PA instructs preachers to praise murderer as hero and glorify Martyrdom-death in Friday's sermons
- Preachers were to tell worshippers in the mosques that:
- Terrorist murderer Uday Al-Tamimi “chose the loftiest status and gave that which is most precious to him – his life”
- His life was “something insignificant [he gave] for the sake of Palestine and its holy sites”
- “This hero died as a Martyr while charging forward and not fleeing”
- Preachers were to tell worshippers that terrorists who died while attacking Israel:
- “wanted to meet Almighty Allah, and Allah wanted to meet them”
- “Allah chose them to receive Martyrdom”
“The [PA] Ministry of Religious Affairs emphasized in a press release that the management of religious affairs and the supervision of the Friday sermons and religious lessons at the mosques are within the ministry’s authority and responsibility”
Palestinian preachers in mosques are not free to talk about whatever they want, but are dictated specific talking points for their Friday sermons by the PA Ministry of Religious Affairs, as documented by Palestinian Media Watch. This is one of the ways the PA makes sure its policies, ideologies, and calls to action are spread to the Palestinians.
A fresh example is the PA communicating to the people its endorsement of a murderer, its glorification of him as a “hero,” and its adherence to PA ideology that dying as a “Martyr” for Allah is an ideal.
The PA’s new role model is 22-year-old Palestinian terrorist “Martyr” Uday Al-Tamimi, who shot and murdered 18-year-old female Israeli soldier Sgt. Noa Lazar and wounded an Israeli security guard at the Shuafat checkpoint in northern Jerusalem earlier this month. Al-Tamimi managed to escape and 10 days later shot and wounded another Israeli security guard before other guards at the scene shot and killed him in self-defense.
Now the PA Ministry of Religious Affairs has instructed Palestinian preachers to praise murderer Uday Al-Tamimi as a “hero” while glorifying Martyrdom-death for “Palestine” as something to strive for and a reward from Allah, in an obvious attempt to encourage others to follow in the footsteps of this murderer and other similar terrorists:
The image shows the instructions issued by the PA Ministry of Religious Affairs, listing points to be made by mosque preachers in their Friday sermons on Oct. 21, 2022.
Preachers were to tell worshippers in the mosques the following about the terrorist murderer:
Terrorist murderer Uday Al-Tamimi “chose the loftiest status and gave that which is most precious to him – his life”
His life was “something insignificant [he gave] for the sake of Palestine and its holy sites”
“This hero died as a Martyr while charging forward and not fleeing”
Preachers were to present terrorist murderer Uday Al-Tamimi and other terrorist “Martyrs” in the following way:
They “wanted to meet Almighty Allah, and Allah wanted to meet them”
They are “happy over what they sacrificed”
“Their souls are in lamps hanging from [Allah’s] throne and traversing Paradise freely”
“Allah chose them to receive Martyrdom”
The terror attacks and the killing and wounding of Israelis should be portrayed in the mosques as “acts of heroism” and “an awe-inspiring history”:
“The Martyrs’ acts of heroism, the sacrifices that they have made, and their pure blood have written for us an awe-inspiring history, and they are a source of determination and strength for us all”
[Facebook page of the PA Ministry of Religious Affairs, Oct. 20, 2022]
The PA Ministry of Religious Affairs’ talking points to the preachers to be used last Friday reflect the general PA ideologies that PMW has exposed for years, which promote violence and terror, sanction and support terrorists and their attacks, and urge Palestinians – especially youth – to attack Israelis and become “Martyrs” and heroes of PA society.
The following announcement in the official PA daily documents that the PA Ministry of Religious Affairs “supervises” what goes on in the mosques, including “the Friday sermons and religious lessons”:
“The Ministry of Religious Affairs emphasized in a press release yesterday [July 4, 2021] that the management of religious affairs and the supervision of the Friday sermons and religious lessons at the mosques are within the ministry’s authority and responsibility. It emphasized that no one except the officially appointed imams and ministry employees has the right to go up to the preachers’ pulpits without the ministry’s permission, and this is due to the ministry’s concern about leaving the mosques out of the party quarrels.”
[Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, July 5, 2021]
The following is a longer excerpt of the PA Ministry of Religious Affairs’ instruction sheet for preachers:
Text: “Friday sermon Oct. 21, 2022
‘Men true to what they promised Allah’ [Quran 33:23, Sahih International translation] (see below for the full verse -Ed.)
Uday Al-Tamimi (i.e., terrorist, murdered 1), like the rest of his Martyr comrades, chose the loftiest status and gave that which is most precious to him – his life. He gave it as something insignificant for the sake of Palestine and its holy sites. This hero died as a Martyr while charging forward and not fleeing.
These Martyrs wanted to meet Almighty Allah, and Allah wanted to meet them. They can be seen happy over what they sacrificed, their souls are in lamps hanging from [Allah’s] throne and traversing Paradise freely.
The occupation must know for a certainty that our people – a people with such willpower, determination, and defiance – will not bend its knee before anyone other than Almighty Allah, and that it is continuing on its path to achieving freedom and independence. …
The sadness is not due to the great number of Martyrs, as Allah chose them to receive Martyrdom. What saddens is the fact that the world watches the occupation’s crimes and the murder of our people from the side.
The Palestinian people will continue to stand firm and upright while adhering to its right to its land and its holy sites, carrying out Ribat (i.e., religious conflict over land claimed to be Islamic) and defending its honor and the honor of its nation. It will continue its struggle until establishing its independent state whose capital is Jerusalem.
The Martyrs’ acts of heroism, the sacrifices that they have made, and their pure blood have written for us an awe-inspiring history, and they are a source of determination and strength for us all.
Loyalty to the Martyrs, to our prisoners, and to our Al-Aqsa Mosque requires our unity and tightening our ranks, which will remain the strongest weapon against the occupation.”
[Facebook page of the PA Ministry of Religious Affairs, Oct. 20, 2022]
The full verse of Quran 33:23 (Sahih International translation) reads as follows: “Among the believers are men true to what they promised Allah. Among them is he who has fulfilled his vow [to the death], and among them is he who awaits [his chance]. And they did not alter [the terms of their commitment] by any alteration.”