: Where di d you put t he sack af t er you f i ni shed your work?

A: We l ef t i t i n Davi d Har ar i ' s house.

Q: I t appear s f r om your st atement s t hat when you sl ew Father Thomasyou put hi s bl ood i n t he wash basi n, and no si ngl e dr op of bl ood f el lout si de the basi n. But af t er you pul l ed t he body t o t he ot her r oom, andcut i t t o pi eces, st i l l no bl ood was spi l l ed?

A: I n f act I di d not pay at t ent i on i f bl ood came f r om t he body or i fi t di d not .

Q: What was t he f l oor of t he r oom l i ke, where you cut up t he body?Was i t made of di r t or t i l es?

A: The r oom was unf i ni shed one f ul l of di r t and wood. The cut t i ng oft he body was done on di r t .

Q: What di d you do wi t h hi s i nternal organs? How di d you car r y t hem?Di d you cut t hem up? What di d you do wi t h t hem?


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A: We cut t hem al l and put t hem i n t he sack whi ch we t hr ew i t scont ent s i n t he sal t y ( Bl ack) Ri ver .

Q: Di d any of t he par t s dr op or l eak out of t he sack?

A: When a cof f ee sack gets wet wi t h water i t becomes t hi ck; t hi s

pr event s anyt hi ng f r om l eaki ng out of i t .

Q: How many of you par t i ci pat ed i n t he cut t i ng, and how many kni vesdi d you use, and what ki nd?

A: The seven men di r ected us to t he way of t he cut t i ng. But t heservant and I di d the work al t er nat el y. When one got t i r ed t he ot herwoul d take over . The kni f e we used was of t he ki nd used bybut cher s. The same was used i n the sl ayi ng.

Q: What di d you do wi t h i t af t er t he compl et i on of t he work?

A: We l ef t i t i n Davi d Har ar i ' s house.

Q: Where are t he t i l es t hat were used f or t he br eaki ng of t he bonesl ocat ed?

A: They are l ocat ed bet ween t he t wo r ooms, i t i s a cover ed wal kway.

Q: How l ong di d t he sl ayi ng t ake? Was t he servant pr esent or not? I fhe was not present what t i me di d he come? Who opened t he door f or hi m?

A: The servant was not present dur i ng t he sl ayi ng. He came af t er t her emoval of t he body t o t he second room, and af t er t he cl ot hi ng had beenst r i pped f r om t he body. Someone opened t he door f or hi m.

Q: Were t here any women or chi l dren i n t he house? Was anyone ot hert han the seven men present i n the house?

A: There was no one ot her t han t he seven men, t he ser vant , and mysel fpr esent .

Q: At exact l y what t i me di d t he sl ayi ng t ake pl ace? How l ong di d youwai t f or t he bl ood f l ow t o cease? At what t i me di d you move t he body t ot he ot her r oom? At what t i me di d the ser vant come? How l ong di d i t t akef or t he whol e task? Where di d you put t he bl ood af t er you f i ni shed yourt ask?

A: The oper at i on st ar t ed about t wo hour s past sunset or a l i t t l el at er . Si nce t he r oom f l oor l evel was about one st ep hi gher t han t her est of t he house, t he neck of t he Pri est was pl aced at t he t op of t hest ep, a wash basi n was pl aced on t he f l oor ( under t he head) , i t t ookabout hal f an hour , per haps t wo t hi r ds of an hour , f or t he bl ood t ost op. Then we t r ansf err ed t he body t o the second r oomabout an hour anda hal f af t er I sha. When the ser vant ar r i ved the body was naked. When wef i ni shed wi t h t he oper at i on i t was about 8: 00 p. m. As f or t he bl ood, i twas l ef t i n t he basi n i n t he f i r st r oom. I l ef t af t er war d and I di d not


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know what t hey di d wi t h t he bl ood. The ser vant r emai ned af t er mydepart ur e.

Q: Where di d t he r emoval of t he cl ot hes f r om t he body t ake pl ace? Whoper f ormed t he t ask?

A: The r emoval of t he cl ot hes f r omt he body t ook pl ace i n t he samer oom where t he body i t sel f was cut t o pi eces. Davi d and Aaron removedt he cl ot hes i n t he pr esence of al l t he rest .

Q: What ki nd of body cover was Fat her Thomas wear i ng? And, what t ypeof mat er i al was t he bel t ?

