Slaying of Hamas chief
Nipun Rahman, Washington, USA
The cold blooded and premeditated slaying of Sheikh Ahmed Yassin (Hamas chief Killed In Israel Air strike, The Daily Star, March 23, 2004) shows the depravity and moral bankruptcy of the Israeli politicians. Equally disgusting is the celebratory mood shown by Zionists in being able to kill a blind, deaf and paraplegic elderly man confined to his wheel chair since the age of 12. The frail appearance of Sheikh Ahmed Yassin failed to conceal the magnitude of his enormous courage and charisma. Despite previous assassination attempts, he refused to go into hiding or even alter his daily routine of praying five times a day at the neighbourhood mosque, making him an easy target for his Zionist murderers. Nevertheless, such valour can only come from a man who has whole heartily embraced the teachings of religion. To Palestinians, Sheikh Yassin symbolised their struggle against Israelis usurping their land. To Muslims elsewhere, he was the personification of uncompromising honesty, fortitude, and a dedicated follower of Islam. What troubles me is the apathy shown in the Muslim world. If one, for instance, is mildly critical of Israel - rightly or wrongly - all Jews are up in arms like a pack of wolves. For example, they successfully pressured the Liberal Democratic Party in Britain to sack Jenny Tonge, the spokeswoman for International Development, from her position after she merely expressed her opinion that suicide bombers in the occupied territories acted out of a form of political hopelessness. Conversely, when Muslims are massacred in various parts of the world, our leaders carry on as if it is life as usual. After Sheikh Yassin's massacre, no Israeli embassies were shut down, no peace initiatives were pulled off the table, nor were there any penalties prescribed for Sharon's government. No wonder that the Zionists and their supporters have embarked on a campaign to disparage our religion. They do not worry about a fallout, because there will be none. This time, however, we must not let the Zionists get away with murder. It is time for us to band together and declare the slaughter of Sheikh Ahmed Yassin as an affront, not to a person or a country, but to Muslims all over the world.
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