See the victory

The wonder of Sanwar's story is not only that his death created a lasting image. The surprise is that the enemy, with his own hand, brought that image to the world.

Guest note, Koresh Aliani, cultural activist: sometimes victory takes on a different meaning at the exact moment the powerful killer announces it. He thinks that by killing a human, he has clarified the task of the story. But death is the end of the life of the human body, not necessarily the end of human influence. Sometimes the killer creates the last scene and others determine its meaning. He can turn on the camera, choose the scene, and show the image to everyone, but he cannot command the eyes and memory of the audience. This small distance sometimes separates the result of a great victory over a human body from the expectation of the killer.

Yahya Sanvar was alone in the last picture of his life; Wounded, sitting on a sofa in a ruined building, in front of a drone that he watched from the window, scared and hopeful. He did not have a weapon with which to change the fate of the battle. He threw a piece of wood at the drone. Moments later, the Israeli army killed him. Militarily, it was over. All the material means of power were at the disposal of the enemy who surrounded him.

But the main thing happened after death. The Israeli army itself published the pictures. He wanted to show that the man who had been following him for years had finally died wounded and alone. The propaganda machine relied on the assumption that loneliness, injury and disability have the same meaning in the eyes of the viewer as they do in the eyes of the publisher. This assumption was a big mistake. They did not consider that the audience may consider the same signs of physical weakness as signs of firmness of will. For such a spectator, the value of the last move comes precisely from its military fruitlessness.

Instead of helplessness, many saw stability. In throwing that stick, not military power, they recognized the refusal to surrender. The device that came to register the failure made a document that became a sign of pride for these spectators. Israel was able to kill a man; But he could not grasp the meaning of his last move.

I remember the prophet Yahya. In the Gospel narrative, Herod ordered Yahya's head to be cut off and put on a plate; A clear sign of the power of someone who could order the killing of a divine prophet. That severed head was displayed in the parliament of power, but in the people's memory, it was the sign of righteousness, not the glory of the killer. This comparison enables us to see; Fate shows the show that the killer made to secure victory.

Verse 160 of Al-Imran says "If Allah helps you, then He will be victorious over you." And verse 26 says, "He exalts whomever He wills and humiliates whomever He wills." These two verses show us that victory and honor are two things. Victory can be won with fire and bullets; Dignity cannot be confiscated with the same tools.

The wonder of Sanwar's story is not only that his death created a lasting image. The surprise is that the enemy, with his own hand, brought that image to the world. He wanted to publish a document of humiliation and left a picture of Yahya Sanwar's dignity. It had the power to kill, but the power to impose did not mean to be killed; God gave honor to Yahya Shahid.