"Another suicide bombing has taken place in Israel," said the TV announcer. "But this isn’t just any suicide bomber. This time it is a young girl." What? A girl in her teens, yet to blossom and venture into life, has put her soul at the mercy of God. She blew herself up to try to calm her anger and frustration and to lessen her own pain and that of her people by killing some Israeli soldiers.
A girl? It boggles my mind that a girl my age, instead of going to parties and listing to music, has sacrificed her life. A girl — no offense at my going on and on that this was a girl — of course I’m into girl power and all that. But what would make her give up her life so definitely? Don’t get me wrong, I’d do anything for my principles as long as it would pleases God and make our nation proud.
Of course talking is easy; anyone can sweet-talk their way into almost anything but actually to make a difference is something different. A very big difference for that matter and what was that something different? What were her motives? Were they hatred? Were they humiliation? Or did they spring from the need to prove a point?
As I ventured into more thoughts, a little boy about nine years old came on television. A Palestinian boy being dragged by three Israeli soldiers, while a couple of his relatives were also holding him. The poor boy, undoubtedly in a state of shock and terror, had eyes wide with fear. And his mother, his heart-broken mother, was hysterically crying as her son was being taken away. She was unable to do anything at all to help him!
What if he were my brother and those were my relatives and that poor woman were my mom? What if? What if?
NEWS FLASH. He IS my brother, my brother in Islam. How can I not feel their pain? How can I not share their misery? That Muslim Palestinian girl on TV is me, and every Muslim girl for that matter. She represents us, the strong, the caring, the courageous Muslims with everlasting faith that Palestine will sooner or later be freed.
***
(Noor Noggali is a 16-year-old Saudi schoolgirl studying in Riyadh.)
