Black Wednesday: Stories of Martyrs

FATEN

Faten’s mother wished she would see her daughter in a white wedding dress instead of a burial shroud as she entered her home, carried on the palms of her sisters and aunts in the absense of her father who has been abroad for nearly two years.

Her mother, Hana Halaby, describes the moments that preceded the terrorist bombing of the Radisson SAS with her eyes still not dry since that day: “I felt a burning in my chest at 9pm on the evening of Black Wednesday, so I tried to call her on her cell phone but she didn’t answer”.

For the first time Faten had broken her promise to call her mother as soon as she arrived at the hotel to attend her friend Nadia’s wedding, although the terrorist had already blown himself up and Faten would never be able to carry out her mother’s wishes as she died that night with 58 other martyrs of the terrorist attack.

Her mother continued to say: “her brothers and I used to fear for her a lot especially since her father’s departure abroad who sent back immigration papers for her lately, longing to see her. However Faten had lost the desire to go lately , as if she wanted to go somewhere else…a cherished and much kinder place”

The martyr Faten was in a haste the day of the wedding according to her mother, “as if something important was waiting for her”. She was practically running as if she were on a date with destiny to meet death. Her mother concluded by saying: “I was happy to see her so joyous and lively as she had been telling me for the last while that ‘I feel I will die before I ever get married'”
[Translated From Arabic]

AMMAR

The number of victims increased from the terrorist attacks on Amman wedensday the 9th, to 60 martyrs yesterday with the death of Ammar Joudah (19 years old) from severe wounds at the Hussein Medical City.

Ammar was working as a waiter a resteraunt at the Grand Hayyat Amman on the night of Black Wednesday…he was wounded by shrapnel that was lodged in his brain rendering him unconscious till he died.

…His mother began to scream when she learned he son had passed away, asking who would wake her in the morning to perform the fajr prayer, explaining it was in her son’s habit to kiss her hand when he came home from his hotel work shift at dawn.
[Translated & Paraphrased]

(I apologise for the quality of translation, its been awhile)

4 Comments

  • Great job on doing Faten’s story but Ammar’s narration and paraphrasing could use a little adjustments here and there. Over all, it is a very good bordering excellent job on Faten’s story.

  • hatem, lol thanks, the second story was a lot different from the first so i just wanted to post the “important” parts. ya3ni, for the english readers to enjoy.

  • Nas, thank you for sharing us this. You know, I really hope the damn terrorists who are planning such attacks will look whom they’ve killed!! Normal armless civilians living their every day life to earn a living, or to share someone dear their special day!

    The loss of these innocent peopl is really big!

    May Allah burn every single terrorist!

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