A Muslim professor of human rights and his research assistant traveled to Jerusalem to conduct research on the occupation — and ended up being thrown into a dungeon-like prison for daring to speak the truth. Their firsthand account reveals a system of injustice that thrives on silence, segregation, and the suppression of Palestinian voices. This is their story of faith, patience, and unwavering commitment to justice in the face of unimaginable oppression.
Pulled from a Car and Beaten for Simply Being Muslim in Jerusalem
Dr. Hassan, a Canadian citizen and human rights professor, along with his American research assistant Khaled, were embedded with youth activists at Al-Aqsa Masjid. Their work focused on organizing peaceful protests and documenting the reality of life under occupation. But simply driving through Jerusalem while visibly Muslim was enough to trigger violence against them. Israeli forces pulled Dr. Hassan from the backseat of a car stuck in traffic, beat him between two parked vehicles, and released him twenty minutes later — no charges, no explanation. This was not an isolated incident. The ethnic profiling of Arabs and Palestinians is constant, and the brutality is designed to silence anyone who dares to exist openly as a Muslim in the holy city.
“I was handcuffed on my hands and on my feet, the cuff coiling into my skin, my nerves burning. I was stripped naked, paraded through the old city, thrown into a van blindfolded. They took me to the infamous Moscobia prison — windowless solitary confinement in the basement behind two huge metallic doors. For 12 days we also engaged in a hunger strike.”
A Fake Prison, Sleep Deprivation, and Psychological Warfare
- Solitary confinement in windowless underground cells at Moscobia prison — the highest security level reserved for those who speak out against the occupation
- Constant interrogation and sleep deprivation — up to seven officers shouting, threatening life imprisonment, and claiming their governments had abandoned them
- A fake prison operation — Khaled was transferred to Ashkelon where intelligence officers posed as fellow Palestinian prisoners, building fake friendships and trust to extract information about Dr. Hassan’s work
- Mock trials — prisoners were paraded before judges in a performance of justice, handcuffed and shackled, given only seconds to speak
- Brown prison clothing — deliberately assigned to label them as “resistance fighters” against the occupation, a psychological tool of intimidation
- Children targeted from age 13 — Israeli forces preemptively imprison Palestinian youth to train an entire population to live in fear and silence
The Occupation Thrives on Silence and Segregation
“Our tradition starts with speaking the truth. From the words of Bilal being dragged through the scorching streets of Mecca — all the Prophets and the Sahabah, may Allah be pleased with them, did was to speak a word of truth. If someone, a Muslim, sees these acts and doesn’t speak out, then who will?”
Jewish Mentors, Shared Humanity, and the Call for Truth
Dr. Hassan’s journey into human rights was inspired by Jewish mentors who taught him that the horrors of the Holocaust must never be repeated against anyone. His Jewish doctoral supervisor openly declared the occupation unjust long before the latest attacks on Gaza. Jewish Americans stand alongside him at press conferences, in classrooms, and in the fight against both anti-Semitism and Islamophobia — because true justice in Islam and in every moral tradition demands that oppression be confronted wherever it exists. For centuries under Islamic rule, Jerusalem was a place where Jews, Christians, and Muslims lived side by side in freedom of worship. The path back to that peace runs through truth, faith, patience, and the courage to speak — even when it costs you everything.
