On May 31, 2024, the Qatari daily Al-Sharq published an article by Palestinian journalist Sajida Abu Odeh in praise of the Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip, whom she describes as heroic jihad fighters. Lauding them for their desire to die as martyrs and meet Allah in Paradise, Abu Odeh writes that they are fighting "the greatest wars in the history" of the region "and turning Gaza into an unforgettable legend," and are therefore "a lighthouse for the coming generations."
Al-Sharq logo
The following are translated excerpts from her article.[1]
"In that small piece of land, where patience joins hands with steadfastness and challenge meets pain, Gaza appears as an icon of steadfastness and courage. Under a volley of gunfire and a spark of hope, a tremendous love of sacrifice and martyrdom appears among the narrow alleyways, dusty streets and ruined neighborhoods. It is there that the most powerful stories are written, stories that cannot be erased or concealed by the passage of time.
"In Gaza, a young jihad fighter who saw his comrade martyred before his eyes as he fought the tyrannical enemy, and [saw the martyr] tossing him his weapon as a legacy, did not retreat! He did not even consider fleeing! On the contrary, he swooped down on the weapon, took it up and completed the path under a flood of bullets by confronting the enemy with extraordinary courage… until he joined his comrade at the meeting with Allah, choosing martyrdom over retreat. Such stories are turning Gaza into an unforgettable legend.
"There, in Gaza, some are vying for martyrdom, forgoing all the pleasures of this world and challenging one another to undertake the greatest tasks. One of them forced his comrade to swear by Allah that he would hand over the explosive charge in order to detonate it on the enemy's vehicles and have the honor of receiving the death blow. This period, this moment, will remain forever etched in the memory of the Islamic nation as a symbol of total devotion and sacrifice. Another jihad fighter in a different battle in a different place, who was injured and whose wounds were bleeding, stood firm, prostrated himself and declared his desire to meet Allah, willingly and serenely. That act of kneeling and bowing at the very moment that separates life from death demonstrates an incomparable love for meeting Allah, a love that transcends all the matters of this world.
"There are many other stories, even mightier, that were never captured on camera, but Allah knows them and they are recorded in the annals of our jihad fighters. There, in a dark corner under the night sky, stories unfold that are known to nobody except those who experienced them: cries of takbir[2] and tears of joy mixed with the pain of parting [from this life], silent steps [of those who] approach the enemy with hearts full of faith. Every bullet fired, every bleeding wound and every moment of parting [from this life] that are not captured by the lenses [of the cameras] are recorded in luminous ink in Allah's books of martyrdom.
"These secret stories are the most genuine and the most powerful. The angels of heaven recount them as they set down the names of these heroes in the eternal annals. The memory of those who preferred a meeting with Allah over the fakeness of this world will remain etched in [our] hearts and will be renewed with every sunrise and every call for prayer.
"Such are the men of Gaza, who leave their mothers, their wives and their children in pursuit of Paradise, bearing their lives in their hands. They do not fear death; on the contrary, they regard it as the beginning of eternal life in the presence of Allah. They know the meaning of sacrifice and of giving up their souls, and they restore our faith by [demonstrating] that love of the homeland and sacrifice for it are the most noble values one can endorse.
"These heroic tales of the people of Gaza are a lighthouse for the coming generations that teaches us that Paradise is dearly bought and that meeting Allah requires courage and the sacrifice of all worldly things. With their courageous stance, the men of Gaza light the paths of freedom and show us that the pure souls flying the flag of truth are the ones who truly make history. Let us be inspired by their determination and will, and continue to remember that Gaza gives birth to the heroes who record the greatest wars in the history of the Mashreq [the Arab countries east of the Mediterranean]."