A: Fat her Thomas was wear i ng a bl ack r obe. I di d not t ouch i t wi t h myhands. Hi s bel t was t he usual one, si mpl y a whi t e r ope.

Q: I s t he Sal t y Ri ver wher e you t hrew t he body uncover ed ( exposed) orcovered?

A: The Ri ver i s cover ed. Ther e i s a f l at st one at t he ent r ance of t hechi cken market next t o Rabbi Moussa Abou Al - Af i eh' s house, whi ch i sused as a cover. The Ri ver i s exposed when t he st one i s r emoved. Thati s wher e we threw t he r emai ns of t he body.

At t hi s poi nt t he bar ber was r et ur ned t o hi s pr i vat e ( sol i t ar y) r oomwhere he was i mpr i soned. Then t he servant Mur ad Al - Fat t al was r ecal l edf or quest i oni ng. They ( t he I nvest i gat i on Commi t t ee) t ol d hi m t hat t hebarber has conf essed t o ever yt hi ng and that t here was no use f or hi sdeni al .

The ser vant , Murk1 Al - Fat t al , sai d: " I was not present when t he sl ayi ngof Father Thomas Al - Capuci was carr i ed out . When I came I f ound hi m

sl ai n and naked i n the rabbi ' s r oom, wher e t her e was onl y di r t andwood. Sol i man and I t hen st art ed cut t i ng the body. Thi s was i n thepr esence of Davi d Har ar i , Aar on Har ar i , I saac Har ar i , J oseph Har ar i ,

J oseph Li f yado, Rabbi Moussa Abou Al - Af i eh, and Rabbi Moussa BokhoorYehuda. Af t er we cut t he body i nt o smal l pi eces, we t hen car r i ed i t andt hr ew i t i n t he Sal t y Ri ver . We used a cof f ee sack made of j ut e, t ocar r y t he body r emai ns.

Then t he quest i oni ng was r esumed by t he I nvest i gator and t he answer s ofMur ad are as f ol l ows:

Q: What di d you do wi t h t he bones?

A: We br oke t hem wi t h mort ar handl e over t he f l oor t i l es.

Q: What di d you do wi t h t he head?

A: We smashed i t wi t h t he handl e t oo, over the f l oor t i l es.


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Q: Di d t hey pay you money?

A: They promi sed t o pay f or my marr i age expenses t o t he gi r l whom Iwas engaged to. They al so pr omi sed t he barber money.

Q: What ki nd of a sack di d you use? Di d you have one or more sacks?

Di d you car r y t he sack al one or di d you car r y one and t he bar beranot her ? What was t he col or of t he sack?

A: There was onl y one sack. We cooperated i n carr yi ng i t t ogethersomet i mes and one of us at other t i mes. I car r i ed al one, t hen thebar ber t ook a t ur n by hi msel f . The col or of t he sack was whi t e wi t hbl ue shade.

Q: Where di d you put t he sack af t er you f i ni shed your work?

A: I do not know anyt hi ng about i t , or i t s wher eabout s.

Q: I t appear s f r om your st atement t hat when you sl ew Father Thomas

you put hi s bl ood i n t he wash basi n wi t hout si ngl e dr op of bl oodf al l i ng out si de t he basi n. But af t er you pul l ed hi s body t o t he ot herr oom and cut i t t o pi eces was t her e st i l l no bl ood whi ch came f r om t hebody?

A: Some bl ood dr opped f r om t he ar t er i es, but t he di r t absor bed i t .Not hi ng r emai ned vi si bl e on t he sur f ace of t he di r t f l oor .

Q: How about t he i nternal organs? What di d you do wi t h t hem? How di dyou car r y t hem? What di d you do wi t h t hem?

A: The i nt er nal organs wer e cut wi t h t hei r cont ent s, put i n t he sackand then we threw t hemal ong wi t h the ot her body pi eces i n the Ri ver .

Q: Di d any bl ood or cont ent s of t he i nt est i nes l eak f r omt he sackdur i ng t he r emoval operat i on?

A: The sack mat er i al was st r ong. I t di d not al l ow any l eaki ng f r omt he sack.

Q: Who part i ci pated i n t he cut t i ng operat i on? How many kni ves di d youuse? What ki nd were t hey?

