Socrates, a famous Greek philosopher, published his beliefs and inspired the youth of Greece with his ideas about the motivating factors that affect human happiness. The beliefs that Socrates held later led to his induction into martyrdom. Bethlehem, a city known to be the birthplace of Jesus Christ and a Palestinian town, is an essential factor within the war between Israel and Palestine as it is a scared place to religious peoples such as Christians and Muslims. Since Bethlehem is an important location to many religions, there is a large amount of religious diversity in the city, but a life in the city comes with a lot of violence. In the novel The Collaborator of Bethlehem by Matt Beynon Rees, different opinions of martyrdom are represented
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The main character, Omar Yussef, does not like the idea of martyrdom, even though he belongs to the Muslim religion. After Yunis became a suicide bomber, Omar Yussef became more displeased with the idea of martyrdom when the narrator states, “To kill oneself in one of these bombings was always unfathomable to Omar Yussef […]” (Rees 191). Omar Yussef thinks this way because he is a strong believer in leaving behind a legacy that will help improve the world. He does not see how becoming a suicide bomber is helping anything because it only creates more violence. When Omar Yussef watched his student and good friend killed in the street, he became livid over the idea that the violent gunman and head of the Martyrs Brigade, Hussein Tamari, could be considered a martyr and mumbled, “Hussein Tamari was a murderer and a gangster. He was no martyr. Omar Yussef pointed at George’s body. ‘There is your martyr.’ He said ‘There. There is your martyr” (Rees 226). He is under the strong impression that George had become a martyr instead because he was killed for being a Christian in a town where they are the minority. George was an innocent man framed for being a collaborator because someone had to be blamed. George being killed as an innocent man for his beliefs are what make him a martyr in Omar’s …show more content…
Omar’s idea of George becoming a martyr at the end of the novel is similar to the way Christians view it. To Christians in the novel, martyrdom is achieved by dying for what you believe in. Jesus Christ, the Christian savior, is a very good example of this because he died on the cross for his beliefs. In The Collabrator of Bethlehem George Saba becomes the example of a true martyr in the novel, even though he never wanted to be in a situation where he would become one. When Omar visited George in prison George exclaimed, “I have no desire to join the ranks of the martyrs, and of course as a collaborator I won’t get such a title. There will be no paradise for me” (Rees 93). This is an important quote in the book by George because the idea of martyrdom is not as important or common for Christians as it is for Muslims. George has no desire to become a martyr because he does not believe he should be, and believes no one will see him as one anyway because he has acquired the reputation as a collaborator. In a conversation with Omar Yussef, Marwan Natsha, George’s accountant, explains why there is no use in trying to prove George’s innocence, “Someone has to be guilty. There is a collaborator. […] But I’m sure they’d tell you if the results of an investigation led them to the most dangerous man in town, Hussein Tamari, they’d let
The main character, Omar Yussef, does not like the idea of martyrdom, even though he belongs to the Muslim religion. After Yunis became a suicide bomber, Omar Yussef became more displeased with the idea of martyrdom when the narrator states, “To kill oneself in one of these bombings was always unfathomable to Omar Yussef […]” (Rees 191). Omar Yussef thinks this way because he is a strong believer in leaving behind a legacy that will help improve the world. He does not see how becoming a suicide bomber is helping anything because it only creates more violence. When Omar Yussef watched his student and good friend killed in the street, he became livid over the idea that the violent gunman and head of the Martyrs Brigade, Hussein Tamari, could be considered a martyr and mumbled, “Hussein Tamari was a murderer and a gangster. He was no martyr. Omar Yussef pointed at George’s body. ‘There is your martyr.’ He said ‘There. There is your martyr” (Rees 226). He is under the strong impression that George had become a martyr instead because he was killed for being a Christian in a town where they are the minority. George was an innocent man framed for being a collaborator because someone had to be blamed. George being killed as an innocent man for his beliefs are what make him a martyr in Omar’s …show more content…
Omar’s idea of George becoming a martyr at the end of the novel is similar to the way Christians view it. To Christians in the novel, martyrdom is achieved by dying for what you believe in. Jesus Christ, the Christian savior, is a very good example of this because he died on the cross for his beliefs. In The Collabrator of Bethlehem George Saba becomes the example of a true martyr in the novel, even though he never wanted to be in a situation where he would become one. When Omar visited George in prison George exclaimed, “I have no desire to join the ranks of the martyrs, and of course as a collaborator I won’t get such a title. There will be no paradise for me” (Rees 93). This is an important quote in the book by George because the idea of martyrdom is not as important or common for Christians as it is for Muslims. George has no desire to become a martyr because he does not believe he should be, and believes no one will see him as one anyway because he has acquired the reputation as a collaborator. In a conversation with Omar Yussef, Marwan Natsha, George’s accountant, explains why there is no use in trying to prove George’s innocence, “Someone has to be guilty. There is a collaborator. […] But I’m sure they’d tell you if the results of an investigation led them to the most dangerous man in town, Hussein Tamari, they’d let