Khomeini of Palestine

In this BBC report, I saw some quotes used from a former member of the Al-Aqsa brigades whose given name was “Khomeini.” Not surprisingly the young man’s age was given as 29.
It takes me back to when I was working in Beirut in ’78. So many of the Palestinians there were euphoric about the downfall of the (strongly pro-Israeli) Shah. Yasser Arafat incorporated the theme of “Today, Tehran; tomorrow Jerusalem!” into all his rhetoric… Small surprise that this young man’s parents– like, I’m guessing, many others in the Muslim world– gave their son the name of Khomeini that year.
1978 was also the year of the Camp David agreements. I remember that one mother in heavily Shiite South Lebanon gave birth to triplets, and the family were so optimistic about the prospects of regionwide peace after the accords were signed that they named the babies “Carter”, “Begin”, and “Sadat.”
H’mmm. I wonder whether those guys are still walking around with the monickers they were given that year?
(I find it significant that Khomeini Abu Amera, 29, of Jenin never judged it necessary to change his name even during the extremely bloody eight-year war between Iran and Iraq.)

2 thoughts on “Khomeini of Palestine”

  1. I agree, names are meaningful and more than just monickers. Lupus in fabula the Indian police Tuesday, Dec. 9, released the names and photos of the Pakistani terrorists that did the Mumbai crime. Please read and get the hang of their names fellows, cause if they are right you may meet them again in heaven, though in my book I expect them to belong in hell:
    Abu Umer, real name Nasir, from Faisalabad and Abu Akasha – real name Babar Imran, from Multan. Ismail Khan alias Abu Ismail from Dera Ismail Khan, and Mohammed Ajmal Amir Iman alias Abu Mujahid from Okara. Hafeez Arshad alias Bada Abdul Rehman from Multan, Javed alias Abu Ali from Okara, Shoaib alias Soheb from Sialkot and Nazeer alias Abu Umer from Faisalabad. Abdul Rehman alias Abdul Rehman Chhota from Multan and Fahadullah alias Abu Fahad from Okara, Nasir, Nazeer and Ismail Khan.
    Nice names, nice bunch…

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