Posted on 06/04/2003 12:09:54 AM PDT by JohnHuang2
"My heart has turned into a sad block of pain. One day I will buy a weapon and I will blow away the fetters. I will propel my living-dead body into your arms, my father, and you will gather me into your hands."
The rantings of a criminal psychopath or Mideast terrorist? No, it's from a prize-winning letter by seventh-grader Mahmoud Naji Chalilah, entered in a national children's letter-writing contest among Palestinians.
As the world watches Palestinian, Israeli and U.S. leaders trying to negotiate a difficult peace today – after Arab nations reportedly agreed yesterday to condemn all terrorism for any reason -- Palestinian authorities meanwhile are rewarding children for embracing violence and hate by honoring letters extolling those very themes in a recent youth writing contest, according to Palestinian Media Watch, which monitors the Palestinian press.
The Palestinian Education Ministry selected 10 first-place winners out of a national pool of submissions to its letter-writing contest. The winning letters focus on the conflict with Israel, expressing pain, hatred and anger. None promotes peace, Media Watch says.
A tenth grader from Al-Chalim Anavta Girls' school writes to an Israeli soldier:
To my fellow member of humanity, the Israeli soldier at the military roadblock: Did your mother celebrate Mothers' Day? I don't think you celebrated with her because of the assignments you have been given to carry out against the Palestinians. I suggest that if you pay her a late visit, you should bring her a gift: a bottle of the blood of a Palestinian child whom you have murdered on the way and whose mother is still looking for him. I am sure that your mother would be very satisfied with this gift.
These and other winning letters show the Palestinian Education Ministry is promoting hatred and violence as values for its children, claims Palestinian Media Watch.
The Palestinian Authority published the official advertisement containing the winning letters in Al-Quds, a daily Palestinian newspaper.
Some winning letters express hatred for Israeli and American leaders, says the report, glorifying death for Allah. Writes a seventh grader at Mahmoud Alhamshari School:
To Sharon, without any greetings – Sharon, you do not know how much I wish I could meet your grandchildren so that I could ask them if you play with them. Do they call you 'Grandpa'? Or are they afraid of you? I would like to tell you the secret of my hatred towards you. I do not hate you because of your religion, because I believe in Musa [Moses], may his memory be blessed. I hate you because you hate the children of my nation.
A ninth-grader wrote to the parents of Rachel Corrie, an American who died while trying to prevent an Israeli bulldozer from destroying a terrorist's home in the Gaza Strip:
To Mrs. Cynthia and Mr. Craig, the parents of the Shahida [martyr] of the Palestinian people, the American, Rachel Corrie, Washington – Rachel's pure spirit is still examining our intentions, and it asks us not to give in or to be defeated. Rachel did not cross the ocean in vain. It was in order to turn her body, which was small in size, into something great in terms of love and hope, like a protective shield to those who are exploited under the occupation. She came to take part in a symbolic trial against the president of her country, George Bush, because she knew that your president's administration obeys the Israeli government.
Were there letters submitted that promote peace?
It's unknown, says the media watchdog group, which added that if children submitted peace-promoting letters and Palestinian leaders only honored those with violent themes, the Palestinians are promoting hate education.
"On the other hand, [if] there was not even one peace-promoting letter [submitted], it is equally disturbing, as an ominous warning of how successful the PA education has been in creating a generation dedicated to hatred of Israel," said Itamar Marus, the media group's director.
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