Mothers of Martyrs: A Palestinian Institution with Judaeo-Islamic Roots

One of the most remarkable heroes to emerge from the revolt of the Maccabees in 167 BCE was the mother who promoted the martyrdom of her seven sons. The influence of this story is exhibited in the great number of written versions of it which are still in existence. But more than that, we can see the actions of this mother, best known as Hannah, being repeated in modern times by Palestinian mothers. The behavior of mothers of martyrs is as powerful a tool as many women have for political action in traditional societies.This essay compares two versions of the story of the Maccabean mother, Fourth Book of the Maccabees and Midrash Rabbah on Lamentations, 1:16,50 with that of the first Islamic mother of martyrs, al-Khansa, to illustrate the characteristics of the role of the mother of martyrs and the roots of the Palestinian institution in Judeo-Muslim antecedents.