Incitement to violence is a common theme at mosque sermons, which are broadcast live every Friday at noon from mosques under control of the Palestinian Authority, and shown on PA television.

Educating Children to Martyrdom

The concept of educating children to become martyrs occurs regularly in PA sermons. Sheikh Ibrahim Madhi, one of the most popular Imams, is especially vocal on this issue. During one sermon (August 3, 2001, Sheik 'Ijlin Mosque in Gaza, PA Television), he repeats the following discussion he had with a child who approached him about becoming a suicide bomber:

A young man said to me: 'I am 14 years old, and I have four years left before I blow myself up'... We, the Muslims on this good and blessed land, are all ― each one of us ― seekers of Martyrdom... The Koran is very clear on this: The greatest enemies of the Islamic nation are the Jews, may Allah fight them...Blessings for whoever assaulted a soldier... Blessings for whoever has raised his sons on the education of Jihad and Martyrdom; blessings for whoever has saved a bullet in order to stick it in a Jew's head..."

On another occasion (June 8, 2001, Sheik 'Ijlin Mosque in Gaza, PA Television), Madhi stated:

Shame and remorse on whoever refrained from raising his children on Jihad... Blessings to whoever waged Jihad for the sake of Allah; blessings to whoever raided for the sake of Allah; blessings to whoever put a belt of explosives on his body or on his sons' and plunged into the midst of the Jews, crying 'Allahu Akbar, praise to Allah, There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is His messenger'... Allah, show us a black day for the Jews, like the day of 'Aad and Thamud. [Two pre-Islamic Arab tribes that refused to convert to Islam, and were punished by annihilation.] Allah, turn them into pillage for us. Allah, we strive for martyrdom for your sake...

Even if there was only one Palestinian child left, he or she would sacrifice himself for the sake of Jihad, as Madhi stated in another sermon (July 6, 2001, Sheik 'Ijlin Mosque in Gaza, PA Television):

Even if they slaughter all of the Palestinian people and the only survivors will be one single Palestinian baby girl and one single Palestinian baby boy, the baby boy will marry the baby girl and they will give birth to the one who will liberate Jerusalem from the defilement of the Jews...While they [the Palestinians] sacrifice the last Palestinian child and the last Palestinian fetus, they [the Arab nations] will satisfy themselves with victories on the soccer courts...

It was rightly claimed that a thousand verbal shells cannot compare to one shell made of iron. It was rightly claimed that what was taken by force will be regained only by the use of force. We must prepare ourselves in accordance with the religion of Allah and the Law of Allah. We must educate our children on the love of Jihad for the sake of Allah and the love of fighting for the sake of Allah.

The importance of educating youth for battle has also been the topic of sermons by Sheikh Ibrahim Mudeiris (February 28, 2003, Khalil Al-Wazir Mosque in Gaza, PA Television):

And here, I want to emphasize, oh people of Palestine, that our children, the fruit of our loins ― we must protect them... The children need proper education because it is they who will lead the struggle after us, on the day when they will grow up and become strong and we will grow old. They are our children, who will conduct the battle after us.

On this subject, Mufti Sheikh Ikrimeh Sabri stated his thoughts on child martyrs, as well as the joy of their mothers (Egyptian Al-Ahram Al-Arabi, October 28, 2000):

I feel the martyr is lucky because the angels usher him to his wedding in heaven. I feel the earth moves under the occupiers' feet... There is no doubt that a child [martyr] suggests that the new generation will carry on the mission with determination. The younger the martyr ― the greater and the more I respect him...

They [mothers of martyrs] willingly sacrifice their offspring for the sake of freedom. It is a great display of the power of belief. The mother is participating in the great reward of the Jihad to liberate Al-Aqsa... I talked to a young man... [who] said: '...I want to marry the black-eyed [beautiful] women of heaven.' The next day he became a martyr. I am sure his mother was filled with joy about his heavenly marriage. Such a son must have such a mother.

Shahids & the Rewards of Martyrdom

Sermons often call for Palestinians to become martyrs, or Shahids. Within the sermons, it is told that those who become a Shahid feel no pain and receive rewards in the afterlife, such as 72 black-eyed virgins. Family members of the Shahids are also praised in sermons. As Sheikh Isma'il Aal Radhwan stated (August 17, 2001, Sheik 'Ijlin Mosque in Gaza, PA Television):

[Even when] a martyr's organs are being chopped off, and he turns into torn organs that spread all over, in order to meet Allah, Muhammad, and his friends, it would not be [considered] a loss... This is the honor given to our martyrs, the martyrs of the Islamic nation, who were killed due to their loyalty to Allah... The sacrifice of convoys of martyrs [will continue] until Allah grants us victory very soon.

The willingness for sacrifice and for death we see amongst those who were cast by Allah into a war with the Jews, should not come at all as a surprise... Oh believing brothers, we do not feel a loss... The martyr, if he meets Allah, is forgiven with the first drop of blood; he is saved from the torments of the grave; he sees his place in Paradise; he is saved from the Great Horror [of the day of judgment]; he is given 72 black-eyed women; he vouches for 70 of his family to be accepted to Paradise; he is crowned with the Crown of glory, whose precious stone is better than all of this world and what is in it...

The virtues of martyrdom are the subject of many of Sheikh Ibrahim Mudeiris's sermons (August 22, 2003, Sheikh 'Ijlin Mosque in Gaza, PA Television):

Blessings to those who wage [Jihad] with their body...Blessings to our Shahids who sacrifice their souls easily for the sake of Allah...B lessings to the happy Shahids within the entrails of the green bird in Paradise. Blessings to the Shahids whose sins are forgiven with the first drop of their blood.

On another occasion (August 15, 2003, Sheikh 'Ijlin Mosque in Gaza, PA Television), he stated:

Know that a Shahid [who falls] on this land is considered more than one Shahid someplace else. Yes, there are traditions that a Shahid here [in Jerusalem] is worth 70 Shahids in a place other than this good land...

Regarding the rewards of the martyrs, Sheikh Mudeiris stated in a sermon on May 2, 2003 (Sheikh 'Ijlin Mosque in Gaza, PA Television):

No preacher or sermonizer has right to begin his words without blessing all our Shahids... The Jews cannot influence the actions of our youth and children. But for you, Allah has chosen Shahada... Allah had honored our youth...by choosing you and by choosing from among you the Shahids... Is the Shahid dead like other dead, which requires us to offer condolences and mourn with his family, friend and relatives? Or is the Shahid enjoying virtues and the ability to perform miracles, which gives us the right to congratulate the Shahid and his family?...

We have the right to congratulate the Shahids' families, and not extend condolences and sorrow of our Shahids, if they [sacrifice themselves] to Allah...But the Shahid is spared the agony of death. This is one of the miracles of the Shahid. Is it not enough that the Shahid weds 72 black eyed [virgins]?... When the Shahid sees the grace of martyrdom and death for the sake of Allah he will wish to return to this world to be killed in it ten times...The Shahid ― is it enough for him that he does not feel the blow of the sword or the pain of death or of the killing rather, as one of you feels a [wasp] sting...

Palestinian Mufti Sheikh Ikrimeh Sabri also praises martyrdom in his sermons (May 25, 2001, Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, PA Television):

We tell them: in as much as you love life ― the Muslim loves death and martyrdom. There is a great difference between he who loves the hereafter and he who loves this world. The Muslim loves death and [strives for] martyrdom. He does not fear the oppression of the arrogant or the weapons of the blood-letters. The blessed and sacred soil of Palestine has vomited all the invaders and all the colonialists throughout history and it will soon vomit, with Allah's help, the [present] occupiers.