At their heavenly abode before their Creator, it makes no difference to the victims of the Israeli murders in Gaza what epithets we use to describe them — “the martyrs” or “those killed in battle.”
Of course I do not want to initiate a discussion on who is entitled to be called “a martyr” in the strict religious sense. On the other hand, I believe that the selectiveness in the use of the word “martyr” is a matter to be discussed.
In my view, not using the word, whatever may be the justification, to refer to those killed by the Israeli attacks betrays a lack of patriotic spirit besides carrying some political dimensions that those who are selective in the use of the word may or may not realize.
Ghazi Al-Gosaibi was ambassador of Saudi Arabia to Britain a few years ago. Despite the sensitivity of his diplomatic position, Al-Gosaibi was unequivocal in expressing his Arab patriotic sentiments by publishing a poem, “The Martyr,” which glorified the message carried by a suicide bomber Palestinian girl in an operation against Israelis. He did not conceal his view that the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip was worse than anything that Europe had witnessed, even under the Nazis. Nor did he stop there. He would not be cowed into silence by either British or Jewish criticisms. He wrote an open letter challenging British-Jewish politicians to show the required moral courage to call murderers such as Begin, Sharon and Shamir terrorists.
Those who raise the slogan of objectivity these days in judging the Palestinian and Israeli actions might describe Al-Gosaibi’s sentiments as emotional. But they are sincere human sentiments that should be put in the category of freedom of expression. This freedom is a key human activity and a strong weapon in the hands of poets and artists.
“God is witness that you are martyrs,
Prophets and saints also witness the same.
You sacrificed your lives in order that My Lord’s words remain exalted in the land that was sanctified by the Night Journey.
Seemingly, you have committed suicide. In truth, we have been committing suicide with our death-like existence.”
