Mariam Farhat, “Mother of the Palestinian Martyrs,” who passed away on Sunday, March 17, received the “glorious” title of the "Palestinian al-Khansa” in tribute to the sixth-century poet Bint Amr from the pre-Islamic period. The original al-Khansa, who converted to Islam during the life of the Prophet Muhammad, lost her four sons at the Battle of Qadissiyyah, in which the Muslim armies defeated the Persians. According to tradition, she ordered her sons to go to battle, and when she was later informed that they had fallen, responded with the words, “Praise to the lord, who has honored me with their deaths.” 

Al-Khansa is considered the first “Mother of Martyrs.” She became a symbol in the narrative of Hamas, and almost certainly in that which Mariam Farhat, “the second Mother of Martyrs,” adopted for herself. Farhat, who was also called Umm Nidal, turned herself into a “terrorist factory.” She encouraged her sons to launch terrorist attacks against Israel, and like the ancient poet after whom she modeled her life, she expressed her gratitude at the news of their deaths. 

I have never heard another mother express joy that her son was killed.

Mariam Farhat first gained public exposure in March 2002, during the Second Intifada, when she appeared in a chilling video. In it, she was shown sending her son Muhammad to launch an attack against a Jewish settlement in Gush Katif, in the Gaza Strip. Knowing that the chances of him returning alive were slim, she kissed him and encouraged him to sacrifice his life. There is not the slightest hint of sadness in her face. All we can see is the smile of a woman imbued with the terrifying belief that death is a small price to pay on the path to achieving the ultimate goal. Armed with a rifle, grenades and the knowledge that he was fulfilling his mother’s mission, Muhammad infiltrated the settlement of Atzmona and killed five young students attending the military preparatory academy there before he was gunned down by the IDF.