A: We used onl y one kni f e. I t was t he t ype used by but cher s. No oneother t han Sol i man and mysel f di d t he cut t i ng whi ch was done i n the

presence of t he seven ot her men.

Q: Di d you not ask regardi ng Father Thomas cl ot hes as to what t heydi d wi t h t hem when you f ound hi m naked?

A: I asked. They sai d t hey had bur nt them.

Q: Wher e i s the pl ace of t he f l oor t i l es whi ch you used t o br eak t hebones over i t ?


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A: The f l oor t i l es ar e l ocat ed bet ween t he t wo r ooms, i t i s a cover edarea.

Q: When di d you st art wi t h t he operat i on and at what t i me di d youf i ni sh wi th i t ?

A: We st ar t ed about t hr ee o' cl ock. The work l ast ed unt i l about seven.

Q: Where i s t he Sal t y Ri ver , t he pl ace wher e you t hr ew t he r emai ns oft he body? I s i t an uncovered or a cover ed pl ace? I f i t was cover ed howdi d you open t he cover ?

A: The Sal t y Ri ver i s l ocated near Rabbi Moussa Abou Al - Af i eh' shouse. I t i s cover ed wi t h a f l at st one. We removed t he st one and t hrewt he remai ns i n the Ri ver .

Q: Where di d t he barber go af t er compl et i ng t he operat i on?

A: He went t o hi s house.

Q: And you! How l ong af t er t hat di d you st ay at your mast er' s house?Di d you spend t he eveni ng wi t h t he ot her s? What di d you do?

A: I wai t ed an hour and a hal f . I pr epar ed t he t obacco f or t hesmoki ng of water- pi pes f or t hemand then I went t o my house and sl ept .I do not know i f t hey st ayed over ni ght or went home.

The I nvest i gator purposel y asked Murad t he same quest i ons as wereprevi ousl y addressed to t he bar ber . The answers of bot h men mat ched

compl et el y, al most wi t h i dent i cal i nf ormat i on. Ther eupon, t he Chai r man( Head) of t he I nvest i gat i on Commi t t ee, Li wa Sadi q Bey, deci ded toi mmedi at el y move to t he scene of t he cr i me. The member s of t heCommi t t ee agreed and accompani ed hi m. They st ar t ed t hei r search wi t hDavi d Harar i ' s house, t he pl ace wher e t he cr i me was commi t t ed andcarr i ed out . The I nvest i gator asked t he barber Sol i man Sal oom ( who wasbr ought al ong wi t h the ot her s t o i dent i f y t he obj ect s and pl aces) :

Q: Where di d you carr y out t he sl ayi ng operat i on?

A: Her e! I n t hi s f ur ni shed r oom. He ( t he Pr i est ) was l ai d i n t hemi ddl e of t he r oom; t hey put t he wash basi n under hi s neck and sl ewhi m.

Q: Where di d you carr y out t he cut t i ng of t he body?

A: I n t hi s rubbi sh r oom. The wood was pi l ed under t he arch f r omt hewest near t he door . Some bl ood t r aces wer e vi si bl e on t he wal l s of t her oom.

Q: Wher e di d you break hi s bones and hi s head?


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A: I n t hi s f l at space bet ween t he t wo r ooms acr oss t heport i co. ( Ther e appear ed t o be col l apsed t i l es caused by heavypoundi ng. )

Then t he mor t ar handl e was brought i n. The barber r ecogni zed i t andconf i r med t hat i t was t he t ool used t o br eak t he bones.

Next , t he kni ves were i nt r oduced - t here were t hr ee kni ves. The barbersai d that t he kni f e he used was not one of t hem. I t i s much l onger andshar per t han t hese, he sai d. They sear ched f or t he kni f e but coul d notf i nd i t . The I nvest i gat or s t hen di smi ssed t he bar ber and cal l ed t heservant Mur ad Al - Fat t al t o the scene. They asked hi m t he samequest i ons; and t he answers were an exact mat ch to that of t he bar ber .

He poi nt ed out t he pl ace where t he cut t i ng was perf ormed; t he pl aceused to br eak t he bones, and he recogni zed t he mor t ar handl e to be thesame as he had used. Al so he di d not agr ee on t he kni ves pr esent ed t o

hi m. He was asked about t he pl ace wher e t he pi eces of body were t hrown.He l ed t he I nvest i gat ors t o the Fr i day Mar ket pl ace and st opped i n f r ontof Rabbi Moussa Abou Al - Af i eh' s house and poi nt ed at t he pl ace wheret he f l at st one was r emoved and t he body of Fat her Thomas Al - Capuci wast hr own i n t he Ri ver .

