DJ Sama’ Abdulhadi is Arrested

Sama, Palestinian DJ, is taken into custody for playing at an event held in a historical place in the West Bank.

Palestinian DJ Sama ‘Abdulhadi was detained last Saturday night for playing at an event held in a historical building near the city of Jericho in the West Bank.

Being one of the leading figure of Palestinian dance music, Sama ‘Abdulhadi has been detained since Sunday morning after the event held at the Nebi Musa Maqam, which is known as the Tomb of Moses and the place where prophet Moses is believed to be inside of the mausoleum.

According to local sources, the party took place not in the holy place, but in the section where weddings, birthday celebrations, music and other cultural events were held.

The event, which was attended by many music fans from Ramallah, Bethlehem and Jerusalem, was interrupted by a group that reacted to the party organization in the area later in the night and the participants were forced out.

In the images shared on social media on Sunday, it is seen that the angry crowd gathered in the Nebi Musa Maqam, which also includes a mosque and a hostel for tourists, threw the furniture in the hostel to the courtyard and then set them on fire outside.

According to the allegations, the Palestinian administration ordered a comprehensive investigation on the event, which was approved by the Ministry of Tourism, and what happened afterwards. The artist’s father stated on Instagram that the event was held with the approval and knowledge of the official authorities. The photo of the document, regarding the official permission, was shared on social media, drawing attention to the victimization of Sama and other arrested people. According to the information shared by the music platform Ma3azef, the event was part of a large-scale project that would promote Palestinian culture through shooting at various archaeological structures.

Although Palestinian Prime Minister, Mohammed Istiyye, said that anyone who caused the events would be brought to justice, still, the government’s handling of the crisis has been criticized by many Palestinians. A large part of the country believes that the responsibility lies on the Ministry of Tourism.

According to anonymous sources, a person who witnessed the incident used the following statements:

“Palestinian officials introduced Sama as the scapegoat. These evil people would not allow such an event to take place anywhere. There are many lies about the content of the event as a disrespect for moral values and holy place. The thing that needs to be done urgently is that instead of throwing Sama into fire, the ministry clearly declares that it allows activities in this historical / cultural place.”

A petition was launched on change.org for the release of Sama Abdulhadi and the number of signatories has exceeded 50,000 as of now.