PRACTICE WHAT YOU PREACH:

Suicide bomber's father: Let Hamas leaders send their own sons (Ellis Shuman, October 8, 2002, Israeli Insider)

"Why doesn't a single one of all the sheikhs who compete amongst themselves in issuing fiery religious rulings, send his own son" to blow himself up? This was the question of the father of a young Palestinian who carried out a suicide bombing in an Israeli city four months ago that appeared in the London-based Arabic-language daily Al-Hayat last week.

In the letter, translated by MEMRI - Middle East Media Research Institute, a man identified as Abu Saber M. G. starts a rare open criticism of suicide bombings and the Hamas leadership with a quote from the Koran. "Act for the sake of Allah, and do not throw yourselves to destruction with your own hands." (Koran 2:195). Then he goes on to describe the loss of his son and the displacement of his family after their home was razed by the Israeli army in the wake of the suicide bombing.

At some level we have to have faith that small but courageous acts like this will begin to transform the Middle East. Posted by Orrin Judd at October 10, 2002 2:05 PM