The I nvest i gator s di smi ssed t he servant and r ecal l ed t he barber Sol i manSal oom. He Conf i r med t he exact pl ace wher e t he r emai ns of Fat her Thomashad been di sposed by dumpi ng t hemi n t he Ri ver . He l i f t ed t he st onecover i ng, and t he t r aces of f l esh and bl ood wer e cl ear l y vi si bl et her ei n.

The I nvest i gat i on Commi t t ee cal l ed i n speci al i zed wor ker s. The wor ker s

went down t o the Sal t y Ri ver bot t om and brought some part s of t he body- - - pi eces of f l esh, t he l i ver , t he hear t , and some bl ood; and t he headwi t h pi eces of Fat her Thomas' head dr ess.

Then t he Chai r man of t he Commi t t ee, Li wa Sadi q Bey, or dered t het r ansf er of what t hey had f ound to t he Of f i ce of t he Governor . He t henhe order ed t hem t o send al l hi s f i ndi ng t o the French Consul , af t erpacki ng t he remai ns of Fat her Thomas i n speci al cont ai ner , so t hat amedi cal commi t t ee of doct ors coul d exami ne t he bones t o determi newhet her t hey were of human or ani mal t ype. Af t er t he exami nat i on t heFrench Consul sent t wo r epor t s on t he matt er .

The Testimony of His Excellency

the Consul of Austria1

I , t he under si gned, t he Consul of Aust r i a i n Damascus conf i r m and admi tt hat I was pr esent at t he Consul at e of Fr ance i n Damascus, when a teamof Musl i m Doct ors assembl ed t o exami ne t he bones of t he murder ed Father

Thomas. I hear d t hei r medi cal r eport conf i r mi ng t hat t he bones were


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human. I admi t t hat I saw some pi eces of a bl ack headdr ess l i ke the onewor n by Fat her Thomas.

March 13, 1840

Mer l at o

The Aust r i an Consul t o Damascus

The Testimony of the French Doctors1

We t he under si gned doct ors, r esponsi bl e agent s of Hi s Excel l ency t heGovernor , went t o t he resi dence of t he Fr ench Consul f or t he pur pose ofexami ni ng bones. The exami nat i on reveal ed t hem t o be t hose of a humanbei ng. Theref ore, we gave t hi s t est i mony i n Damascus, Februar y 29,1840.

1The Pat r i ar chat e Magazi ne, VI , 1931, pp. 657- 672.

1 Ri nal di ; G. Pi ccol o; F. Massar i ; Ami ant i a- Lor asso al so the Gover nor physi ci anand t he Hospi t al head doct or .

Testimony of the Doctors Committee

The r eason f or t hi s t est i mony, on t hi s date, we t he undersi gned wer e

cal l ed t o the r esi dence of Hi s Excel l ency the Fr ench Consul i n Damascusf or t he pur pose of exami ni ng bones r et r i eved f r om t he Sal t y Ri ver , as ar esul t of cooper at i on by some J ews i n uncover i ng t he pl ace i n thepr esence of Hi s Excel l ency the Consul . Hi s Excel l ency request ed us t oconduct exami nat i on and study of t he bones and f l esh car ef ul l y; t osubmi t a repor t accor di ng to our medi cal knowl edge, as t o whether t hebones were t hose of human or ani mal , and t o repor t f ai t hf ul l y andethi cal l y as God commanded us. Af t er t he research i t was evi dent t o usal l , wi t hout any doubt or uncer t ai nt y t hat t he bones wer e those of ahuman bei ng. We submi t t hi s t est i mony, si gned and seal ed, as evi denceof our f i ndi ngs.

Damascus, Zul - Hi j j ah, 28, 1255 H.

