PA official glorifies Martyrdom: "Our child Martyrs, Allah willing, are birds in Paradise”
PA official honors terrorist
who threw Molotov cocktails at civilians:
"Our child Martyrs, Allah willing,
are birds in Paradise"
who threw Molotov cocktails at civilians:
"Our child Martyrs, Allah willing,
are birds in Paradise"
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Rather than matriculation certificate,
terrorist "achieved the highest Martyrdom"
Itamar Marcus and Nan Jacques Zilberdik
PA official Laila Ghannam, the District Governor of Ramallah and El-Bireh, praised the "Martyrdom-death" of a 17-year-old terrorist who was shot and killed while throwing Molotov cocktails at Jewish civilians.
With a play on words, she emphasized that rather than obtaining his matriculation certificate ("shahada") this summer, the terrorist "achieved the highest Martyrdom" ("shahada".) [Donia Al-Watan, independent Palestinian news agency, July 12, 2017; Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, July 13, 2017]
She gave the terrorist's family a statuette of a bird, symbolizing her wish that:
"Our child Martyrs, Allah willing, are birds in Paradise."
Ghannam’s reference is to the Islamic tradition attributed to Muhammad, the Hadith, which teaches that Martyrs in Paradise reside inside the bodies of green birds:
“Narrated Ka'b bin Malik: From his father that the Messenger of Allah said: 'The souls of the martyrs are in green birds, suspended from the fruit of Paradise, or the trees of Paradise.'
[Jami'at-Tirmidhi 1641]
Last year, Palestinian Media Watch documented the PA's similar glorification of teenage terrorists who missed their exams, saying their teenage Martyrdom was "the path to excellence" and "the great victory:"
"The day of the publication of high school matriculation exam results... the families of the Martyrs (Shahids) and their relatives find themselves proud of the Martyrdom (Shahada, a play on words, also means "certificate") that their children achieved with the Creator...
Sixteen [students] succeeded [in achieving] the Martyrdom (Shahada)... for death as a Martyr is the path to excellence and greatness, and the path of those who know how to reach the great victory..."
[WAFA (official PA news agency), July 11, 2016;
official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, July 12, 2016]
Similarly, this year, the Ramallah governor "expressed her pride" over the "generations that are loyal to the path, and wished success to all of the high school graduates."
PMW has demonstrated the effectiveness of the PA leadership's presentation of Martyrdom-death for Palestine as an ideal, which is striven for by Palestinian youth. Last month, a 23-year-old Palestinian sought Martyrdom because he believed he would marry 70 Virgins in Paradise.
Last year at a matriculation ceremony, the PA Minister of Education similarly "honored the soul" of a student - the 19-year-old terrorist who murdered Israeli policewoman Hadar Cohen.
The following is a longer excerpt of the article, part of which appeared in the official PA daily:
Headline: "Mother of Martyr Hattab dreamed about a bird that told her of her Martyr son's success"
"Ramallah and El-Bireh District Governor Dr. Laila Ghannam expressed her pride over our generations that are loyal to the path, and wished success to all of the high school graduates. However, today [July 12, 2017] she preferred to visit the families of the child Martyrs (Shahids) who were supposed to take the high school matriculation exams this year - but the occupier's bullets separated them from their future and they were targeted in cold blood. Among these families was the family of the young Martyr Muhammad Hattab (i.e., terrorist, threw Molotov cocktails at Israeli civilians), 17, from the Jalazone refugee camp, who is called Abu Saleh, who ascended [to Heaven] as a Martyr this past March and joined a row of child Martyrs who were targeted by the occupation without any hindrance or deterrent.
(Note: The following paragraph appeared in the official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida)
District Governor Ghannam visited the family of Martyr Abu Saleh today and noted that their son achieved the highest Martyrdom (i.e., word play, the Arabic word also means certificate as in matriculation certificate), and that the hearts of all the members of our people are turned towards their family and all of the families of the Martyrs, whose futures were stolen from them as a result of the occupation's actions, violence, and crimes.
District Governor Ghannam gave [the family] a statuette of a bird and emphasized that our child Martyrs, Allah willing, are birds in Paradise. Parallel to this, last night the Martyr's mother dreamed of a bird that appeared on the horizon and told her about the results of her son, who was meant to be among those that excelled in the high school matriculation exams this year."
[Donia Al-Watan, independent Palestinian news agency, July 12, 2017;
Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, July 13, 2017]
The article includes a picture of Ramallah and El-Bireh District Governor Laila Ghannam presenting a statuette of a bird to the family of terrorist Muhammad Hattab.
Muhammad Hattab - 17-year-old Palestinian terrorist who was throwing Molotov cocktails at Israeli civilians at the entrance to the Jewish town of Beit El, near Ramallah, on March 23, 2017. Hattab was shot and killed by Israeli soldiers.