"The Mother Answered:... 'I have Brought You Up to Become a Hero and Defend the Homeland with Weapons'"
Story teller: "Asmaa decided to become a teacher when she grew up, and to get married and have many children, whom she would teach to love the land - in keeping with her father's final will - and from whom she would form an army that would defend the homeland.
[...]
"Even though she had hoped to have many children, Allah gave her only one boy, whom she named Mujahid. She brought him up like all children. He was raised on the love of the land, and he looked forward to the day when he would become like his grandfather and uncles. Whenever he heard the boys of the Intifada throwing stones, he would ask his mother to join them. His mother would answer: 'Go. May Allah be with you. Help your brothers.' Mujahid would go and throw stones and Molotov cocktails at the enemy's army. In the evening, Asmaa would wait for his return on her doorstep, and he would tell her of the day's heroic actions.
[...]
"One evening, Mujahid returned home alone. He went up to her, kissed her hand, and said: 'Mother, I would like to tell you something.' The mother said: 'Go ahead, Mujahid.' Mujahid said: 'Most of the guys who went to school with me during the Intifada have joined the ranks of the armed resistance, and I am ashamed that I am not with them.' The mother answered: 'Why aren't you? I have brought you up to become a hero and defend the homeland with weapons.' Mujahid said: 'I went to the commander of the armed squad, and asked to join him, like all my comrades, but he said to me: Mujahid, go to your mother, and bring us a note that she agrees to you joining us.'"
"The Commander was Happy, Seeing this Great Mother, Who was Willing to Sacrifice Her Life and the Life of Her Only Son"
"Asmaa did not write the note, but said to her son: 'Come with me.' She walked and walked, all the way to the home of the commander of the resistance. She said to him: 'You asked my son to bring you a note from me. I stand here before you, telling you that I agree, but on one condition: that I can help you as well.' The commander was happy, seeing this great mother, who was willing to sacrifice her life and the life of her only son. He said to her: 'You will be the mother of all the resistance fighters.' Thus, mother and son began working in the service of the resistance.
"One day, Mujahid came home sad. His mother asked him: 'What is wrong, my son?' He said: 'The resistance is preparing a fidaai operation. Some of my friends were selected for this operation, but not me. That's why I'm sad.' The mother put on her coat, and hurried to meet the resistance commander. She said to him: 'I let my son join you so he could carry out heroic operations.' The commander said: 'This operation is difficult, and the people who carry it out might be martyred. We know that Mujahid is your only son, and we don't want you to lose him.' The mother answered: 'Mujahid is not my only son. All the boys of the resistance are my sons, my army. Mujahid is the one who will carry out this operation.' The commander had to agree, in the face of the mother's insistence."
"Asmaa ... Said to Everyone: 'Eat Sweets; Today is a Day of Rejoicement for Me - the Mother of a Martyr'"
"Mujahid and his mother waited for the day of the operation. Finally, the day arrived. Mujahid feared that his mother would be sad when he died, but she said: 'Don't worry, my son. Go and show them who you are.' She prepared his clothes and his weapon, and asked Allah to grant him success. Mujahid set out after kissing her hands, with her eyes set on him. She sat for a long time, waiting for news.
[...]
"The boys came out of the tunnel, and into the place of the occupiers. They lay in wait for a large car. Suddenly, explosions were heard, and bullets were raining down. A few minutes later, it was reported on the radio and TV: 'A squad of young men miraculously broke through an Israeli roadblock. They clashed with a patrol, and killed all its soldiers. Two of the squad members were martyred. One of them is called Mujahid.'
"When Asmaa heard that Allah had granted her son the honor of martyrdom, after he had given the enemies a taste of bitterness, she began to ululate. People gathered around her, thinking that there was some wedding. She said to them: 'Yes, this is the wedding of my son the martyr, who has followed in the footsteps of his grandfather the hero.' Asmaa carried on her head a tray of sweets, and said to everyone: 'Eat sweets. Today is the wedding of Mujahid. Today is a day of rejoicement for me - the mother of a martyr, the daughter of a martyr, and the sister of martyrs. All of them will vouch for me on Judgment Day.'"
The above are excerpts from a children's TV show about tales of child martyrdom, which aired on Al-Quds TV (Lebanon) on January 21, 2010.
To view this clip on MEMRI TV, visit http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/2428.htm.
The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) explores the Middle East through the region's media (both print and television), websites, religious sermons and school books. MEMRI bridges the language gap which exists between the West and the Middle East, providing timely translations of Arabic, Farsi, Urdu, Pashtu, Dari, Hindi, and Turkish media, as well as original analysis of political, ideological, intellectual, social, cultural, and religious trends in the Middle East.
