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Sharon Plaintiff Calls For Muslim Unity Against Israel
by Emad Mekay
WASHINGTON, June 26 (IslamOnline) - A Palestinian woman seeking to indict Israeli ultra-rightist Prime Minister Ariel Sharon for war crimes in a Belgian court, appealed Tuesday for U.S. Muslims to stand united to win back occupied Muslim land and check an influential pro-Israeli lobby in the United States.
"Ask them [U.S. Muslims] to stick together and unite their act," 34-year-old Souad Srour said in a phone interview from Brussels where she is pressing charges against Sharon for his role in the 1982 Sabra and Shatila massacres against Palestinian refugees during the Israeli invasion of Lebanon.
"As long as they are united and are all one strong hand, our rights will surely come back to us and the Israelis will be forced to give us our occupied land back. What happened to me will not happen to them."
Souad Srour El Marai, who was paralyzed in an attack on her family, said as she wept on the phone that Sharon was "a criminal who should be taken down from power or there will be more bloodshed, rape and murders among our people."
"He is a criminal with no heart or mercy for human beings," Souad cried.
The Palestinian survivor of the massacre said she was 15 when she was raped three times at the hands of what she said "Israelis" and "Israeli-backed militias."
"We heard someone knock at the door. My father asked 'Who is it?' And they said, 'We're Israelis and we want to search the house.' My father opened the door and there were 13 armed soldiers," Souad said.
"They took everyone and asked us to face the wall and raise our hands up high," Souad said. "They started shooting. I was so scared. They killed everyone. I was left for dead among the bodies of my family and a neighbor who was pregnant in her seventh month."
Srour now walks with two canes and still has nightmares about the incident. She said she lost her ability to speak for two years after the incident.
Souad said she decided to take her case to Belgium after Arab European groups convinced her that she would get the support she needs. Souad and 28 other Palestinian survivors of the Sabra and Shatila massacres said they filed the suit in Belgium because the country allows for trials for war crimes regardless of where they occurred.
Last week, the New York-based Human Rights Watch called for an investigation into Sharon's history over the issue and the Sabra and Shatila massacres.
Last week, the BBC aired a documentary about Sharon's role in the 1982 atrocities that re-hashed his participation in those events. The documentary featured a former U.S. envoy to the Middle East suggesting that Sharon could be convicted for war crimes.
Sharon, who was Israeli Defense Minister at the time, had overall command of forces in Beirut. He authorized the entry of Israeli-backed Christian militias to refugee camps. The militiamen started a killing spree that lasted three days and cost the lives of hundreds of civilians.
The horrifying experience still lives with Souad who is now careful not to give out phone numbers or addresses for what she said were "security reasons."
Souad's case has been championed by the Arab European Committee, an ad hoc group whose chairman, Dyab Abou Jajah, says was formed to help with Souad's case and 28 other victims.
Souad, however, said she now feels optimistic that "things could change" after her case was well received in Belgian courts. "I am so optimistic," she said. "You will hear good news soon."
Brussels prosecutors are soon expected to decide whether the suit can go ahead.
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