Can we cheer for the death of terrorists?
The killing of several leading figures of Hamas and Hezbollah brings joy and jokes to the Middle East. We could rise above it - if it weren't for Angela Merkel.
Many people died again this week, mostly involuntarily, and only a fraction unnaturally. At least in peaceful countries like Germany. In war zones, this ratio is reversed: In Ukraine, for example, nearly 12,000 civilians have died since the war began, and tens of thousands of soldiers.
And then there are the in-between regions. There is no war there - until, for a fraction of a second, an explosion suddenly makes it a war: On Wednesday, a high-tech explosive device allegedly planted months ago exploded in a guest house in Tehran, just as Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was presumably plucking his nose hairs.
Reactions to this killing are, as one would expect in such a context, very different worldwide. One or two might be sad, Haniyeh has people who love him after all. His three sons and three grandchildren no longer have this problem, they were already killed in April this year.
Everyone else must now ask themselves the difficult question: Is it okay to be happy that this man was blown up? There is a simple, pacifist, seemingly rational, but wrong answer: Killing Haniyeh would accelerate the "spiral of violence" in the Middle East and, as one heard here and there, make negotiations with Hamas over the remaining Israeli hostages more difficult. Whether the latter is true is not uncontroversial, as Haniyeh was apparently against any deal. In this regard, his explosion could even have cleared the way for an agreement.
"Persian Kebab" - haha?
But pacifism doesn't deal with such questions. It is accessible to many people because it can always answer complex questions very easily: The last one to shoot, explode, or otherwise kill is always to blame. Because killing is known to be wrong. According to this logic, supporting Ukraine is also "warmongering", as is the "war eagerness" of the Bundeswehr or the stationing of medium-range missiles.
In pacifism, there are no causes, every connection is exactly one act long. There are no aggressors, no violence, surprisingly, there are also no other killings - except for the last, wrong one. The accusing gaze falls on the last smoking muzzle.
If you're not a pacifist, the question of legitimate death joy becomes more difficult. The bitter enemies of a blown-up person are usually happy, sometimes loudly and brightly, sometimes subtly. In the case of Haniyeh, for example, an actress from the series "Tehran" (Apple TV) about Mossad agents in Iran posted a selfie video where she smiles slightly and winks at the camera. Others post funny pictures, like the heads of Hamas leaders on shish kebabs - "Persian Kebab". Hm. Haha?
El Hotzo wasn't allowed to be happy
It's a well-known phenomenon. When the Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi crashed in a helicopter in May, his opponents couldn't stop laughing and danced on the streets, despite the state of mourning. And the greatest wave of jokes and mockery of modern times was probably produced by the also crashed Russian leader of the "Wagner" group, Yevgeny Prigoschin.
A German comedian couldn't rejoice in the death of fascists if that meant the future confessed one-day dictator, Donald Trump. Sebastian "El Hotzo" Hotz lost his job at the rbb for expressing his joy. After the attack on the former US president, he humorously posted "unfortunately missed by a narrow margin" and then added "I find it absolutely fantastic when fascists die."
The world debated El Hotzo afterwards. Even the usually freedom-loving billionaire and Trump fan, Elon Musk, weighed in, as if Olaf Scholz, not Musk, was the janitor of the once-great Twitter.
Angela Merkel's Surprising Joy
But social media isn't to blame, as it usually is. When the Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein was hanged on December 30, 2006, Shia Iraqis danced in the streets with joy. Western governments acknowledged his death but grumbled a bit about the death penalty.
Nor is the internet at fault: After the French Revolution, noble heads were skewered on pitchforks and paraded through cheering crowds. Even when the revolutionary Maximilien de Robespierre was guillotined, the mood was equally festive.
Germans could easily look down on such death celebrations. But we too have a dark chapter. When personally targeted, we can react differently: In 2011, when Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was shot in North Pakistan, then-Chancellor and evangelical Christian Angela Merkel said, "I am glad that it has succeeded in killing bin Laden."
Kebap Sausage with Extra Hot
Merkel's mood changed overnight, like her mild Pomeranian potato soup turning into a kebap sausage with extra hot. Germany fiercely debated her right to rejoice. If we take the "Bild" newspaper (including today's RTL politics chief Nikolaus Blome) as a benchmark, the pros and cons seemed balanced.
So, joy over deaths is a matter of perspective. It's bad until we're personally targeted by those being bombed or shot. The Hamas isn't usually our problem, we're just spectators. Maybe that's why we don't quite get Israeli jokes.
Let's see what Germans say if Vladimir Putin ever boards the wrong helicopter. Pro and con authors would likely be easy to find.
In light of the recent explosion in Tehran that allegedly took the life of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, some people have found humor in the situation, creating memes such as depicting Hamas leaders on shish kebabs, referred to as a "Persian Kebab."
Despite international condemnation and the complexities surrounding the conflict in the Middle East, the killing of Haniyeh has brought mixed reactions, with some viewing it as an opportunity for peace negotiations with Hamas. Conversely, Angela Merkel, the former German Chancellor, expressed joy at the death of Osama bin Laden in 2011, sparking a heated debate about the right to rejoice in such situations, especially when one is not directly affected by the conflict.
