Church Cancels Gaza Exhibit After Hamas Militant Names Found
The Church of England has prematurely closed an exhibition titled "Stitch Their Names Together" in Leeds, England, after allegations that names of Hamas militants were included among those of Gaza residents killed since October 2023. The exhibition, displayed at Leeds Minster, featured 90 panels with the embroidered names of 16,800 individuals, sourced from the Gaza Ministry of Health's published lists. The church stated that these lists do not differentiate between civilians and combatants.
Initially scheduled to run until September 20, the exhibition was abruptly shut down on September 18. This decision followed a report from the Leeds Jewish Representative Council, which had previously warned the church that the lists might contain names of militants. The council claimed to have identified 12 such individuals before the exhibition opened, though the church initially stated these names were not present on the displayed panels after their own review.
However, the situation escalated when the Jewish Representative Council presented new evidence on September 18, alleging the presence of at least 18 known Hamas operatives among the embroidered names. Leeds Minster confirmed that upon receiving this information, they immediately closed the exhibition. The Times reported that the Jewish council's own investigation had by then identified 25 individuals linked to banned terrorist groups, including Hamas and Islamic Jihad.
Canon Paul Maybury, speaking for Leeds Minster, stated the church "immediately made the decision to close the exhibition to visitors" after receiving the latest information. The church has since issued a strong condemnation of Hamas, denouncing the October 7 attacks, including the killing of civilians and hostage-taking. Leeds Minster also apologized to the Jewish community for damaging relations and pledged to rebuild trust.
Organizers of the "Stitch Their Names Together" project, supported by the Leeds Palestinian Film Festival, have denied glorifying terrorists. Project founder Mary Evers stated that the criticism aims to discredit their work, emphasizing that all names were taken from official Gaza health ministry records. The project describes itself as a memorial to those killed in Gaza, framing the embroidery as an act of remembrance, "resistance," and protest against what they term "genocide."
