SAME DIFFERENCE
This is a photograph which can simply not be forgotten especially for many Iranians. The picture illustrates the seconds before Muhammad Jamal al-Durrah (1988-2000), a 12-year-old Palestinian boy, was shot dead while shielded by his father. This boy quickly became an iconic martyr and a new symbol of the Second Intifada. Iranian state television, however, broadcast the relevant footage of the incident every so often in order to demonstrate the ferocity of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Apart from the controversy over this incident there was one crystal clear issue: the incident happened during a clash between IDF and Palestinian Security Forces in the Gaza Strip, a clash between enemies.
Now the Islamic regime itself faces a similar situation after an Iranian 12-year-old boy was killed last Thursday in the Behesht Zahra cemetery in southern Tehran. Hundreds of thousands of people had gathered for the mourning ceremony of the victims of the recent protests. The riot police and security forces were deployed to the cemetery and started interfering with the religious ritual of the victims’ family. The 12-year-old Ali-Reza had attended the ceremony with his father but lost touch with him in the crowd. Soon after Ali-Reza was hit on the head by a baton of a riot police and died as a result of cerebral hemorrhage. Ali-Reza’s body was released four days later as an attempt to minimize the impact of such a violent crime against humanity. A deliberate attempt to avoid creating another symbol of the resistance against the regime with no sense of compassion.
These stories have a startling likeness to one another. Both of the victims were innocent young boys who had their whole lives in front of them and were beloved by their families. However, the striking point of the second incident is neither Ali-Reza’s age nor the fact that he was an innocent boy. The striking point is that Ali-Reza was killed by a regime that was supposed to protect its citizens. An Islamic regime which was expected to follow the instruction of the Qur’an when it says “if any one slew a person .… it would be as if he slew the whole humanity”. Ali-Reza was slain by a regime which is desperate to hold on the power and is ready to sacrifice the human lives for that. This boy was not on enemy line nor was he caught in the middle of a battle ground. He was an innocent mourner for his fellow compatriots. Ali-Reza became a martyr among many others whose departure puts the Iranian regime to a disgraceful shame.
This is a photograph which can simply not be forgotten especially for many Iranians. The picture illustrates the seconds before Muhammad Jamal al-Durrah (1988-2000), a 12-year-old Palestinian boy, was shot dead while shielded by his father. This boy quickly became an iconic martyr and a new symbol of the Second Intifada. Iranian state television, however, broadcast the relevant footage of the incident every so often in order to demonstrate the ferocity of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Apart from the controversy over this incident there was one crystal clear issue: the incident happened during a clash between IDF and Palestinian Security Forces in the Gaza Strip, a clash between enemies.
Now the Islamic regime itself faces a similar situation after an Iranian 12-year-old boy was killed last Thursday in the Behesht Zahra cemetery in southern Tehran. Hundreds of thousands of people had gathered for the mourning ceremony of the victims of the recent protests. The riot police and security forces were deployed to the cemetery and started interfering with the religious ritual of the victims’ family. The 12-year-old Ali-Reza had attended the ceremony with his father but lost touch with him in the crowd. Soon after Ali-Reza was hit on the head by a baton of a riot police and died as a result of cerebral hemorrhage. Ali-Reza’s body was released four days later as an attempt to minimize the impact of such a violent crime against humanity. A deliberate attempt to avoid creating another symbol of the resistance against the regime with no sense of compassion.
These stories have a startling likeness to one another. Both of the victims were innocent young boys who had their whole lives in front of them and were beloved by their families. However, the striking point of the second incident is neither Ali-Reza’s age nor the fact that he was an innocent boy. The striking point is that Ali-Reza was killed by a regime that was supposed to protect its citizens. An Islamic regime which was expected to follow the instruction of the Qur’an when it says “if any one slew a person .… it would be as if he slew the whole humanity”. Ali-Reza was slain by a regime which is desperate to hold on the power and is ready to sacrifice the human lives for that. This boy was not on enemy line nor was he caught in the middle of a battle ground. He was an innocent mourner for his fellow compatriots. Ali-Reza became a martyr among many others whose departure puts the Iranian regime to a disgraceful shame.
Shahin M
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment