"Courage to Refuse - Combatant Letter 2002"


From here. Please read this.


" • We, reserve combat officers and soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces, who were raised upon the principles of Zionism, sacrifice and giving to the people of Israel and to the State of Israel, who have always served in the front lines, and who were the first to carry out any mission, light or heavy, in order to protect the State of Israel and strengthen it.
• We, combat officers and soldiers who have served the State of Israel for long weeks every year, in spite of the dear cost to our personal lives, have been on reserve duty all over the Occupied Territories, and were issued commands and directives that had nothing to do with the security of our country, and that had the sole purpose of perpetuating our control over the Palestinian people. We, whose eyes have seen the bloody toll this Occupation exacts from both sides.
• We, who sensed how the commands issued to us in the Territories, destroy all the values we had absorbed while growing up in this country.
• We, who understand now that the price of Occupation is the loss of IDF’s human character and the corruption of the entire Israeli society.
• We, who know that the Territories are not Israel, and that all settlements are bound to be evacuated in the end.
• We hereby declare that we shall not continue to fight this War of the Settlements.
• We shall not continue to fight beyond the 1967 borders in order to dominate, expel, starve and humiliate an entire people.
• We hereby declare that we shall continue serving in the Israel Defense Forces in any mission that serves Israel’s defense.
• The missions of occupation and oppression do not serve this purpose – and we shall take no part in them."


Yis'ga'dal v'yis'kadash sh'may ra'bbo, b'olmo dee'vro chir'usay v'yamlich malchu'say, b'chayaychon uv'yomay'chon uv'chayay d'chol bais Yisroel, ba'agolo u'viz'man koriv; v'imru Omein.
Y'hay shmay rabbo m'vorach l'olam ul'olmay olmayo.
Yisborach v'yishtabach v'yispoar v'yisromam v'yismasay, v'yishador v'yis'aleh v'yisalal, shmay d'kudsho, brich hu, l'aylo min kl birchoso v'sheeroso, tush'bechoso v'nechemoso, da,ameeran b'olmo; vimru Omein.
Y'hay shlomo rabbo min sh'mayo, v'chayim alaynu v'al kol Yisroel; v'imru Omein.
Oseh sholom bimromov, hu ya'aseh sholom olaynu, v'al kol yisroel; vimru Omein.


The funeral prayer has a number of conditions and pillars. These must be strictly fulfilled. As regarding those who do not know how to perform a funeral prayer, I briefly state the following: First, Every one performing funeral prayer should maintain ablution, as is the case when performing any other prayer; Second, Every one should say four times Allahu Akbar. After the first one he should recite the Opening chapter of the Quran. After the second "Takbir" he should recite the second half of Ibrahim’s prayer (performed towards the end of each prayer). After the third Takbir he should pray for the dead one as well as for Muslims the following supplication or what is similar to it. According to Muslim Abu Abdul Rahman ibn ‘Awf ibn Malek (R ) quoted part of a prayer the Messenger of Allah p.b.u.h. At a funeral, Ibn ‘Awf memorizes the following: O Allah, forgive him and have mercy on him. Relief him of all evils and pardon him. Honour his status and widen the entrance of Paradise for his entry. Wash him with water and ice. Hail him and purify him of sins as you purify a white garment of filth. Grant him an abode better than his abode, a family better than his family, and a spouse better than his spouse. Let him enter paradise and protect him from the torment of the grave and the punishment of Hell. "Hearing this, I wished I had been that dead person", the reporter stated.

The worshipper then makes the fourth Takbir and prays the following supplication, which is one of the best supplications: O Allah, do not deprive us of his reward; Don’t exercise any trial on us after him, and forgive us and him. There are many traditions in this context. It is recommended, however, to make a lengthy prayer for the dead person, a prayer that seeks Allah forgiveness for the then dead person as well as for all other dead Muslims.



(You will, I hope, excuse any errors here, and take this as it is meant. I'm not religious myself, and these funery customs are not mine.)


Today's story idea:

#0: One day, there was peace.