Volume CCXXXIV, Number 44          April, 2004                   

BBC BRITISH BUGGERS CORRESPONDENCE

The wanton and shameless attack on the beloved Sheik Yassin is universally condemned throughout the civilized world

Phil Bunns surveys informed opinion from Hampstead to Islington

The brutal and unprovoked murder of Hamas spiritual leader Sheik Yassin has sparked cries of outrage from informed observers of the Middle East situation. "Sharon is a war criminal. Sheik Yassin couldn't even defend himself. The spiritual leader was in a wheelchair," exclaimed Naomi Selfhatowitz, chair of the Oxford Union for the Destruction of the Zionist Entity.

Newspaper leaders were equally outraged. "An outrage," thundered Julie Munchill in the Rear Guardian. "An appalling display of Jewish cheek. When will we see Arab cheeks in response?" asked the Co-dependent.

Related links:

BBC obituary of the great man:

Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, the founder and spiritual leader of Hamas, was a frail quadriplegic who could barely see. His voice was thin and quavering. For the remainder of this moving panegyric, click here.

Objective and balanced BBC analysis of the Hamas spiritual movement:

Branded terrorists by Israel and western countries, Hamas is seen by its supporters as a legitimate fighting force defending Palestinians from a brutal military occupation.  [We can't take much more of this – Ed.]



We always like to hear from our listeners, especially handsome young lads in Middle Eastern and South Asian countries.

If you would like to visit us here at the BBC please send your name, address and photo (clothing optional) to BBC Wog Service, No Bush House, London

Israeli assassins gun down Hamas spiritual leader

BBC Palestine correspondent Nigel Reamer reports from Gaza on the savage and brutal attack on the flower of Arab spirituality

Arial Sharon wreaked death and destruction from the air over Gaza today, as Israel sent its American-made helicopter gunships to assassinate the beloved spiritual leader of the Hamas spiritual and political organization. Sheik Yassin, a gentle elderly man confined to a wheelchair, was literally blown to pieces by the American-made missiles as he rode in one of the Mercedes limousines favored by the self-effacing Islamic leader.

Israeli occupiers clean up after a religious ceremony intended to honor Sheik Yassin took place on a Jerusalem city bus

The bloodthirsty Israeli occupation forces cravenly sought to justify the cold-blooded murder of a religious leader by claiming that the Hamas movement had carried out scores of terrorist attacks on so-called Israeli "civilians" who were supposedly doing nothing more than riding a bus or going to school.

What the Butcher of Sabra and Shattila and his American apologists fail to understand, though, was that Sheik Yassin was the spiritual leader of Hamas. The scores of terrorist attacks were carried out by Hamas's political wing, which is something completely different. If only Sharon and Bush could keep politics and religion separate!

The reaction of the oppressed Palestinian people was fierce. I asked one strapping fighter for his reaction and to please remove his black baklava so that I could see all of his features, not just his full, pouty lips. "Sheik Yassin was a man of peace," he said. "As Sheik Yassin so often said, we will kill every Jew in Palestine and drink their blood." Another lad, slender and boyish, with long, sensual eyelashes said that he could hardly wait until his 14th birthday, because the local Hamas officials had promised he'd be old enough to be sent into Israel with a waistcoat full of plastic explosive and nails.

When will Sharon and his bloodthirsty cabal learn to respect the simple wisdom (and beauty) of these splendid young men?

This time, those bloody Jews have really gone too far

BBC diplomatic correspondent Alistair White-Swallow at the United Nations reports on diplomatic condemnation of the cold-blooded murder of a great spiritual leader

Diplomats at the United Nations in New York were so appalled by the Israeli murder of the great spiritual leader Sheik Yassin that they almost dropped their drinks on the carpet of the Delegate's Lounge. Fortunately, the seasoned professionals quickly regained their composure, finished their doubles, and adjourned to the Security Council chamber to express their shock and outrage.

The Israeli refusal to end the occupation required Sheik Yassin to order a religious ceremony at this Jerusalem pizza parlor

Western diplomats expressed fears that the assassination of the revered leader of the Hamas religious movement would represent a fatal blow to the peace process. "Sheik Yassin was a gentle, peaceful man," said the UK representative, Lady Hillary Rugg-Chomper, QC (All Souls). "I don't know what Sharon thinks he can accomplish by killing Sheik Yassin." She claimed that the sheik should be considered one of the most moderate of the terrorist leaders committed to the destruction of the State of Israel. "He assured me that they would not kill any Jews as long as they returned the land they usurped and left the country. This represented a real breakthrough."

Arab diplomats were less measured in their condemnation. The Syrian Ambassador, Qil al-Jews, told the Security Council: "This cowardly assault will be answered by the blood of 10,000 Jewish children."

In response, the French Ambassador urged the Israelis to enter into a dialogue with Syria to find common ground. Finally, the representative of the Bloque Africaine, a group of 55 African states, issued a statement accusing Israel of "racism" in killing Sheik Yassin. "Israel is the Jewish homeland. This is inherently racist," said Ambassador Bonin D. Hoze of Rwanda, contrasting the conflict to his country's alternating but non-racist slaughter of Hutus and Tutsis.

ARE YOU SURE THEY'RE NOT CONFUSING HIM WITH THE GUY WHO USED TO RUN THE ADAMS HOUSE GRILL?


I've known Jean-Bertrand Aristide since 1986, though we're not on speaking terms right now. In Haiti in the old days, his enemies pointed trembling fingers at me, accusing me of being responsible for his rise to power. Now his supporters are also pointing, accusing me of being responsible for his downfall. But they're wrong on both counts.

 – Amy Wilentz '76, the author of "The Rainy Season: Haiti Since Duvalier" and the novel "Martyr's Crossing," and translator of a book of Aristide's speeches and writing,"In the Parish of the Poor: Writings" in the Los Angeles Times via latimes.com, March 7, 2004.