Summer 2004 Alkalima: The Assassinations of Sheikh Yassin and Dr. Rantissi

This was originally posted May 19, 2007 4:34 PM PST
Original link was: http://www.alkalima.com/article.php?id=0603_assassination

The Assassinations of Sheikh Yassin and Dr. Rantissi
By Abdulrahman Hachache

Why the assassinations will have serious consequences for “Israel” and the Islamic Resistance Movement

Hamas, an extension of the Muslim Brotherhood Movement in Egypt, was founded in Palestine by Sheikh Ahmad Yassin. In his youth, Sheikh Yassin studied under Hassan Al-Banna, the founder of the Brotherhood in Egypt. Taking the knowledge he received back home to Palestine, he established an Islamic Resistance Movement to counteract Zionism. Sheikh Yassin experienced a life of struggle as he was quadriplegic since youth, but, through struggle, his knowledge and wisdom allowed him to serve as the spiritual leader for the Hamas movement in Palestine. Having been jailed and beaten by Israel to the point where he lost vision in one eye, Sheikh Yassin was released by Israel as a gesture for having attempted to assassinate another Hamas leader in Jordan.

On March 21, 2004, Sheikh Ahmad Yassin had just concluded Fajr prayer at a Masjid in Gaza when he was cowardly assassinated by three missiles launched by an Israeli helicopter. A few weeks later, after President Bush and Sharon met at the White House, Dr. Rantissi, the newly appointed leader of Hamas was assassinated in his car in a similar way as Sheikh Yassin.

These assassinations are taking place at a time when civil liberties are being increasingly restricted in the US. One may ask: why is it that Sheikh Ahmad Yassin and Dr. Rantissi were assassinated? Anybody who are targeted for assassination, whether it be Malcolm X or Dr. King in the US, or Sheikh Yassin and Dr. Rantissi in Occupied Palestine had to have been perceived as a threat. The biggest threat to the West since the end of Communism and the Cold War has been Islam’s rising popularity to people all over the world. If one is trying to establish Islam economically, socially, or politically, one becomes a threat to the West and those governments supporting it. The people being targeted in Occupied Palestine are threats to the status-quo entity.

Twenty years ago, during the time of South African apartheid, there were those who were favored by those in control, and those that were threatened or killed. At the time, the ANC, founded by Nelson Mandela, was defined by the U.S. government as a terrorist organization. At the end, he became the leader of the movement to end apartheid because of his popularity among the people.

Similarly, ten years ago Hamas was considered a terrorist organization by Arabs and non-Arabs alike. Since then, the Arab people have realized that the only solution to the Zionist situation is through military force, which is espoused by Hamas, Hizb’Allah, Islamic Jihad, and other Islamic resistance organizations. Hizb’ Allah, led by Sheikh Nassrallah, proceeded with the use of military force and was successful in liberating South Lebanon.

Arab countries have come to realize that the only group able to liberate land from the Zionists was Hizb’ Allah. Sheikh Ahmad Yassin, who only had control of his tongue, stuck to his correct legitimate ideology and was assassinated as a hero of the Palestinian people and Muslims worldwide. Although he had various physical limitations and the only thing he could command was his tongue, Sheikh Yassin used it to fight and "terrorize" the evils of Shaytan (Satan) and the enemies of Allah.

Just as the legacy of those before them has grown after their martyrdom - as has been the case with Hassan Al-Banna, Sayyid Qutb, and Malcolm X - Sheikh Yassin and Dr. Rantissi have joined these martyrs in the Islamic Movement; their influence on future generations will be immense. Hamas, Hizb’ Allah and other Islamic Resistance groups have vowed to respond to the killings of these martyrs, and the quickest response so far has come from Hizb’ Allah, who launched missile strikes on "Israel" immediately after the martyrdom of Sheikh Yassin.

The killing of Sheikh Ahmad Yassin has sparked a fire in Muslims all over the world. "Israel" has elevated Sheikh Yassin from a man to a martyr. In that same vein, it will be one hundred years from now that Sheikh Yassin will be established as a dominant hero in the Middle East as Malcolm X was in the States. The assassination of Sheikh Ahmad Yassin, founder of the Islamic Resistance Movement in Palestine, whose persistence, piety, and self-sacrifice led to his popularity amongst people all over the world, gives rise to the beginning of the second generation of Islamic Resistance.

The actions taken by "Israel" can be compared to a snakehead analogy. By taking of the head, you are able to debilitate the rest of the body. However, this strategy is clearly shortsighted and counterproductive. The Qur’an states, "Men said to them, ‘A great army is gathering against you,’ and frightened them, but it (only) increased their Faith. They said, ‘For us Allah is sufficient, and He is the best disposer of affairs’" (3:173).

The likely consequences of "Israel’s" assassination of Sheikh Yassin and Dr. Rantissi will be a new group of people whose knowledge, spiritual soundness, and sincerity will lead them above the rest. If Hamas is sincere, the assassinations will embolden the organization and those within it by making them stronger and eventually allowing them to succeed and reap the rewards they seek, as long as they stick steadfastly to their objective and work for the sake of Allah.

Hachache is a fifth year History major at UC Irvine