A true martyr for freedom

The Seattle Times:

Days before the election, when I asked Mithal al-Alusi about the dangers to his family, Gamal answered instead, 'It is true that we are in danger, but if this is the price for democracy and peace, it is a very low price.' Only days after the election, Gamal and his family paid that price, and it was not 'low.' While traveling by car in Baghdad, their vehicle was ambushed by terrorist gunmen. Mithal al-Alusi survived the attack, but Gamal died along with his older brother Ayman and a bodyguard, all from gunshot wounds. He was only 22. Radical Islamists often depict suicide bombers as 'martyrs' while their sympathizers in the West dignify terrorists in Iraq as 'freedom fighters.' Even the mainstream media oblige them as 'insurgents.' But real martyrs do not kill, maim and destroy. Martyrs heal what is broken. They give voice to those who are oppressed. They build what is shattered. They attempt to convince through reason while others deal in hatred and violence. And, yes, martyrs die at the hands of those who despise all these things. ... Today, as they mourn the deaths of their sons, Mithal al-Alusi and what is left of his family continue their work to transform Iraq into a nation of laws. Terrorists persist on attacking, but Mithal and his family remain resolute. In an interview with Radio Free Iraq, he said, "My children, three people — one of my bodyguards and two of my children — died as heroes, no differently from other people who find their heroic deaths. But we will not, by God, hand Iraq over to murderers and terrorists."

Amazing.