Si gnat ur es:

Haj Mi st o Al - Sat i , Chi ef Sur geon

Mr . Khal i f , Sur geon Dr . Mohamad Ami n Sakr . Dr . Mohamad Al - Sat i

Dr . Mohamad Ben Al - Sai d Moussa


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Wi t nessed by Mi chael Mashagah

The Testimony of Joseph the Barber

I , t he unders i gned, t he barber who cut Fat her Thomas Al - Capuci hai r ashi s bar ber, bear wi t ness t hat t he pi eces of t he bl ack headdr ess whi ch Isaw at Hi s Excel l ency' s of f i ce, at t he French Consul ' s r esi dence i nDamascus, were t r ul y pi eces f r om t he headdress whi ch Fat her Thomas usedt o wear . I i dent i f i ed t he mar ki ng of t he headdr ess t o Fat her Franci ' sAl - Capuci at my shop bef ore seei ng and i dent i f yi ng t he pi eces of t heheaddr ess at Hi s Excel l ency' s House. I observed wi t h cer t ai nt y the r edmar k that I enci r cl ed t he l ower r i m of t he i nt er i or par t of t heheaddr ess and whi ch was a darker col or t han t he upper part . Thi s i swhat I know, and I bear wi t ness t o i t bef ore God.

Damascus, Muhar r am 8, 1256 H.

Yusuf Al - Hal l aq

( J oseph t he Barber )

Wi t ness of Trut h

Ear l i er t he French Consul asked t he servant Mur ad Al - Fat t al t hef ol l owi ng:

"You st at ed t hat t hey wer e ver y car ef ul i n t hei r col l ect i on of t he

bl ood i n t he basi n, What di d t hey do wi t h i t ?" The servant answered:"I t was f or t he aski ng of br ead, a ki nd of br ead used r el i gi ousl y. " TheConsul sai d: "How di d you l ear n that ?" t he ser vant answer ed: " I heardt hemsayi ng that t he bl ood was f or maki ng t he unl eavened br ead. "

Then t he Chai r man of t he I nvest i gat i on Commi t t ee asked: "Si nce you di dno see the bl ood, how di d you know t hat t hey t ook i t t o make t heunl eavened br ead?" He answered: " I asked t hem why di d you keep thebl ood? and t hey answered me: t o make unl eavened bread. "

The Chai r man of t he Commi t t ee r esumed hi s quest i oni ng: "Was t he sl ayi ngof Father Thomas f or r eason of an obl i gat ory nat ure mandat ed by t he

J ewi sh Rel i gi on? Or was t here f eel i ng of hat r ed between t hem( Fat her

Thomas and t he J ews) ? Or di d t hey desi r e t o put t hei r hands on hi smoney?" He answered: " I have no knowl edge about t hat . "

Wi t h that r evel at i on t he case of t he sl ayi ng of Fat her Thomas Al - Capuciwas conf i r med, and t he i dent i f i cat i ons and det ai l s wer e appar ent . Butt he case of t he mur der of hi s ser vant , I br ahi m Amarah Al - Roomi , was notconf i r med. Nothi ng was yet known about i t . Ther ef ore, i t was deci ded t o


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r ecal l t he gr oup of seven men t o quest i on t hemwi t h ki ndness andwi t hout t he exer ci se of any pr essur e, t o be sat i sf i ed wi t h t he f act s,and t o pl ace t hem f ace t o f ace bef ore the deeds t hey had commi t t ed.


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III

BLOOD FOR THE BREAD OF ZION(THE JEWS)

Record - Saturday 26th Zul-Hijjah, 1255 H(March 1, 1840)

I saac Harar i was br ought f i r st , and was asked what he knew about t hesl ayi ng of Father Thomas Al - Capuci . He answered: "We br ought Father

Thomas t o Davi d Har ar i ' s house. Thi s was done by an agreement amongour sel ves. We sl ew hi m f or hi s bl ood, and we put hi s bl ood i n a gl assbot t l e at Rabbi Moussa Abou Al - Af i eh' s house, accor di ng t o thet eachi ngs of our r el i gi on. The essence of t he mat t er was t o obt ai n t he

bl ood because t hi s i s what our r el i gi on demands of us. "

The quest i oni ng cont i nued by t he I nvest i gator :

Q: "What col or was t he bot t l e i n whi ch you put t he bl ood? Was i tbl ack or whi t e?"

A: "The bot t l e was whi t e, a mi l k bot t l e. "

Q: "Who car r i ed t he bot t l e and gave i t t o Rabbi Moussa Abou Al -Af i eh?"

A: "Rabbi Moussa Sal ani ki car r i ed t he bot t l e and gave i t t o RabbiMoussa Abou Al - Af i eh. "

Q: "Why do you need t he bl ood accor di ng t o your r el i gi ous t eachi ngs?"

