umkahlil

Shaden Abdel Qader Al Saleh Abu-Hijleh - (February 15, 1941-October 11, 2002)

On October 11th 2002, sixty-two-year-old Shaden Abu-Hijleh, a grandmother, peace activist and philanthropist, was murdered in cold blood. Israeli soldiers deliberately shot her without provocation while she was embroidering inside her home in the West Bank City of Nablus. Over 15 hollow-point bullets, which are banned by international law, were shot directly at her and her family, killing her and injuring her husband and son. Shaden was a devout patriot and shared with her Palestinian brothers and sisters the aspiration for freedom and liberation from Israeli military occupation. She worked for Palestinian independence and the preservation of Palestinian national identity on Palestine’s soil. She joined several organizations and associations working for freedom and peace in Palestine and around the world. After her sons and daughter graduated from university, Shaden dedicated her life to achieving political and social justice and became a respected leader in the women’s movement in Palestine. She was an active member of several local and national organizations.

The following poem was written by her son, on the fifth anniversary of her death.

Five

by Saed J. Abu-Hijleh

Five…..Fifteen bullets came out from the beehive

Stung me in the heart

Left me with an endless wound in open air

Five years and the pain is still there…

“Give me a Five” the killer told his partner

"We killed her….”

Blood dripping from his smile

“We killed her and killed her Five!”

“Will they survive?”

One husband and four children are still alive!

Death was not an option after her death

They had to tell her story to a world that is deaf:

If sounds of bullets were not enough

If screams of pain and anger

Mocked by Israeli soldiers’ laughter

Do not make the deaf hear

Then we will etch our souls on hearts made of stone

Hoping the marks will tell the story we want to tell

About a saintly woman who rang the bell

Against the oppression of Israeli hell

Five is the number of fingers on her hand

Each were pointing to the homeland

Five her senses were:

She saw the rainbow arching over our lives

She smelled the wind of the Mediterranean

She touched our souls with her kindness

She tasted her food so that we can enjoy the taste

She heard the voice coming from within and acted with grace

But her sixth was the strongest: she knew!

And her dreams & nightmares always came true!

The Ten Commandments of Israel are now Five:

Thou shall Kill, Kill, Kill, Kill, and Kill

Palestinian blood thou shall spill, spill, spill, spill, and spill

The Commandments of Shaden are now Five:

Thou shall Love, Love, Love, Love, and Love

Every year add more Love to my Love

The followers of Shaden are now more than Five

An army of lovers that shall strive

To liberate Earth from oppression

This is their sworn mission

A war of attrition

Israeli Apartheid will not survive

Five Salaams on your soul

Mama Shaden mother of all

Mama Shaden mother of all…