Umm Nidal
Maryam Mohammad Farhat | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1949 Shuja'iyya, Gaza City, Gaza Strip |
| Died | 17 March 2013 (aged 63) Gaza City, Gaza Strip, Palestinian territories |
| Nationality | Palestinian |
| Other names | Umm Nidal |
| Occupation | Politician |
| Known for | Being the "Mother of Martyrs" |
Maryam Mohammad Yousif Farhat (
Arabic: أم نضال) was a Palestinian activist popularly known by Palestinians as the "Mother of Martyrs" for her support for her sons' involvement in attacks against Israel.[1][2] Three of her sons were members of Hamas killed by Israel after participating in terrorist activities and she was a close associate of the Hamas leadership for over 2 decades. She also was a member of the Palestinian Legislative Council for Hamas. Farhat was one of the most prominent Islamist female leaders in Palestine and became an icon of the Second Intifada.[1]
Early life
She was born in Shuja'iyya neighborhood in Gaza City in 1949.
Family
She had six sons.[1] She had a total of ten children.[3]
Her eldest son
Atzmona Massacre, Nahal Oz attack
and finally was killed by the IDF.
Initial activism
In the 1990s, she sheltered Hamas military leaders such as Emad Akel.[2]
Public attention
She came to public attention in 2002 after being filmed carrying a gun and advising her 17-year-old son Muhammad Farhat before his
hand grenades at Israeli students enrolled in a pre-military school where they were studying to become army officers, killing five and wounding 23 others. After the attack, he was shot dead. After Muhammad's death, Farhat said she "wished [she] had 100 boys like Muhammad."[2]
She became known as "Khansa of Palestine" (
Battle of Qadisiyah. Umm Nidal got this title because of her great sacrifices - as in the Palestinian and Islamic culture - during the Second Intifada and before that, where her house was home to many prominent leaders of Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, especially Emad Akel, who was assassinated in her home in 1993 by the Israel Defense Forces.[4]
Political career
Farhat ran as a candidate of Hamas in the 2006 Palestinian legislative election.[1] She was successfully elected to the Palestinian Legislative Council.[2]
Views on martyrdom and murder of civilians
In an interview published in both the
Israeli Arab weekly Kul al-Arab and the London-based Arabic-language daily Al-Quds Al-Arabi, Umm Nidal said she was proud of her sons. In her December 2005 interview,[5]
Umm Nidal said:
- "I protect my sons from defying Allah, or from choosing a path that would not please Allah. This is what I fear, when it comes to my sons. But as for sacrifice, Jihad for the sake of Allah, or performing the duty they were charged with - this makes me happy."
- (Referring to Israelis) "They are all occupiers. Besides, don't forget that they all serve in the army. They are all considered soldiers. They are all reserve soldiers."
- "They are all occupiers, and we must fight them by any legitimate means."
- "All means are legitimate as long as the occupation continues."
- "There is no difference. This is Islamic religious law. I don't invent anything. I follow Islamic religious law in this. A Muslim is very careful not to kill an innocent person, because he knows he would be destined to eternal Hell. So the issue is not at all simple. We rely on Islamic religious law when we say there is no prohibition on killing these people."
- "The word 'peace' does not mean the kind of peace we are experiencing. This peace is, in fact, surrender and a shameful disgrace. Peace means the liberation of all of Palestine, from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea. When this is accomplished - if they want peace, we will be ready. They may live under the banner of the Islamic state. That is the future of Palestine that we are striving towards."
Death
Farhat died on 17 March 2013, aged 64, from multiple organ failure, in Gaza City. Her death was announced by the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas's military wing.[2] Her funeral was attended by 4,000 Palestinians, including top Hamas leaders such as Ismail Haniyeh.[6]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g "'Mother of martyrs' runs for Hamas". Al Jazeera. 2005-12-09. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
- ^ New York Times. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
- ^ Cramer, Richard (2012). How Israel Lost.
- ^ Hamas Prominent woman leader Passed Away Archived 2015-12-22 at the Wayback Machine - Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades website, 17 March 2013
- ^ Interview aired by Dream2 TV on December 21, 2005
- ^ Barzak, Ibrahim (17 March 2013). "Palestinian Lawmaker, Mother of Militants, Dies". ABC News. AP.