A: "I t i s needed ( f or mi xi ng) i n t he br ead pr epar at i on. "

Q: "Di d you di st r i but e t he bl ood among your sel ves?"

A: "No! The bl ood was not di st r i but ed t o ever yone, i t i s onl ydi st r i but ed t o t he r el i gi ous l eader s such as Rabbi s and other s. "

Q: "How di d you agr ee among your sel ves, and how di d you organi ze yourgr oup t o br i ng t he Pr i est ?"

A: "The group was organi zed by Moussa Sal ani ki and Moussa Abou Al -Af i eh. They were the ones who br ought t he Pr i est ( Fat her Thomas) . "

Q: "Wher e di d you sl ay hi m?"

A: " I n t he new f urni shed r oom, above t he square shaped hal l . "


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Q: "Who per f ormed t he sl ayi ng?"

A: "Moussa Abou Al - Af i eh and Davi d Harar i were t he ones who di d t hesl ayi ng. "

Q: "How di d you col l ect t he bl ood at t he t i me of hi s sl ayi ng?"

A: "A br ass basi n was br ought f or t hi s pur pose. "

Q: "How l ong was he l ef t i n t he r oom af t er hi s sl ayi ng?"

A: "Appr oxi mat el y, hal f an hour . "

Q: "Where di d t he cut t i ng of t he body t ake pl ace?"

A: " I n t he second r oom, t he empty one. "

Q: "Who di d t he cut t i ng up of t he body?"

A: "We al l par t i ci pat ed i n t he cut t i ng wi t h Mur ad Al - Fat t al . "

Q: "Wher e di d you pl ace t he body af t er you f i ni shed? And who di d awaywi t h i t ?"

A: "The barber and t he servant pl aced t he pi eces i n a j ut e sack ofwhi t e col or wi t h a shade of bl ue. Then they car r i ed i t away anddi sposed of i t . "

Q: "At what t i me was t he sl ayi ng carr i ed out ? When di d you f i ni sh?"

A: "Bet ween hal f past one and f our o' cl ock ( Ar abi c t i me) . "

Q: "Di d al l of you sl eep i n t he house af t er t hat ? Or di d you separ at e

wi t h each of you goi ng to hi s house?"

A: "We separ at ed and each went t o hi s house. "

Q: "Wer e t here l adi es pr esent ? I f so, i n what r oom of t he house wer et hey i n?"

A: " I t hi nk t hey wer e i n t he nort h r oom; but I di d not see any oft hem. "

Q: "I n al l pr obabi l i t y t he gr oup must have t hi s oper at i on pl annedseveral days bef ore the act ual execut i on. Tel l us what you know oft hi s. "

A: "The or i gi nal group member s, Moussa Abou Al - Af i eh and MoussaSal ani ki , worked t oget her t o br i ng t he Pr i est Thomas wi t h t he pr et enceof per f or mi ng vacci nat i on agai nst smal l pox f or t he chi l dr en. Thi s wasagr eed upon two or t hr ee days ear l i er at Moussa Abou Al - Af i eh' s house.We br ought hi m t o my br other Aaron' s house. There he was sl ai n. "

Q: "You st at ed t hat t he bl ood was carr i ed t o Moussa Abou Al - Af i eh' shouse. I f we br i ng hi m and he deni es t hi s f act , do you have any pr oof


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agai nst hi m? Or pr oof of t he pl ace where t he bot t l e of t he bl ood waskept ?"

A: " I t i s t r ue t hat Moussa Abou Al - Af i eh was t he one who t ook t hebot t l e of bl ood. I am r eady to conf r ont hi m wi t h t hi s, but I do notknow wher e he kept i t . "

Q: "When Moussa Abou Al - Af i eh t ook t he bot t l e, di d he put i t i n abox? How di d he car r y i t ?"

A: "He pl aced i t under hi s robe and t ook i t wi t h hi m; he di d not puti t i n a box or i n anyt hi ng el se. "

Rabbi Moussa Abou Al - Af i eh was brought i n and was quest i oned about t hebl ood of Fat her Thomas, whi ch they had put i n a bot t l e, as t o where t hebot t l e was, or wi t h whom? Rabbi Moussa answered: " I t r emai ned i n t hehouse of Davi d Har ari . "

Q: "Di d you see t he bot t l e wi t h your own eyes?"

