From the radical Islamic perspective, he was given a wonderful one-way pass to paradise where his 72 virgins awaited him. If Yassin is now in Sheikh Heaven, why isn’t Hamas thanking Prime Minister Sharon for his very generous efforts?
According to a leading Israeli cabinet official, “The hunting season has begun” (for targeting the leaders of Hamas and Islamic Jihad). The United States has proven conclusively that strong measures must be taken against terrorist leaders, inspirers and their associates. This is not a criminal problem and must be dealt with in a completely different manner.
When any nation attempts to fight terrorism with Geneva Convention principles and rules of war or law, it becomes a big bad joke. If someone fights dirty, you cannot simply say it does not matter and you will fight clean. In fact, it was Israel’s desperate search for ‘peace’ that encouraged Yassin to found the Hamas movement and become both its spiritual and directional leader. These two inextricably connected tasks, along with the fact that he was an amputee in a wheelchair, made the sheikh the ultimate in ‘terrorist chic.’
The fact that Sheikh Yassin was a religious man and returning from prayer has given many people, especially Europeans, an excuse for sympathy. All of a sudden, Europeans and leftists have become lovers of the religious. So what gives Israel the right to target “a religious leader?” Believe it or not, it is an integral part of the Ten Commandments.
Just check the Bible and it is clear as a bell in the Third Commandment. If it is not apparent, your translation is incorrect. If one looks at an English version, it most likely says, “Do not take G-d’s name in vain.” Most people think this means we should not add the words, “Oh G-d” to “I forgot to pick up the dry cleaning!”
This commandment has nothing to do with “saying” G-d’s name in vain. By going to the original Hebrew we can easily see that the commandment says “Lo tisah es shaim Adoshem l’shav.” The key word is “tisah,” which does not mean “to take” or “to say.” It means “do not carry G-d’s name in vain.”
Who carries G-d’s name in vain? Religious people, like Sheikh Yassin, who act despicably. Those are the people who carry God’s name around with them, because they are supposed to be G-d’s direct representatives. In reality, they are, of course, an embarrassment to G-d and to sincerely religious people. Amazingly, this commandment is the only one that adds the punishment that “G-d will not forgive anyone for this sin.”
And killing an evil person like Yassin is not ‘murder’ as specified in the Sixth Commandment. It is indeed a great good for all of humanity. So extra points go to the IDF soldiers who were in that Cobra helicopter.
The lessons that accrue from destroying Yassin, bin Laden and other terrorist leaders are great. It is actually healthy to show children that there is good and evil in the world, and that the good guys, like Israel and America, will rid the world of that evil, just like the good guys in the movies. It gives children a sense of security.
In order to preserve decency and democracy, it takes destroying the terrorist chieftains of the world and facing criticism from the amoral Europeans. France, Germany, Spain and some Scandinavian countries have learned all the wrong lessons from their World War II experiences. Unfortunately, these nations now believe that all killing is wrong. They’ve lost sight of the truth that killing murderous evildoers like Hitler or Yassin is a great moral good.