Collecting heads...

The Shiite holiday of Ashura, seems to be rooted in a Judeo-Islamic tradition, explained here. So it is hardly surprising that such a multicultural symbol would be celebrated by the Shiites in the proper manner of combining the two traditions in one fell swoop. And who should step up to this glorious task more superbly and charmingly than that icon of the anti-imperialist, anti-American, Indecent Left, Hezbollah leader Nassralah:

"We have the heads, the hands, the feet and even a nearly intact cadaver from the head down to the pelvis," he said.

"The Israeli army left behind the remains of the bodies of a large number of soldiers," said Nasrallah...

Turning to the Israeli public, the Hizbullah leader said, "Oh, Zionists your army is lying to you... Your army has left the body parts of your soldiers in our villages and fields.

"Our mujahideen used to fight these Zionists, killing them and collecting their body parts. I am not talking about regular body parts. I tell the Israelis, we have the heads of your soldiers, we have hands, we have legs." (Read more)

Via Solomonia

For a view of Hezbollah as the cat's whiskers of the Desperate Left, I suggest you visit this site.

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Sidebar:

The abomination of this ghoulish bravado is meant to jeer at Israeli soldiers'' "cowardice". However, Nassralah is not just a political leader. More than anything, he is a religious fanatic. As such, in his mind, he aims at expressing profound contempt for Jews qua Jews. He would know that in Judaism, the dead are buried within 24 hours of their death. And the integrity of the body is important. So he is, ostensibly driving a knife into a Jewish heart, by rhetorically swinging a severed head in his hand and sneering at some imaginary bereaved Jewish family: Hee, hee, hee, you thought you dear one was safe and buried in a Jewish grave, but no, here he is.

Israelis are more stumped by the sheer barbarity of the words than by any inclination to believe anything he says. And the fact that there are so many people in Lebanon who actually delight in such "revelation".

One commenter on "Engage" had it right on:

Imagine if this was scene in a Hollywood movie? Everyone would say that it was a vile and racist portrayal of Arabs.

In this connection, perhaps it is an opportunity to mention the work of a Jewish religious organization of volunteers, whose full name is ZAKA - Identification and Rescue - True Kindness (Hebrew: זק"א - איתור חילוץ והצלה - חסד של אמת).

Members of ZAKA, most of whom are Orthodox Jews, assist ambulance crews, aid in the identification of the victims of terrorism, road accidents and other disasters, and where necessary gather body parts and spilled blood for proper burial. They also provide first aid and rescue services, and help with the search for missing persons. ZAKA was involved in helping forensic teams in Thailand, Sri Lanka, India, and Indonesia in the aftermath of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, where they were nicknamed "the team that sleeps with the dead" because of their willingness to work around the clock.

The quiet efficiency and infinite dedication of this group of people, discharging a humane duty that few people would do ever for lots of money, is the context in which Nassralah's ghoulish braggadocio should be considered. There he is. And there they are. Compare and contrast.