East Jerusalem Pharmacist Released After Misidentification of Ring as ISIS Symbol

A pharmacist from East Jerusalem was arrested on Monday after police mistakenly believed he was wearing a ring symbolizing the ISIS terror organization. The man, whose identity is barred from publication, was detained for two days before being released by a Central-Lod District Court judge on Wednesday, following an appeal.

The incident began when a security official at the Petah Tikva pharmacy, where the man worked, reported him to the police, claiming the pharmacist was wearing an “ISIS ring.” The pharmacist was subsequently arrested, and police sought to extend his detention over concerns he could tamper with evidence if released.

The ring in question, however, depicted the Seal of Muhammad, with white letters on a black background reading “Muhammad is God’s messenger,” a key tenet of Islam. The ISIS flag also bears the Seal of Muhammad, but with different formatting—black letters on a white background and an additional Islamic phrase. Despite the differences, authorities initially equated the two.

During the Petah Tikva Magistrate’s Court hearing on Tuesday, the police admitted several significant oversights in their investigation. The Arabic writing on the ring had not been translated, nor had the police cross-checked its appearance with that of the ISIS flag. When questioned about the meaning of the writing, the officer handling the case simply stated, “I don’t read Arabic.”

Despite the police’s lack of due diligence, the magistrate court judge extended the pharmacist’s detention, citing similarities in the “design and graphics” of the ring and the ISIS symbol. This decision, however, was swiftly challenged.

Attorney Alaa Tellawi, representing the pharmacist, argued that the police had acted out of ignorance, noting that the phrase on the ring is an integral part of Muslim prayers and does not indicate any connection to ISIS. Tellawi emphasized that his client, a highly educated pharmacist with no criminal record or prior suspicion of terrorist activity, had been unjustly arrested due to what he termed “Islamophobia.”

On Wednesday, Central-Lod District Court Judge Ido Druyan-Gamlielle overturned the lower court’s decision, criticizing the police for their failure to properly investigate before arresting the man. The judge pointed out that no image of the ISIS flag had been included in the case file, nor had there been any written authorization from the State Attorney’s Office to open an investigation based on terrorism charges.

“It is not at all clear how it would be possible to begin an investigation on suspicion of publicizing the symbol of a terror organization when they [the police] don’t know and don’t check what that symbol looks like,” Judge Druyan-Gamlielle stated. He also dismissed the police’s concerns about potential evidence tampering, saying the investigation lacked solid grounds.

The judge ordered the pharmacist’s release but required him to cooperate with the police if summoned for further questioning over the next 60 days, also obligating him to sign a NIS 3,000 guarantee for compliance.

The case has raised questions about the police’s handling of investigations involving sensitive religious symbols, with critics highlighting the need for greater cultural understanding and diligence before making arrests.