The
Sunday Times International
- Readers’ corner
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Let's
not forget Muhammad al-Darra Five days later on Sunday while seated in the lobby of the Azadi Hotel in Tehran I noticed a familiar face pass me by. I didn't pay much attention then but when he went pass me again a bell started ringing in my head and I told the delegate seated next to me that I seem to know that man. 'Sure you should' he said 'He is Muhammad al-Darra's father. I sprang out of my chair and dashed after him catching him eventually in the lift. I shook hands with him and told him that I wanted to talk to him. He signalled that he would be down in five minutes. Who is Muhammad al-Darra? Not many would remember his name — even I couldn't. But he is the little boy who was shot dead by an Israeli soldier while he sought refuge in his father's arms on that fateful day of September 28, 2000 when Ariel Sharon barged into the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem in a show of arrogant defiance triggering off the second Intifada. Practically all TV stations showed the gruesome scene. The entire world watched in horror as the frightened little boy sought protection from the Israeli terror machine in his father's arms. But Israeli cruelty knows no bounds and the rest is history — horrible history. I had got hold of a Pakistani delegate attending 'Al-Qods and The Rights of the Palestinian People Conference' in Tehran to act as interpreter. Together we waited in front of the lift and after a short while the man came down. His name is Jamal Ahmed al-Darra. This is his story of that tragic day. Little Muhammad al-Darra had got up early that day very excited. His father had saved enough money to buy a used car and had promised to take young Muhammad along. Now he could go with his family down the narrow and winding lanes of Occupied Palestine in their 'new' car and wave at his friends. Small consolation in an occupation that historians say is the cruelest in recent times. You could see a forlorn look on his father's face as he narrated the story and you got the feeling that he was smiling just to disguise his emotions. Young Muhammad's mother had tidied him as usual that day and before he left, he kissed his mother good-bye. Little realizing that this would be the last kiss her son would give her, she bade them farewell. Later neighbours would rush to her telling her to switch on the TV — which she did — only to see her seven-year-old boy being shot dead by an Israeli soldier. Not many mothers could go through that kind of situation and not be affected and Muhammad al-Darra's mother was no different. Her husband, Jamal Ahmed, told us, rather wistfully, that she would never get over the terrible events of that tragic day and even today she needs to be consoled whenever she remembers the traumatic incident. Jamal Ahmed smiled again — this time a courteous smile — as though he wanted to probe our reaction to his story. I guess he might have mistakenly thought that we were bored going by the expressions on our faces that had gone numb with horror as we listened to his story. He
said he could not get the car as he had run short of cash and on
his way 'home' with a dejected Muhammad al-Darra tugging at his
jacket, he had noticed that trouble was brewing — a sort of
sixth sense that Palestinians have developed during the long and
brutal Israeli occupation. He hailed a taxi hoping to take his son
back to their 'home' in the al-Brij refugee camp. The sounds of gunfire were all around and one thought on Jamal Ahmed's mind was to get his terrified boy back to safety — not that any place is safe in occupied Palestine. Then he spotted an Israeli soldier across the road pointing his gun at them. And he instinctively hugged his son to protect him from the soldier later waving at him with both his hands signalling that he was unarmed and pleading with the soldier not to shoot. But brutality coupled with racial arrogance knew no bounds and the soldier aimed at the boy while he cowered in his father’s arms seeking his protection. The gun spat its deadly load and within a few seconds a small child — bubbling with enthusiasm only a short while ago — lay dead in his father's arms. The poster that shows Jamal Ahmed al-Darra leaning against a wall, his eyes turned towards the heavens with the lifeless, but yet warm, body of his son on his lap encapsulates the plight of the hapless Palestinians. It also immortalizes the hopelessness of the Palestinians under the cruel yoke of the Israeli occupation of their land. And though the so-called 'international community' is quick to castigate the Palestinians for every cruelty the Zionists commit, it refuses to look at the Palestinians with any sympathy. Jamal Ahmed al-Darra smiles — this time I notice what troubled me before when he did that. His smile does not reach his misty and mournful eyes. He smiles because the rules of courtesy demand that he do that, though he has nothing to smile about like his compatriots. But surprisingly the fight has not gone out of them. Jamal tells us that Palestinian children tell their parents not to bring toys or sweets for them but to give them guns and grenades instead. That is the spirit. And like Nelson Mandela's South Africans the Palestinians refuse to roll over and die. Jamal Ahmed tossing his head rather quaintly tells us how he misses his boy and I am reminded of the lilting melody and the haunting words of '18 Yellow Roses - A father's love will never fade away.' Muhammad
al-Darra was not the first child the Israeli occupiers killed and
he won't be the last either. Israeli soldiers kill little children
on a regular basis just to make sure they don't return empty handed.
This is no exaggeration. The
way to achieve lasting peace Initially the transformation of the world requires a response of the heart. It begins with the mind, attitudes and consciousness of our being, from internal to external. This is manifest in the evidence and active witness of woman's life in the service of others, in the power of true love. Some psychologists may say that it is impossible by an act of will to generate love. Education, culture, all have their proper spheres to play in changing the interior, but we believe that it is only God who can create peace at the depth of our hearts. We must draw upon the power of God to purify our hearts with new desires, purposes and motives to see Peace come on earth and this land. The natural being has to be thus transformed. To take up the momentous challenges that history has placed before us, to break down barriers and work to create a world of genuine peace and brotherhood, the kind of world that we want our children to inherit and to live in, I believe is the world that we wanted for all of our children. A world of kindness, peace, equity and justice, reconciliation and inter-religious harmony, love of the enemy, and living for the sake of others. We need to cultivate such criteria; that we develop the culture of the heart. Striking then at the penury of matters of contemporary society, including racial and interfaith relations, marriage and family, Dr. Sun Myung Moon postulates "family is the text book of love;". Other problems of modern day parlance are homosexuality, fighting aids, fighting cancer, aiding the less-privileged, refugee problems, foreign aid allocation, attainment of millennium goals and peace in the world. It has been learned that spirituality transforms and shapes a person and the spiritual harmonizes with the material. Religion plays an integral part in one’s life. We need to promote inter faith dialogue and co-operation towards this end. Although this may seem as owning the problems of the world and being idealistic in concept, yet the above amounts to a way of life motivated for good. The opposite would make one a victim of the world. If governmental agreements are a part of peace, there is "Wanting" and still prevalent conflict at grass roots. At the Seoul commitment the women, for peace moved many resolutions through member states as an initial remedy. Fundamentally let health education, vocational education and spiritual education for every one be a basis. These are attributes for a permanent peace without quibbling on matters which are of confrontational debate. Thus the co-values enshrined in all religions is to move towards and usher in an era of peace on earth. The Universal Peace Federation is affiliated to the United Nations Economic and Social Council of which Sri Lanka is a member. |
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