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Four
years ago, at the eve of the First anniversary of Qana massacre, A
group of seven girls, aged between 8 and 13, survivors of the massacre,
arrived in Toronto Saturday April 5th, 1997.
Mariam, age 13 was critically injured and her body was mostly burned,
spoke very eloquently about her unimaginable experience. She lost her
mother, her father, her sister and many of her relatives at Qana. She had to
undergo six months of hospitalisation and physiotherapy in France to rebuild her
skin and to replace with artificial bones, parts of her lower body skeleton. She
still has a great difficulty using her right limbs. Mariam considers herself
lucky that she is still alive and lost no limbs. She prays for her martyred
family and thanks Allah that they lost their lives in His cause. She wishes to
become a doctor when she grows up.
Zainab, age 8, was also
critically injured. She refuses to speak about her ordeal. She lost her mother,
and half of her family members including her 4-month-old brother whose head was
cut off by shrapnel. She carries the gruesome and very graphic picture of her
headless young brother being puled from the wreckage. Another Zainab age 12 was
not physically injured; however the emotional wounds are unrepairable. She lost
her father, mother, a sister, a brother, grandfather, uncles, aunts and cousins,
17 in total. Her eyes speak with shock, sorrow and disbelief. She carries on her
scarf (hijab) the picture of her lost parents and in her hand a cut-and-past
profile of all 17 members of the family with her grandfather in the center.
When
you see and talk to these kids you can only be speechless. Words can never
describe what goes on and on in every one's mind. It is a story no one like to
tell; however it is story that must be heard by everyone. Five years ago, April
18, 1996, six thousand Lebanese villagers took refuge at a UN base in South
Lebanon to escape the indiscriminate barrage of Israeli shells in South Lebanon.
Being driven out from their homes by the extensive bombardments. They thought
Israel would not dare to bomb a UN base. They were fatally wrong. Twenty large
size shells slammed into the UN camp directly hitting the wooden storage tents
made into makeshift shelters for the refugees. 102 civilians were killed
including 54 children. Hundreds were injured.
Israel
said it was a mistake. The UN official report said it was deliberate, as a
reconnaissance plane was flying overhead at the very moment directing the
artillery fire. On the Fifth anniversary, the whole of humanity should stand for
a moment of silence in respect of those who fell victims to one of the most
outrageous massacre in recent memory. The blood of innocent children at a UN
safe haven can not and must not be forgotten. We call upon the media to do
its part in bringing this issue at the anniversary date, in the same way they
brought it for the victims of the Oklahoma bombing. This can only help prevent
another massacre from ever happening again.
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