PA daily op-ed opposes encouraging children to carry out stabbing attacks and opposes praising death
Op-ed by Hafez Al-Barghouti, regular columnist for Al-Hayat Al-Jadida
Headline: “In order to protect childhood”
“Do not call out ‘There is no god but Allah’ and ‘Allah is great’ because this has become a game of blood. Anyone who shouts and roars when blessing a child for drawing a knife, or a student for carrying scissors, should see them as his own children. Will he agree to throw his offspring into the thick of battle? Some factions… will utter statements, and play songs calling for more acts of this kind, but are actually trading in the blood of others, setting themselves as those entrusted with our blood, when not even a single drop of their blood spills…
It is our duty to prevent our sons and daughters… from carrying out futile acts, which the enemy in his media and diplomacy has begun to link to the acts of the terror organizations in Paris and elsewhere, in order to strip us of our humanity, and play the role of the human. This is while, there is no one else in the world, except for him [the enemy], who boasts about occupying someone else’s land and oppressing its owners. Moreover, we should note that after the events of September [9, 2011] in New York, [then Israeli Prime Minister Ariel] Sharon copied the term ‘terror’ used to refer to those attacks, [and applied it] to our national struggle. I believe that I warned of this at the time, and called to keep a low profile until the New York turmoil had passed, but the concept of ‘Palestinian terror’ later spread, instead of [the concept] ‘terror.’ Now, after the Paris attacks, we must keep a low profile so that we are not charged with the crimes of ISIS and its ilk, because the world is in a coma, and it may not wake up from it anytime soon. We must learn our lessons and wait.
It is preferable that our enemy kill us, than for us to encourage our young people to reach such a pointless end, because the value of the dead is determined by the manner of death and its outcomes. Death itself is not a requirement, so do not praise death, so that our deaths will not be in vain. Our duty is to educate the younger generation, and explain to it about the love of life, the seeking of knowledge, and endeavors. As for the struggle, it has its own terms and men [to run it].”
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Paris attacks 2015 - On Nov. 13, 2015, seven terrorist attacks were carried out simultaneously in Paris, France, in which it is estimated that 129 people were murdered. An additional 352 people were wounded, 99 of them in serious condition. The most massive attack took place at the Bataclam theater during a rock concert, where 87 people were murdered. On Nov. 14, 2015 ISIS claimed responsibility for these attacks.
Headline: “In order to protect childhood”
“Do not call out ‘There is no god but Allah’ and ‘Allah is great’ because this has become a game of blood. Anyone who shouts and roars when blessing a child for drawing a knife, or a student for carrying scissors, should see them as his own children. Will he agree to throw his offspring into the thick of battle? Some factions… will utter statements, and play songs calling for more acts of this kind, but are actually trading in the blood of others, setting themselves as those entrusted with our blood, when not even a single drop of their blood spills…
It is our duty to prevent our sons and daughters… from carrying out futile acts, which the enemy in his media and diplomacy has begun to link to the acts of the terror organizations in Paris and elsewhere, in order to strip us of our humanity, and play the role of the human. This is while, there is no one else in the world, except for him [the enemy], who boasts about occupying someone else’s land and oppressing its owners. Moreover, we should note that after the events of September [9, 2011] in New York, [then Israeli Prime Minister Ariel] Sharon copied the term ‘terror’ used to refer to those attacks, [and applied it] to our national struggle. I believe that I warned of this at the time, and called to keep a low profile until the New York turmoil had passed, but the concept of ‘Palestinian terror’ later spread, instead of [the concept] ‘terror.’ Now, after the Paris attacks, we must keep a low profile so that we are not charged with the crimes of ISIS and its ilk, because the world is in a coma, and it may not wake up from it anytime soon. We must learn our lessons and wait.
It is preferable that our enemy kill us, than for us to encourage our young people to reach such a pointless end, because the value of the dead is determined by the manner of death and its outcomes. Death itself is not a requirement, so do not praise death, so that our deaths will not be in vain. Our duty is to educate the younger generation, and explain to it about the love of life, the seeking of knowledge, and endeavors. As for the struggle, it has its own terms and men [to run it].”
Click to view bulletin
Paris attacks 2015 - On Nov. 13, 2015, seven terrorist attacks were carried out simultaneously in Paris, France, in which it is estimated that 129 people were murdered. An additional 352 people were wounded, 99 of them in serious condition. The most massive attack took place at the Bataclam theater during a rock concert, where 87 people were murdered. On Nov. 14, 2015 ISIS claimed responsibility for these attacks.
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