That is why We ordained for the Children of Israel that whoever takes a life—unless as a punishment for murder or mischief in the land—it will be as if they killed all of humanity; and whoever saves a life, it will be as if they saved all of humanity. (Surah Al Ma’idah 5:32, Quran) 

Last Friday, an IDF (IOF) soldier fired on a stopped family car while the driver (father) had his hands on the steering wheel, and murdered Baby Sam. Here are a photo of Sam at home and a video of the shooting that resulted in his death and injuries to both parents. (The latter is from B’Tselem, the Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories that “strives for a future in which human rights, liberty and equality are guaranteed to all people, Palestinian and Jewish alike, living between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea.”) At the bottom of this post is information from UNICEF, an organization I used to collect money for at Halloween- at the behest of my dear mother – long before I knew why children around the world needed help.

Israel’s brutality and cruelty in its bloodstained pursuit of the regional land grab known as the Greater Israel project (Eretz Yisrael) know no bounds. Look at him. This beautiful baby was murdered simply because he is Palestinian. Sam is his parent’s child, but he is also our child and a child of God. Their loss is also the world’s loss.

Note: IOF = Israeli Occupation Forces.

MAA

May Baby Sam rest in peace. Heartfelt condolences to his family. إِنَّا لِلَّٰهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ

MAA