DEARBORN —  On Sunday, April 20, about 100 members of the Arab American community commemorated the 18th anniversary of the first Qana Massacre and the 8th anniversary of the second one at the Islamic Center of America in Dearborn.

The event, which was organized by the Congress of Arab American Organizations and Qana Al-Jalil Committee, paid tribute to Hadi and Abdulmohsen Bitar, two local children who were killed in the 1996 shelling of the southern Lebanese town while visiting their grandmother.

Both massacres occurred during wars between the Israeli army and Hizbullah. 106 Lebanese civilians were killed in the first Qana massacre on April 18, 1996, after Israeli forces bombed a United Nations compound that was sheltering refugees. The second massacre killed 28 civilians, including 16 children, when the Israeli Air Force shelled a residential complex on July 30, 2006.

Haidar Bitar, the father of the late children, said Hadi and Abdulmohsen were typical kids who had dreams and liked to play. “In seconds, Israel turned the dreams of the children and the people into blood and destruction in 1996,” he added.

Osama Siblani, publisher of The Arab American News, urged the Arab American community to keep the memory of the Bitar brothers alive.

“If we ever forget that Abdulmohsen Bitar and Hadi Bitar were killed at the hands of those criminals, we would be giving them an excuse to kill more of our children,” he said.

Siblani said Qana is symbolic of the crimes committed against the people of Palestine, Syria, Iraq and Lebanon. 

“When we remember Qana, we do not remember only the people who were killed there. As we remember the pictures of the rescuers pulling dead babies from the rubble in Qana, today we see on the internet criminals kill our brothers and sisters in Syria, and we see other criminals kill our brothers and sisters in Palestine,” he explained. “Thousands of massacres are committed against our people, and we cannot remain silent. We cannot stand idle.”

Siblani added that the best way to oppose the injustices in the Arab world is through local activism, not by breaking the law through providing aid to organizations that the U.S. government considers terrorist.

The Mufti of the Bint Jbail municipality Mahdi Al-Amin spoke about Qana’s biblical significance, where Jesus is said to have performed his first miracle by turning water to wine. 

“Qana has risen today like Christ, and it will not be subdued, and it will not be crucified again,” he said in a reference to Easter, which coincided with the ceremony. 

Al-Amin said Muslims, especially Shi’a, embody the American dream because of their desire for life.

“We refuse death. We refuse death for ourselves and those who love, especially in the Middle East. We refuse death, and we will try to prevent it by commemorating Qana,” added Al-Amin. “In days like these, we remember our humanity and dignity, which are not negotiable.”

Imam Hassan Qazwini, the spiritual leader of the Islamic Center of America, said the community must be united and “raise the voice” to prevent such tragedies in the future.

“I would like to emphasize that we should educate our kids about what happened in Qana,” Qazwini said. “The country that calls itself the only democracy in the Middle East has committed the most heinous crimes against innocent civilians. Not many people know this. We need to let our fellow Americans know that, and this requires strong media that we have.”

Community activist Sueheila Amen, who emceed the event, urged young Arab Americans to use social media to spread awareness about the atrocities committed by Israel. She also advised the youths to be ideal citizens in order to represent the community favorably. 

 “Be a role model for your faith, for your culture, for your community, and people will respond positively to you,” she said.