Hamas leader killed in air strike (Ba-Bye)

BBC ^ | 1/1/2009 | BBC

[tobyhill]

A senior Hamas leader has been killed by an Israeli air strike on his home in the Gaza Strip, Hamas officials say.

Nizar Rayyan has been a vocal critic of Israel, urging suicide attacks against the Jewish state.

[Cyber Ninja]

Happy New Year HamASS.

[BCrago66]

What was this guy doing home? Did he forget to turn on the news to find out there’s a war on?

[InABunkerUnderSF]

He's probably in a warmer place, among friends.

Pizza time!

[ScaniaBoy]

Nizar Rayyan considered successor of Ahmed Yassin

Sheikh Nizar Rayyan, a senior Hamas leader and cleric was killed along with several others on Thursday when an IAF aircraft dropped a bomb on his Jabalya home, the IDF said.

The now ex-mufti of Hamas.

[vladimir998]

“vocal critic of Israel, urging suicide attacks against the Jewish state.”

“Critics” do not urge suicide attacks. Madmen, terrorists, do.

[GBA]

"Nizar Rayyan has been a vocal critic of Israel, urging suicide attacks against the Jewish state."

You first. Any "leader" calling for suicide attacks should lead by example. Btw, welcome to hell, Nizar.

[Jabba the Nutt]

I was born in 1955, ten years after the end of WWII. Growing up and into my college years one topic of the intellegencia was 'how did it happen?'. How did an advanced, civilized country like Germany, allow itself to be taken over by a thug like Hitler, who then plunged the world into war, planned and carried out the holocaust. Indeed, just a few years ago, there was controversy over a book by Daniel Goldhagen, "Hitler's Willing Executioners" over exactly this issue.

Then I read lines like this one, put out by a 'respected', presumably, civilized and advanced news organization like the BBC: "Nizar Rayyan has been a vocal critic of Israel, urging suicide attacks against the Jewish state." So, urging mass murder in simply the most savage, barbaric, dark ages way, is just being a "vocal critic". What has happened to the moral sense of the so-called cultural elites? Do they just want to write more books about how the 'world' allowed the second holocaust to happen? And since Nizar Rayyan is (was) a leader in Hamas, he certainly did more than simply "urge suicide attacks", he most likely recruited, organized and carried out these attacks. To Reuters, it's just being a vocal critic.

Bin Laden was just being a critic of urban architecture on 9/11. These people are sick in their souls. Their morality is either missing or twisted.

[Bon mots]

Good analysis.
Great tagline.

[cake_crumb]

"Nizar Rayyan has been a vocal critic of Israel, urging suicide attacks against the Jewish state."

There's a HUGE difference between criticizing what you disagree with and encouraging wholesale slaughter.

[csvset]

Boom shocka locka
Boom shocka locka lock!

[PGalt]

Great analysis. Great thread. Thanks to all posters.

[Textide]

Either you misquoted the second line of the article, or it`s been changed by the BBC.

The line now reads...

Nizar Rayyan, the most senior Hamas figure to be killed since 2004, had urged suicide attacks against Israel.

[pointsal]

...why do the bad boys always have “senior” leaders? The phrase must be stuck in the media’s word processors.

[Pedrobud]

I agree !! What a happy story with which to start off the New Year !!

[stevem]

Nizar Rayyan has been a vocal critic of Israel, urging suicide attacks against the Jewish state.

I think this activity was suicidal.

[AlphaOneAlpha]

Let’s have more of the same.

[Chode]

i guess robbery must be a financial transaction and rape just a social engagement...

[Rammer]

Statement from Hamas:

“Today the Great Leader Nizar Rayyan became a martyr in the cause against Israel, the little Satan and America the Great Satan. With supreme bravery he singlehandedly destroyed one of the evildoer’s bombs with his home. May Allah be praised, death to America, death to Israel, etc. etc., blah blah blah.”

[Screaming_Gerbil]

I was born in 1955, ten years after the end of WWII. Growing up and into my college years one topic of the intellegencia was 'how did it happen?'. How did an advanced, civilized country like Germany, allow itself to be taken over by a thug like Hitler, who then plunged the world into war, planned and carried out the holocaust. Indeed, just a few years ago, there was controversy over a book by Daniel Goldhagen, "Hitler's Willing Executioners" over exactly this issue.

Then I read lines like this one, put out by a 'respected', presumably, civilized and advanced news organization like the BBC: "Nizar Rayyan has been a vocal critic of Israel, urging suicide attacks against the Jewish state." So, urging mass murder in simply the most savage, barbaric, dark ages way, is just being a "vocal critic". What has happened to the moral sense of the so-called cultural elites? Do they just want to write more books about how the 'world' allowed the second holocaust to happen? And since Nizar Rayyan is (was) a leader in Hamas, he certainly did more than simply "urge suicide attacks", he most likely recruited, organized and carried out these attacks. To Reuters, it's just being a vocal critic.

Bin Laden was just being a critic of urban architecture on 9/11. These people are sick in their souls. Their morality is either missing or twisted.

You make some good points.

I think it's Political Correctness - Or the fear of calling a terrorist a terrorist least at some time in the future they be targeted.