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Interview with a Would-be Suicide Bomber
Youssef
Ali Mohammed Kamil is a Palestinian who was arrested before carrying
out a suicide bomb attack in a settlement near the city of Jenin, Palestine. In an exclusive interview to IslamOnline, Kamil, a 21-year-old
freshman at Al-Najah University, explains why he is willing to give up his life in a “martyr
operation.”
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Suliman
Besharat: Why do you want to sacrifice your own life?
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Youssef
Kamil: First, I want to sacrifice my life because it is a religious
obligation, prescribed by Allah on every Muslim whose country is
under oppression. This sacrifice is for His sake and everything
else, save Him, has no value.
Second,
martyrs have been promised distinction by Allah, I always wanted to
be in the company of those privileged. The day I took up arms I knew
I would not return. I would gladly give up my life in the way that
would please Him best. The span of ones life is in the hands of
Allah and apparently it is not time for me to go yet.
Third,
one of the reasons that drove me is the state of my people and what
they are subjugated to by the Israeli army: the constant killing,
displacement and apprehension. Let our blood be the fuel that will
revive this Ummah (community of Muslims) again. May the blood of
every martyr be the beacon to all the freedom fighters in Palestine and the Islamic world in general.
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SB:
Could you describe your life – socially, professionally,
educationally; is it a successful life and are you ready to give it
up to serve your cause?
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YK:
Thanks to Allah, I lead a happy life, full of love and success. I am
a university student and during my school years I also worked with
my father and brothers in the fields. As a student I have always
been successful; when I got my high school diploma I enrolled in the
Nagah University in the faculty of Shari`ah (Islamic Law) and have
an excellent grade point average.
As
for the second part of your question, I say we are a Muslim Ummah,
we believe strongly that the real life is the afterlife, and the
worldly life is but a transitional period. When we seek martyrdom
then the real life begins with it –eternal happiness in the life
that Allah has promised us in the Glorious Qur’an.
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SB:
Do you think of any other alternative to “martyr operations”? As
a Palestinian, don’t you think that being successful in your
studies and in life would serve the Palestinian cause better?
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YK:
Every one knows that these operations have become the most effective
weapon of this helpless people. It is the only strategic weapon that
has achieved a balance of fear and deterrence; we have transformed
dust into explosive materials, and gunpowder to arms. These
operations have rendered our enemy sleepless and hit their economy
hard. As for putting down our arms, this is not going to happen as
long as the enemy continues his oppression against our land and our
people.
Where
was the voice of the free world and the United Nations when our
people were displaced in 1948 and 1967? Not a word was uttered when
our people were slaughtered in Deir Yassin, Sabra and Shatilla, Jerusalem
and Galilee. Now that we have achieved this equilibrium of fear, the world is
calling for the cessation of fire and an end to the bloodshed; they
know quite well that resistance is an acknowledged right by
convention as well as Divine and earthly laws.
As
far as my study and my success is concerned, I say that this is not
the way to look at things, if everyone thought the way you are
suggesting, who would stand against the enemy of our people? The
issue here is about balance; a group will face the enemy with the
force of arguments and another with the force of weapons. Have you
forgotten that the enemy has destroyed our centers of learning, and
their policy of curfews and the barricading of entire cities are
making our success impossible?
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SB:
What is your answer to the saying “violence breeds violence”?
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YK:
We do not call our struggle violence or terrorism; we are a people
whose land has been confiscated. We were displaced; generations were
born without rights or land. What the Israeli occupation is doing
right now is what I call violence and terrorism.
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SB:
Do you count your life as something precious, and if so, how can you
give it up?
YK:
Of course anyone thinks of his life as very precious, and I am no
different. My life is the most precious thing in the entire world,
especially as there is a bright future that awaits me, but as I
already said, this life is gladly given up for a better goal, that
of freeing our land and the resuscitation of this Ummah after such
long suffering.
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SB:
How can you explain the new trend among the thousands of young
Palestinians regarding “martyrdom”?
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YK: There are so many reasons: one is the will to resist, every
Palestinian citizen who sees what our people is subjected to has no
choice but to struggle. It is his human right to stop his oppressor,
although the world has adopted a policy of silence. In addition, our
society holds the martyr in the highest place.
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SB:
What is your response to some Western analysts who claim that the
propagation of martyrs is due to depression as a result of the
Israeli violence?
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YK:
It is worth pointing out that all statistics and studies on the
subject of martyrs have revealed that the majority of them are
university students and some are doing graduate work, most of them
come from the middle class and some from the upper class, so it is
not out of depression or out of poverty that they are driven to
martyrdom.
In
conclusion, our people believe in their cause and are certain of the
victory we have been promised. I say to all these analysts that we
don’t look at life only from its materialistic aspect as you do,
but we take it as a path to the eternal one, and if we cannot live
this life with dignity then it is not worth living.
Sulaiman
Bsharat is a Palestinian journalist and researcher.
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