The Making of A Martyr
Encyclopedia
The Making of a Martyr is a 2006 film
made by Canadian
director
s Brooke Goldstein and Alistair Leyland.
, was apprehended at an Israel
i border checkpoint
with live explosives strapped around his waist. Yet, he was noticed running towards the checkpoint and ordered to stop by Israeli soldiers. Instead of detonating the bomb Hussam surrendered and after the removal of his suicide belt, was sent for serving time in the juvenile ward of an Israeli prison for attempted murder. Since the start of the Palestinian Intifada in 2000, an alarming number of suicide bombers have been children aged under eighteen. To explore this troubling phenomenon, filmmakers Brooke Goldstein and Alistair Leyland risked their lives and traveled to the Palestinian towns of Jenin
, Ramallah
, Tulkarem and Nablus
, seeking out and meeting with leaders of terrorist organizations responsible for recruiting children for suicide attacks. The directors find themselves with unprecedented access to Hussam’s home in Nablus
, with his mother, father and sister; to the Israeli prison where he is held; to Zacharia Zubeidi, commander of the al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades
in Jenin
; to Palestinian Television headquarters in Ramallah; to the Islamic Jihad
Summer Academy in Tulkarem, and more. Their interviews are a window into the causes behind the recent phenomenon of child suicide bombers, and why Palestinian children are being recruited to violently kill themselves and others for the sake of Jihad
.
attorney Brooke Goldstein made this film with the intent of facilitating the enforcement of Palestinian children’s human rights, namely their right to life and to an education free of incitement to kill themselves. Director/Producer Alistair Leyland has been an advocate of providing exposure to human rights abuses for some time. Having spent time covering the "one child policy" in China
and its effects on infant girls, Leyland knew the story of a 16 year old Palestinian suicide bomber was both horrifying and complex.
Official selections include: Brooklyn International Film Festival (2007); Malibu International Film Festival (2007); Shoot-Me Film Festival (2007); Liberty Film Festival (2007); Whistler Film Festival (2006); Anchorage International Film Festival (2006); United Nations Documentary Film Exposition, London, England (2006); Shoot-Me Film Festival The Hague (2007).
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
made by Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
s Brooke Goldstein and Alistair Leyland.
Story
On March 25, 2004, Sixteen year old Hussam AbdoHussam Abdo
Hussam Abdo was a Palestinian teenager, from the Masahiya area of Nablus, who made international headlines on 24 March 2004, when he entered the Hawara Checkpoint in the West Bank, with eight kilos of explosives strapped to his body as part of a suicide attack attempt.-The incident:Abdo, then...
, was apprehended at an Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i border checkpoint
Border checkpoint
A border checkpoint is a place, generally between two countries, where travellers and/or goods are inspected. Authorization often is required to enter a country through its borders. Access-controlled borders often have a limited number of checkpoints where they can be crossed without legal...
with live explosives strapped around his waist. Yet, he was noticed running towards the checkpoint and ordered to stop by Israeli soldiers. Instead of detonating the bomb Hussam surrendered and after the removal of his suicide belt, was sent for serving time in the juvenile ward of an Israeli prison for attempted murder. Since the start of the Palestinian Intifada in 2000, an alarming number of suicide bombers have been children aged under eighteen. To explore this troubling phenomenon, filmmakers Brooke Goldstein and Alistair Leyland risked their lives and traveled to the Palestinian towns of Jenin
Jenin
Jenin is the largest town in the Northern West Bank, and the third largest city overall. It serves as the administrative center of the Jenin Governorate and is a major agricultural center for the surrounding towns. In 2007, the city had a population of 120,004 not including the adjacent refugee...
, Ramallah
Ramallah
Ramallah is a Palestinian city in the central West Bank located 10 kilometers north of Jerusalem, adjacent to al-Bireh. It currently serves as the de facto administrative capital of the Palestinian National Authority...
, Tulkarem and Nablus
Nablus
Nablus is a Palestinian city in the northern West Bank, approximately north of Jerusalem, with a population of 126,132. Located in a strategic position between Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim, it is the capital of the Nablus Governorate and a Palestinian commercial and cultural center.Founded by the...
, seeking out and meeting with leaders of terrorist organizations responsible for recruiting children for suicide attacks. The directors find themselves with unprecedented access to Hussam’s home in Nablus
Nablus
Nablus is a Palestinian city in the northern West Bank, approximately north of Jerusalem, with a population of 126,132. Located in a strategic position between Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim, it is the capital of the Nablus Governorate and a Palestinian commercial and cultural center.Founded by the...
, with his mother, father and sister; to the Israeli prison where he is held; to Zacharia Zubeidi, commander of the al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades
Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades
The al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades is a coalition of Palestinian nationalist militias in the West Bank. The group's name refers to the al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem...
in Jenin
Jenin
Jenin is the largest town in the Northern West Bank, and the third largest city overall. It serves as the administrative center of the Jenin Governorate and is a major agricultural center for the surrounding towns. In 2007, the city had a population of 120,004 not including the adjacent refugee...
; to Palestinian Television headquarters in Ramallah; to the Islamic Jihad
Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine
The Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine known in the West as simply Palestinian Islamic Jihad , is a small Palestinian militant organization. The group has been labelled as a terrorist group by the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Japan, Canada, Australia and Israel...
Summer Academy in Tulkarem, and more. Their interviews are a window into the causes behind the recent phenomenon of child suicide bombers, and why Palestinian children are being recruited to violently kill themselves and others for the sake of Jihad
Jihad
Jihad , an Islamic term, is a religious duty of Muslims. In Arabic, the word jihād translates as a noun meaning "struggle". Jihad appears 41 times in the Quran and frequently in the idiomatic expression "striving in the way of God ". A person engaged in jihad is called a mujahid; the plural is...
.
Purpose
First-time director and human rightsHuman rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
attorney Brooke Goldstein made this film with the intent of facilitating the enforcement of Palestinian children’s human rights, namely their right to life and to an education free of incitement to kill themselves. Director/Producer Alistair Leyland has been an advocate of providing exposure to human rights abuses for some time. Having spent time covering the "one child policy" in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
and its effects on infant girls, Leyland knew the story of a 16 year old Palestinian suicide bomber was both horrifying and complex.
Awards
In April 2006, The Second Annual United Nations Documentary Film Festival honored The Making of a Martyr with the Audience Choice Award for Best Film. Brooke Goldstein and Alistair Leyland were on-site to accept their first award for this troubling film.Official selections include: Brooklyn International Film Festival (2007); Malibu International Film Festival (2007); Shoot-Me Film Festival (2007); Liberty Film Festival (2007); Whistler Film Festival (2006); Anchorage International Film Festival (2006); United Nations Documentary Film Exposition, London, England (2006); Shoot-Me Film Festival The Hague (2007).
Online media - videos
- Making of a Martyr - Trailer Video.
- Making of a Martyr Bonus Features - Walid ShoebatWalid ShoebatWalid Shoebat is a Palestinian immigrant to the United States and campaigner for Christianity and Israel, against Islam. He was born to a Jordanian father and Caucasian American mother, and claims to have been a former PLO militant, although neither the PLO nor the Israeli government have any...
: Part 1, Part 2. - Making of a Martyr: Brooke Goldstein interview on 'Hannity's America' (hosted on youtube), Fox News, retrieved on: 20.1.2008.
- Making of a Martyr on 'CNN The Situation Room' (hosted on youtube), CNNCNNCable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
, retrieved on: 20.1.2008.