A: "Yes! I saw i t wi t h my own eyes. "

Q: "Does Aaron Harar i know t hat ?"

A: "Yes! He knows t hat t he bl ood r emai ned t here, i n t he house ofDavi d Har ar i . "

Aaron Harar i was brought i n, and was asked about t he bl ood, and heanswered t hat Moussa Abou Al - Af i eh was t he one who t ook t he bot t l e t ohi s house.

The I nvest i gator asked Aaron Harar i :

Q: " I n what way di d he ( Moussa) t r anspor t t he bl ood?"

A: "He t ook i t i n a whi t e mi l k bot t l e, t he t ype used f or mi l k. "

Q: "Was Moussa Sal ani ki wi t h you or not ?"

A: "He was wi t h us. He i s t he one of us - t he seven. " ( He named t heothers exact l y as has been st at ed bef ore. )

Q: "How was t he bl ood del i ver ed?"

A: "We ( t he seven) agreed t o gi ve t he bl ood t o Moussa Sal ani ki , whoi n t ur n was t o del i ver i t t o Moussa Abou Al - Af i eh. "

Davi d Harari was cal l ed, and was asked by t he I nvest i gator :

Q: "Where i s t he bl ood bot t l e?"


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A: "Moussa Sal ani ki r ecei ved t he bl ood, he i n t ur n del i ver ed i t t oMoussa Abou Al - Af i eh i n our pr esence. The bl ood was i n a whi t e bot t l e,mi l k bot t l e, t he capaci t y of t hr ee of f our pi nt s. "

Q: "Where i s the bl ood now? and where was i t pl aced or i gi nal l y?"

A: "I t was pl aced i n a basi n. " ( Davi d Har ar i conf i r med t hat . )

Q: "Where di d you del i ver the bl ood?"

A: "The del i ver y was t o t he empty r oomi n my house. "

Q: "Why di dn' t you keep t he bl ood wi t h you?"

A: "I t i s a pr act i ced cust om t hat t he bl ood be kept wi t h t he Rabbi s. "

Q: "Was Moussa Sal ani ki pr esent dur i ng t he sl ayi ng?"

A: "Rabbi Moussa was wi t h us duri ng t he sl ayi ng of t he Pr i estThomas. "

The I nvest i gator shi f t ed hi s quest i oni ng t o Moussa Abou Al - Af i eh asf ol l ows:

Q: "Was Rabbi Moussa Sal ani ki wi t h you duri ng t he sl ayi ng of Fat herThomas?" A: "Yes! He was wi t h us. "

The I nvest i gator t urned t owar d Rabbi Sal ani ki :

Q: "What do you know about t he bl ood quest i on?"

A: " I do not know anyt hi ng about t hi s subj ect . I have no knowl edge ofi t . "

Turni ng t oward I saac Har ar i , t he I nvest i gator asked:

Q: "Wher e was t he bl ood bot t l e kept ?" A: " I t was kept wi t h Moussa Abou Al - Af i eh. "

Q: "Why are your brot her s denyi ng knowl edge of t hi s case?"

A: "May be t hey are af r ai d of bei ng beat en. "

Q: "Di d you not al l - t he seven - par t i ci pat e i n t he sl ayi ng of t hePri est?"

A: "Yes! We al l par t i ci pat ed i n hi s sl ayi ng. "


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Q: "Now t hat t her e i s no doubt r egar di ng t he sl ayi ng case, t el l uswher e t he bl ood i s. "

A: "Moussa Sal ani ki del i ver ed i t t o Moussa Abou Al - Af i eh and i tr emai ns wi t h hi m. "

The I nvest i gator t urni ng t o Aaron Harar i :

Q: "Why di d you sl ay t he Pr i est , Fat her Thomas?"

A: "To get hi s bl ood, i n accor dance t o t he r el i gi ous r equi r ement s. "( I saac Har ar i conf i r med t hat hi s br ot her was t el l i ng t he t r ut h. )

Q: "Why was t he bl ood not kept wi t h you si nce t he sl ayi ng t ook pl acei n t he house of your brother Davi d?"

A: "Rabbi Moussa Sal ani ki del i ver ed t he bl ood t o Rabbi Moussa AbouAl - Af i eh becaus

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Matzo of Zion by General Mustafa Tlass - English Translation