Week 4: Fuad Qasim Al Razim - Palestinian political prisoner

Fuad Al Razim is the doyen of the Palestinian prisoners who hail from Jerusalem. He is a strong man who withstands torture and remains faithful to the Noble Sanctuary of Al-Aqsa, where he was raised. He was imprisoned on 30th January 1981 for carrying out two military operations which resulted in the deaths of two Israeli soldiers in occupied Jerusalem.Fuad has never given up hope and has never confessed, despite the unspeakable torture he has faced at the hands of his Israeli interrogators. As a man who loves his religion and his homeland, Fuad was always going to be a prime target for detention. His identity gave him self-respect and he has upheld his principles, even in prison. Moreover, he longs for freedom, despite the loss of his loved ones.

Born in 1957, in the Jerusalem district of Sloan, Fuad Qasim Arafat Al Razim became one of the city’s great heroes. In his childhood and teen years, he spent a lot of time in the nooks and crannies of Al-Aqsa Mosque, growing very attached to the Holy City of Jerusalem and the Noble Sanctuary. Having developed a strong sense of justice, he couldn’t keep quiet when he witnessed injustice in his home city. The Israeli massacre of Palestinians in Tel Al-Za’atar massacre played a major role in the formation of his ideas; he was a student at that time and took part in student protests and action.He became very active in national activities and while at Al Ummah School he played a major role in organising student activities, including protest marches. Morally and religiously he was committed; he was memorising the Holy Qur’an at this time. When he finished high school with an overall average of 87%, he joined the Faculty of Dawa and Fundamentals of Religion at the Beit Hanina campus of the University of Jerusalem. At the same time, he worked as an imam at a local mosque.