Palestinian Media Watch Bulletin Sept. 5, 2004 PALESTINIAN MEDIA WATCH phone: 972- 2- 625-4140 fax: 972-2- 624-2803 visit our website, click here: http://www.pmw.org.il for further information, contact PMW Director, Itamar Marcus material may be quoted, citing PMW as the source subscribe free to PMW reports, details below PA boosts promotion of child Martyrs Child Martyrdom promotion clip returns to PA TV after year's absence by Itamar Marcus and Barbara Crook Clip was removed from PA TV after PMW exposed it at a US Senate hearing in October 2003. Clip brought outraged reaction from US senators, and extensive media coverage, including CNN, FOX, BBC, MS NBC, and tens of European stations. Clip presents a child's death in combat as "sweet," because it was Death for Allah -Shahada. Clip was broadcast at least three times in the last 2 weeks after nearly a year's absence. At a US Senate Hearing in October 2003, PMW director Itamar Marcus presented evidence of PA indoctrination of children to aspire to heroic death as Shahids - Martyrs for Allah. Since then, many PA TV clips that encouraged children to seek heroic Shahada (Death for Allah) were removed, apparently due to the inability of the PA representative at the Senate hearing to defend this PA practice, together with widespread media condemnation both in print and on television. Now, after nearly a year, the PA has suddenly renewed the broadcast of the "Farewell Letter" clip, in which a child writes a farewell letter to his parents, glorifying his desire to die, and then goes out to the combat zone, where he is shot and achieves his death wish. As he falls in death, the words of his letter are sung twice: "How sweet is Shahada [Death for Allah] when I embrace you my land." The revival of this clip now may be an indication that the PA, after having its image blackened due to its involvement in suicide terror, wants to portray itself as the victim by having large numbers of dead and injured children to report to the press. Click here to see the clip on PMW's web site. The following is the text of the farewell letter sung during the clip. "Do not be sad, my dear, And do not cry over my parting, My dear father, For my country, Shahada [Death for Allah]. Do not be sad, my dear And do not cry over my parting, My dear father, For my country, I will sacrifice myself!" [Scenes of children joining violence against soldiers, the boy running with his friends, throwing stones ...] The letter continues: "With determination and desire I long to approach...." [The boy is shot in his chest and falls to the ground.] The letter continues: "How sweet is Shahada [death for Allah] When I embrace you, my land!" [Here the boy's mother is seen crying.] The letter continues: "My beloved, my mother, My most dear, Be joyous over my blood and do not cry for me." [Aug. 23, 26, 31, 2004] The message of this song to Palestinian children is clear: It should be a child's wish and goal to die in confrontations with Israel, as this death is "sweet". to SUBSCRIBE to PMW's reports send an empty e-mail to reports-subscribe@pmw.org.il to be REMOVED from our list, send an empty e-mail to reports-unsubscribe@pmw.org.il | | | | | Inbox Get the latest updates from MSN MSN Home | My MSN | Hotmail | Search | Shopping | Money | People & Chat Feedback | Help © 2004 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. TERMS OF USE Advertise TRUSTe Approved Privacy Statement Anti-Spam Policy