Does The World Karate Federation authorize tournaments named after Palestinian terrorists?
Palestinian karate championship for young women named after murderer of 37 Israeli civilians
"Sisters of Dalal Mughrabi Championship for Young Women" was held by the Palestinian Karate Federation, which is a member of the Asian Karate Federation, a member of the World Karate Federation
The logo of the World Karate Federation was featured at the tournament
PMW has written to the World Karate Federation and the Asian Karate Federation asking that they condemn the Palestinian Karate Federation for naming an event after a terrorist mass murderer and prohibit the recurrence of terror glorification by the Palestinian Karate Federation and all other member federations in the future, but the federations have not responded
The Palestinian Karate Federation has misused the sport of karate to promote terrorist Dalal Mughrabi who led the murder of 37 Israeli civilians, among them 12 children, as a role model for young Palestinian women:
"The Sisters of Dalal Mughrabi Championship for Young Women"
[Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Sept. 13, 2019]
A banner displayed at the championship carried the name of the "Palestinian Karate Federation" and its logo (left), and the logo of the "World Karate Federation" (right):
[Official Facebook page of the Palestinian Karate Federation, Sept. 11, 2019]
"Palestine" is a member of the Asian Karate Federation, which is a member of the World Karate Federation. Two weeks ago, Palestinian Media Watch passed on the documentation of this Palestinian championship honoring a mass murderer to both federations, asking that they condemn the Palestinian Karate Federation and prohibit the recurrence of terror glorification by the Palestinian Karate Federation and any other of its federation members. In addition, PMW asked that if the federation's "Statutes and Rules" currently do not prohibit naming sporting events after terrorists, that the statutes be amended immediately to include such a prohibition. However, neither federation has responded.
The championship in which 55 young Palestinian female athletes participated was held in Bethlehem by the southern branch of the Palestinian Karate Federation.
Dalal Mughrabi, after whom this tournament was named, was a female Palestinian terrorist who led the most lethal terror attack in Israel's history, known as the Coastal Road massacre, in 1978, when she and other Fatah terrorists hijacked a bus and murdered 37 civilians, 12 of them children, and wounded over 70. PMW has documented numerous examples of PA and Fatah leaders promoting murderer Mughrabi as a hero for Palestinian society in general and for youth in particular. The PA has named at least 6 schools after murderer Mughrabi, many sporting events have been named after her, and a PA schoolbook teaches children to "be like" her.
The following is the report on the championship honoring murderer Mughrabi in the official PA daily:
Headline: "The southern branch of the [Palestinian] Karate Federation concluded the Sisters of Dalal Mughrabi Championship for Young Women"
"The southern branch of the Palestinian Karate Federation completed the kata and fighting championship for girls, the Sisters of Dalal Mughrabi Championship (i.e., Mughrabi was a terrorist who led murder of 37, 12 of them children), at Putin Sports Hall in Bethlehem with the participation of 55 female athletes from a number of centers in the southern [West Bank]. Head of the southern [Palestinian Karate] Federation Nidal Abu Turki and Head of the Southern [Palestinian Karate] Federation's Technical Committee Muhammad Abu Eida were present at the championship."
[Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Sept. 13, 2019]