Author: Aviel Magnezi
Publication: Ynetnews.com
Date: May 6, 2010
URL: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3898109,00.html
Before boarding the Marmara, Ali Khaider Benginin
told his family he dreamt of becoming a shahid. Turkish press reports two
other slain flotilla participants expressed similar wish. A Dutch activist
arrested on flotilla suspected of ties with Hamas, Muslim Brotherhood
The Gaza flotilla organizers insist that all
activists killed on board the Marmara ship were innocent peace activists.
However, new reports reveal a completely different picture.
Media reports in Ankara on Wednesday revealed
that three out of the four Turkish citizens that were killed during the raid
declared their wishes to become shahids (martyrs). Another Dutch report claimed
a Dutch activist, who was arrested by the IDF is suspected of being a senior
Hamas operative.
In an interview with Turkish newspaper Haber,
the family members of Ali Khaider Benginin (39), resident of east Turkey's
Kurdistan region, revealed their relative's true intentions.
"I am going to be a shahid; I dreamt
I will become a shahid - I saw in a dream that I will be killed," Benginin
told his family before leaving for the sail.
According to the report, beniginin, who graduated
from al-Azhar University in Cairo, served for the past two years as the chairman
of a foundation for rights and freedom in education and culture. His family
noted that he had spoken in the past about his dream to become a shahid in
Gaza.
Another Turkish citizen killed during the
raid, Ali Akhbar Iritilmis (55), a father of four from Ankara, was active
in the IHH organization, which led the naval convoy to Gaza. "He was
devoted to this activity, and always dreamt about becoming a shahid,"
said his close friend Mehmet Faruq Cheber.
Anadolu News Agency reported that the third
activist killed on boards the Marmara, Ibrahim Bilgen (61), an engineer and
father of six, was active in the Islamic party in southern Turkey. "He
was a role model to all of us; a true philanthropist. Therefore, it suited
him to die a shahid's death. Allah gave him the death he wanted," said
Ibrahim's brother, Nuri Mergen.
The fourth slain activist, Muharram Kuchak,
was also a volunteer with the IHH.
The three Turkish "shahids," as
it turns out, were not alone. Holland-based Teltarif newspaper reported Wednesday
morning that Amin Abou Rashed, 43, and Anne de Jong, 29, are probably the
only two Dutch citizens that were arrested among the flotilla participants.
The newspaper's investigation revealed incriminating
details from Abou Rashed's past; intelligence sources claimed he is the local
Hamas leader, while the Muslim Brotherhood's website identified him as one
of the organizers of the naval convoy.
According to Teltarif's report, Dutch intelligence
services have been following Abou Rashed's activities for a long time. He
worked, among other places, with al- Aqsa Foundation, suspected of acting
under the guise of a charity, while funneling its donations to Hamas.