Alhadath-canada

September 4, 1983 — Bhamdoun, Jabal Aram

Some stories survive history not because they are written in books, but because their meaning continues to live through the generations that follow.

The story of Ghazi Haroun is one of courage, faith, loyalty, and extraordinary self-sacrifice.

During the fighting in Bhamdoun in September 1983, Ghazi made a decision that would forever link his life and memory to another family. Fully aware of the danger, he took the place of another man, allowing him to return home to his family.

At Jabal Aram, Ghazi refused to retreat.

His final communication was never completed. Before he could finish his words, a tank shell ended his earthly life.

For Christians, however, death never has the final word.

Ghazi became one among many who carried their cross to the end, giving everything so that others could move forward with their faith, dignity, families, and future intact.

The meaning of his sacrifice becomes even more profound when we consider what followed from that single decision.

A man returned home.

A family continued its journey.

A new generation was born.

And today, that story reaches ARZY Youth.

For our generation, Ghazi’s example is not an invitation to relive the battles of the past. It is an invitation to preserve the values that defined those who came before us.

We are not called to carry their weapons.

We are called to carry their courage.

To stand beside one another when it would be easier to walk away. To protect our faith and identity without hatred. To serve our community without seeking recognition. To understand that leadership sometimes means placing another person’s life and future before our own interests.

Ghazi’s decision also reminds us that genuine sacrifice is deeply personal.

He could not have known what generations would come after the man whose place he took. He could not have known that, more than four decades later, young people would still speak his name and reflect on the meaning of his decision.

He simply chose to give.

That is the spirit that ARZY Youth is called to preserve.

We remember our history not to remain prisoners of the past, but to understand the responsibility that comes with inheriting what others sacrificed so much to protect.

Every young person who chooses faith over fear, service over selfishness, unity over division, and courage over indifference carries a part of that legacy forward.

Ghazi gave his place so that another man could return home.

Today, a new generation carries the responsibility of ensuring that such a sacrifice is never forgotten and never deprived of its meaning.

May Christ welcome Ghazi Haroun, and all those who gave their lives, into His eternal light, where there is no more suffering, no more fear, and no more death.

May their souls rest in the peace of the Risen Lord.

And may their memory be eternal.

Guillermo Kassabli Johnson