Last words of Jar Allah Omar, minutes before assassinated in 2002

Last words of Jar Allah Omar, minutes before assassinated in 2002

By Nasser Arrabyee,30/12/2012

In the early morning of December 28th, 2002, Jar Allah Omar was wearing his best clothes and telling his his wife to spray more and more perfume on him because he felt it would be very special day.

 He was very excited because a few hours later, he will be speaking to about 10,000 people about tolerance, coexistence, love, peace and respecting others whoever they are. After long time of hatred, malice, and hostilities.

He was a communist and socialist guest in a big gathering of Islamists. 

Mr Omar the architect and main maker  of what is called the common ground  between all political opponents especially between Islamists and Socialists. 

He convinced a lot of people in his party, as a secretary general of the Socialist Party, and a lot of Islamist leaders that Islamists and Socialists can be good allies not enemies. This is why he told his wife that morning it would be a special day.

On that day, I saw him in the May 22 Hall in the northern part of Sanaa,  arriving the first of the leading politicians . He was good looking, smiling, greeting and gesturing and waving to every one. 

He was  a real star because of his controversial history with  politicians that tolerance and coexistence and love and peace can always be achieved as long as rivals sit and talk and listen to each other. 

When I was taking a picture of him that morning, like tens of other journalists, no one  of us was imagining that Jar Allah Omar would be killed cold-bloodedly in that big hall just minutes later. One of the extremist Islamist was waiting for him to finish his  speech with a pistol to kill him as " Kafir"!

Every one in the hall was applauding and cheering enthusiastically when Jar Allah Omar was speaking. What I still remember, and will never ever forget, was him reciting Quranic verses which means what does not benefit people will vanish and die, and what benefits people will remain for ever.

Or with more literal translation (Then, as for the foam it passes away, as scum upon the banks, while that which is for the good of the mankind remains in the earth).

Jar Allah Omar was believing that by dialogue,  opponents and enemies will always find the things that benefit them all and make them stop fighting each other.  The good should be the common thing not only between political opponents in this or that party , in this or that nation, but also between all human beings. 

Jar Allah Omar finishes  his rhetorical speech, but strong applause and cheers of audience  continue.

He was raising his hands to greet and thank every one for their good feelings while he was walking out among the crowds. He walked besides me and I  looked after him to see where he was going. Less than three meters away from me, Jar Allah Omar stopped for seconds and then I heard firing, three bullets, then I saw Jar Allah Omar fell down. 

An extremist killed him.  This extremist must have been saying to himself I am in the good for the people, and you are not and  you (Omar) must be killed.

The extremist asked Jar Allah Omar quickly : Do you believe in Islam and Shariah? And he himself ( extremist) answered: No, no , no, and shot him down before crowds started to jump for beating him with their shoes until he went unconscious.

The conference turned to hurly-burley and Jar Allah Omar was taken to the hospital where he died. The killer was taken to the house of the tribal leader Abdullah Bin Hussein Al Ahmar, head of Islamist party, Islah, that was holding its general congress. The killer Ali Jar Allah ( no relation between the two) confessed he killed him because he  was ordered by Allah to kill Kafirs. The killer revealed a list of politicians and writers who were to be killed by him as Kafirs.  He was put on trial and convicted and executed. 

On the tenth anniversary of assassination of the soft-spoken and charismatic politician Jar Allah Omar, we should think deeply how bad is the extremism and terrorism. The extremist and terrorist who killed Jar Allah Omar pretended to have the absolute truth, and all others are wrong.