Arab mothers: 'We just want to live peacefully and raise our kids safely'

• Author: MAARIV ONLINE
• Published date: 03 October 2021
• Publication title: Jerusalem Post, The: Web Edition Articles (Israel)

"I don't know who might shoot me when I go out into the street, but I'm not scared and I don't care," said Muna um-Halil, a member of the "Mothers for Life" forum, whose 28-year-old son Halil was murdered in 2020. "My soul was taken, and from that moment, I have no more fear. Every woman here has lost a son or daughter, and the murderers walk free. What do we have to lose? We will fight until there's law and order also in the Arab sector."

Muna was meters away from the scene where her son was murdered. He had gone to a nearby house to help settle a family feud. When he didn't answer the phone, Muna understood that something terrible had happened.

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"Halil loved horses, worked in a wholesale market in Haifa, and was a family man who stayed out of trouble," she said.

"On the night of the murder, I asked him not to go. I grabbed his shirt, and he said, 'don't be scared.' He wanted to go help with the argument and talk to them. I looked out the window and saw everyone except him. I realized something had happened. Halil didn't like problems, never touched drugs, was polite, and worked and provided for his family. He spoke to the fighting family members a few times, tried to mediate between them, and asked them not to be violent or swear."

Regarding the identity of the murderers, Muna said that the police know who they are, but they say there is no proof, so they walked free.

After the murder of her son, she initiated a march under the name of "Women Against Violence", which included Arab and Jewish women who marched from Haifa to the president's house in Jerusalem.

In the last few days, following 100 murders in the Arab sector in 2021, including women and children, the protest has been raised a level. Last week, the forum's women met with Public Security Minister Omer Bar-Lev, while protesting outside his house for the past four weeks.

"Every day, someone gets married in the Arab streets," said Muna. "Why? Where are the police? If it was a Jewish kid, would the police give up? Why doesn't my son get justice? They're making a joke of us. If we were Jews, the violence wouldn't be at these dimensions. Why aren't they searching for and seizing the weapons? Why do they let these kids kill each other? We marched from Haifa to Jerusalem and called out that we want to live safely. I was born in Haifa, I live here, and I'm Israeli and...