Per his wishes, slain U.S. citizen and Army soldier Hatim Kathiria was laid to rest in his home town of Dahod in the state of Gujarat. The BBC reports:
Thousands of mourners have attended the funeral in India’s Gujarat state of an Indian-born US soldier killed in Iraq.Hatim Kathiria, a 23-year-old Muslim, who died in a rocket attack in Baghdad on 22 August, was buried in his home town of Dahod.
I hate to sound cynical on such an occasion but this is the first time I’ve seen such a large public Muslim funeral reported in the media that was not for a “martyr” or an innocent victim of collateral damage. I know this is because such “regular” stories are not as sensational and so the media is uninterested, but it’s good to see an actual soldier being honored for giving his life in battle.
His mother, Shirin, said: “He was my only son. His ambitions took him to the US and then to Iraq. We lost him, but he died a martyr’s death.”
Damn, maybe I spoke too soon. It sucks that the word martyr has been co-opted by terrorists to the point where it’s hard to distinguish a true martyr (and I’m not sure if I know what qualifies a true martyr).
Of course there was also some drama that took place at the funeral. Kathiria’s parents apparently didn’t know he was married. Probably because the girl wasn’t Indian:
The crowd fell over each other to catch a glimpse of his Anglo Indian widow Lisse Jean Pierre, who reached Dahod along with the body.Amid rumours that Kathiria’s family was unaware about the marriage, which took place earlier this year, a jeans and T-shirt clad Ms Lisse – also a US army specialist – met her in-laws. However, sources said the women of the Bohra community were not allowed to talk to her. She was also kept away from the media, which was present in large number to cover the incident.
So tight was the security around the Hussaini Mosque, where the last rituals took place that not even his close relatives were allowed inside. “Normally, Bohra community is better known for its trading prowess but we are proud of Hatim as he joined the US Army and laid down his life for a cause,” Kathiria’s cousin Abuzar Mirchiwala said.
Sigh. Some things never change.
Honor is bestowed by the side the soldier/insurgent was fighting for…I think that is pretty obvious. Honor is not a entity independant of the politics that start wars. One side’s hero is the other side’s war criminal.
Exactly. This argument isn’t about whether Hatim died with honor or not. That’s like arguing how many angels fit on the head of a pin. The main issue seems to be whether his situation was similar to that of a mercenary’s or not. That is a provocative question that deserves good debate. Let’s not assume that Al Mujahid is “dishonoring” this soldier. He is simply examining one aspect of his death. The reactionary pile-on seems unnecessary.
Hatim Kathira deserves respect and moment of silence. He is a honorable man. He leaves a wife, and parents who depended on him.
You know what will happen, a month from now, one of his friends or family or his widow will google “Hatim Kathira” and will find all this mess. It will hurt them much more – coming from their own people.
All this academic discussion is OK, but not on this thread. I think threads like this should be only for signing condolenses.
For discussions on war, role of immigrants in war should more on the posts which are not about somebody’s funeral.
AM: In post 39 u said –
I respect and honor all the kids who joined the military after 9-11 to defend this nation, I and I will mourn their deaths in Iraq.
I also honor the deaths of all American GIs who believed that America was under attack by Iraq and went to Iraq to protect America.
….
However I am not going to turn them or Hatim into martyrs ( for which he died, the great cause of expediting his citizenship application notwithstanding)
////////////////////////////////////////
I think you made yourself very clear.
According to you neither Alexander Hamilton or Henry Kissinger or the countless others throughout America’s history who joined the military not as citizens are not worthy of honor.
You are entitled to your opinion, however indefensible it may be; but in a debate stick to arguments not imagined “issues”.
For discussions on war, role of immigrants in war should more on the posts which are not about somebody’s funeral.
I agree and I am going to stop commenting on this thread now.
Aten, We can continue this discussion on email as you continue to make even more inane points.
I was there when SPC Kathira was killed by the rocket. I was not more than a few feet away from him when the rocket impacted. The mere suggestion that he was a mercenary is ridiculous. We have soldiers from many different nationalities in our service. SPC Kathira was one of the more outstanding immigrants in service. Instead of continuing his education in the US, his reason for immigrating, he chose to serve his new country. He did not ask to go to Iraq, none of us did. He was sent here by his country and did his duty up until the end. He had a drive for personal advancement. That is nothing to be ashamed of. To not have a personal goal or ambition is something to be ashamed of. Yes immigrants who join a military service do get their citizenship a little faster than most, however, it is the least this country can do for these folks who willingly sign up to serve and end up fighting for their new home. You all need to keep in mind you know nothing about what is going on here and do not understand any of it until you can find the courage to suit up and come see it all first hand. SPC Hatim Kathira embodies every personification of a hero and should be regarded as such. He should not be subject to the debates of government policy when he is not here to even speak for himself. I will always remeber him for who he was, a patriot and a hero. Something of which most of you all are not.
It has been almost 2 years since the lost of a great soldier and a good friend. I loved to see Kathiria and his wife coming, they bought smiles to everyone’s faces, even though no one knew they were married. But to those who know nothing about the military, the reason no one knew they were married was because they were in the same unit and section. If you are married and work together, you will be seperated so that personal conflicts will not occur. Kathiria and JP… I miss you!
Always on my mind!
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