Saudi TV personality says Palestinian 'martyrs' don't deserve sympathy
Saudi TV personality says Palestinian 'martyrs' don't deserve sympathy
A Saudi psychiatrist who appears frequently on TV shows said the family of Palestinian child Mohammad al-Durrah, who was killed by Israeli soldiers while being filmed, did not deserve sympathy.
2 min read
The Saudi TV personality said family of Palestinian child Mohammad al-Durrah didn't deserve donations [AFP]
A Saudi psychiatrist who appears frequently on TV shows to offer views on issues du jour has said the family of Palestinian child Mohammad al-Durrah, who was killed by Israeli soldiers while being filmed, did not deserve sympathy.
Footage of the 12-year-old al-Durrah's death by Israeli fire in September 2000, during the Second Intifada, caused global outrage at the time, with many in the region and the world donating money to his family after he died in his father's arms.
But Dr. Tarek al-Habib, appearing on Kuwaiti ATV's talk show 'Al-Saif' (On the Sword's Edge), said the donations collected were undeserved, suggesting the family actually needed less money after the child's death as it had less mouths to feed.
"When Muhammad al-Durrah died my reaction was different....I was not emotional but reacted logically and I saw that they did not deserve all those donations as there were other poor families who were more in need".
"When the child died the family's expenses actually decreased...so why send all those donations to the Durrah family when there are other poor families with more family members deserving more of that charity?"
The Saudi TV shock shrink is no stranger to controversy.
In the wake of the mosque massacre in New Zealand, he appeared to defend the shooter as 'mentally disturbed' and called on Muslims not to rush to judgment.
In 2017, he made headlines when he suggested men should use women for their pleasure only.
Footage of the 12-year-old al-Durrah's death by Israeli fire in September 2000, during the Second Intifada, caused global outrage at the time, with many in the region and the world donating money to his family after he died in his father's arms.
But Dr. Tarek al-Habib, appearing on Kuwaiti ATV's talk show 'Al-Saif' (On the Sword's Edge), said the donations collected were undeserved, suggesting the family actually needed less money after the child's death as it had less mouths to feed.
"When Muhammad al-Durrah died my reaction was different....I was not emotional but reacted logically and I saw that they did not deserve all those donations as there were other poor families who were more in need".
"When the child died the family's expenses actually decreased...so why send all those donations to the Durrah family when there are other poor families with more family members deserving more of that charity?"
The Saudi TV shock shrink is no stranger to controversy.
In the wake of the mosque massacre in New Zealand, he appeared to defend the shooter as 'mentally disturbed' and called on Muslims not to rush to judgment.
In 2017, he made headlines when he suggested men should use women for their pleasure only.
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