It is God’s will that Wafa Idris joins the ranks of Muslim women martyrs. Muslim women around the world are proud of her heroic act and strong faith in our just cause. History records the participation in battles of Muslim women along with men from the early days of Islam. The role of Arab and Muslim women begins when Khadija Bint Khowailed, the first wife of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, embraced Islam, before anybody else. Since then, countless Muslim women martyrs have endured torture and pain in order to see the flag of "No god but God" and "Muhammad is the Messenger of God" flying forever.
Muslim women have fought battles against nonbelievers, tended injured Muslims, supplied water and food and guarded camps while their men fought and died on battlefields. In this context, it is only right to mention early Arab women martyrs in our own times. We remember Sanaa Mahdly from Lebanon. She elected to blow herself up in the middle of a crowd of occupiers and killed nearly 50 Israeli soldiers. She was only 20 years old when she chose to die for the cause she believed in.
The latest Arab woman martyr is Wafa who, by her blood, began a new era of resistance. Wafa, unlike other girls of her age who are busy reading about fashion or listening to music, chose to walk into paradise with her head held high. Fifty years of occupation, the pain of hunger, anguish for displaced compatriots and Israeli atrocities were what mattered most to her. Despite her profession as a nurse, Wafa decided to give her country what it deserves — her blood. Despite her university degree which would have guaranteed her a job and a decent living, she chose martyrdom. It was a brave decision by Wafa, one which she took to fight the Zionists who occupy her land and displace her people. The number of illegal settlers killed as a result of her suicidal operation does not matter. What matters most is that the cowardly occupation forces should never feel safe or secure.
Wafa is one of thousands of helpless Palestinians who confront Israel’s military might with stones and light weapons. Wafa’s heroic operation is the product of decades of occupation, suppression and massacres by Israel. The silent Arab leaders, reluctant to confront Israel, further worsened Wafa’s pain. Wafa, however, reached the conclusion that the Arabs aren’t the Arabs she belongs to but only scattered factions and parties here and there.
Wafa’s martyrdom came in response to a statement by the Qatari minister of foreign affairs who said that the Arabs are helpless to confront Israel’s war machine. Three cheers to Wafa and three cheers for her bravery and courage and three cheers for her patient and courageous parents.
In fact, Wafa has opened the door of martyrdom through which many Arab women may follow. Israel’s leaders must face the fact that the Palestinian land which gave birth to Wafa is capable of giving birth to thousands of other martyrs as well.