'Just World News' with Helena Cobban

Khomeini of Palestine

In this BBC report, I saw some quotes used from a former member of the Al-Aqsa brigades whose given name was "Khomeini." Not surprisingly the young man's age was given as 29.

It takes me back to when I was working in Beirut in '78. So many of the Palestinians there were euphoric about the downfall of the (strongly pro-Israeli) Shah. Yasser Arafat incorporated the theme of "Today, Tehran; tomorrow Jerusalem!" into all his rhetoric... Small surprise that this young man's parents-- like, I'm guessing, many others in the Muslim world-- gave their son the name of Khomeini that year.

1978 was also the year of the Camp David agreements. I remember that one mother in heavily Shiite South Lebanon gave birth to triplets, and the family were so optimistic about the prospects of regionwide peace after the accords were signed that they named the babies "Carter", "Begin", and "Sadat."

H'mmm. I wonder whether those guys are still walking around with the monickers they were given that year?

(I find it significant that Khomeini Abu Amera, 29, of Jenin never judged it necessary to change his name even during the extremely bloody eight-year war between Iran and Iraq.)