Sheikh Dawoud Abu Sir

by Dr. Abdul-Sattar Kassem

Zionist occupation prisons have brought me together with thousands of people since 1988, of various ages, backgrounds, and educational levels. When I look back and recall the slogans I used to hear from many prisoners, the hot patriotic phrases, the dazzling intentions aimed at liberating the homeland, I find that what I used to hear has evaporated, or been trampled underfoot by the very people who once spoke it. The overwhelming majority of them have shed their national skins, becoming part of an army of justifiers who maintain good relations with Israel, taking part in flooding the homeland with activities directed against it. How do people shed their skins so easily, turning away from their national principles and values? Certainly, had these people received proper education, had their national awareness been raised, they would never have sunk into agreements with the Zionists and committed to the actual implementation of these agreements’ provisions. Strangely, these people justify their actions by claiming they serve the homeland, saying that without dealing with the enemy, they could never send a sick patient to Israeli hospitals. For them, the Palestinian cause has shrunk down to a matter of social services. What a loss of the slogans and rousing speeches.

But the matter is not without a small few who have kept hold of the burning coal, nationally, morally, religiously, and socially. Sheikh Dawoud Abu Sir, from the city of Nablus, stands at the head of this small few. The occupation brought me together with Sheikh Dawoud in July 2014, in Megiddo Prison. I spent days with Sheikh Dawoud and others in a single room in the transit yard at Megiddo Prison. I noticed Sheikh Dawoud’s exceptional humanity, his remarkable capacity for gentleness, good character, and devotion. Sheikh Dawoud is perhaps fifty-five years old, but he moves with vitality, composure, and respect, in a manner that causes no disturbance and shows not the slightest arrogance. He is, God willing, in fine health. I noticed the following:

Sheikh Dawoud is a reader, and still considers the book a friend of his — not only religious books; he reads the Noble Qur’an and possesses broad jurisprudential knowledge. He is not merely someone who has memorized a meager amount — he is deeply learned, a scholar in what he says. The sheikh is extremely humble, serving those in the room with love and sincerity. He never treated his service to others as a favor, but as a duty of cooperation and working together. And while lending others a helping hand, he never grumbled or said, even in a whisper, that he bore more than his share compared to others — even though there were young men in the room who did not fall short in bearing the burden of the room’s work, in service to the elder.

Sheikh Dawoud led us in prayer on many occasions, and the prayer recited aloud carried a different flavor because of the sheikh’s beautiful voice, which reaches into the conscience and the heart. He had memorized the Noble Qur’an, and his performance in prayer was marked by the utmost devotion.

Sheikh Dawoud is gentle and of the highest character, easy to socialize with, easy to get along with. He carries no grudges, no rancor, not a speck of arrogance. He is a model of humility and of building good social relations with everyone.

The sheikh told me that his daughter — Asma, I believe — had sat for an exam at the Ministry of Justice for a job. She achieved a ranking that qualified her for the position, but everyone else who sat and passed the exam was hired except her — even though she is married and comes from the Bitar household. It seems someone grew suspicious of her name, and the Ministry called her, asking for her maiden name; she answered, and the line was cut, and the respectable young woman was never hired. Sheikh Dawoud shook me when he said his family later told him his own name had become a crisis for them. It is quite possible the young woman was denied the position because her father is accused of good character and affiliation with the Hamas movement. For this reason, I called the Minister of Justice, Mr. Salim al-Saqqa, and told him about the matter. The minister promised to look into it and inform me, and to this day I have heard nothing from him. But I will keep calling him, time and again. Had Sheikh Dawoud not possessed this national, religious, and social character, he and his children would never have found such difficulty in employment.

Source: Translated from the original Arabic, “الشيخ داود أبو سير” by Dr. Abdul-Sattar Kassem.