The man who attacked a synagogue in Michigan lost family members in an Israeli strike in Lebanon. His hometown relatives and neighbors share their views on his actions.
Adrian MA, Host:
The man who drove his car into the Temple Israel Synagogue in West Bloomfield, Michigan was born in South Lebanon. After crashing his car, he started shooting. And the FBI says he died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound after confronting security officers. The 41-year-old naturalized citizen has lived in the US for more than a decade but maintains strong ties to family in Lebanon. Four members of his family were killed in Israeli airstrikes when the war with Iran broke out. NPR’s Hadeel Al-Shalchi traveled to his hometown in southern Lebanon to file this report.
HADEEL AL-SHALCHI, BYLINE: As you arrive in Machghara(ph) in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley, the first thing you see is a poster of Iran’s former supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, taped to a concrete wall. Usually around 25,000 people live here. Many support the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah.
(Church Bells Ringing Soundbite)
Al-Shalchi: The church bells ring, but there is no one in the streets. Shops are closed. Most have heeded the evacuation orders as Israel continues its airstrikes in southern Lebanon.
UNIDENTIFIED MUSIC ARTIST: (Singing in non-English language).
Al-Shalchi: Recorded hymns emanate from the church, echoing through the empty streets. Michigan synagogue shooter Ayman Ghazali was born and raised here along with his two brothers. He had a niece and a nephew. All were killed in Israeli airstrikes. On March 5, as the sun was setting, they were all breaking their Ramadan fast at the home of Ibrahim Ghazali, the attacker’s younger brother.
(car passing soundbite)
Al-Shalchi: A car passes by that house, which is now just a pile of rubble. The roof is cavernous. I see water leaking from a broken pipe and clothes strewn about. Children’s toys are covered with dust. Fouad Kasem, Ghazali’s maternal uncle, lives across the street. She says she helped pull her nephews and children out of the rubble that night.
FOUAD QASEM: (Non-English speaking).
Al-Shalchi: “I hold my own flesh and blood in my hands,” he says tearfully. The Israeli military did not comment to NPR about why they struck the family’s home. Israel said it was targeting Hezbollah after the militant group fired rockets into Israel early in its war with Iran. Qasim, like many here, says he is heartbroken by all the losses and angry about Israel’s relentless bombing.
QASEM: (Non-English language spoken).
Al-Shalchi: “What did the children do to deserve this?” He says. US officials say they are investigating why Ayman Ghazali attacked a synagogue in Michigan. But many in this town say they believe it is revenge. Many said that someone wanted to avenge the killing of their entire family. Ibrahim Zeeh, the soccer coach of one of the slain brothers, says he understands the anger, but it’s not an excuse to kill other innocent people far away.
Ibrahim Zeeh: (Non-English speaking).
Al-Shalchi: “We are not anti-Jewish as Jews,” he says. “We are against the Israelis who are killing us every day.” The Mayor of Machghara is distraught by this continuous cycle of violence. Iskander Barakeh says he is now worried about Lebanese Americans from here living in the US who face reprisals.
Iskandar Barake: Because revenge is more revenge from the other side and it never ends.
Al-Shalchi: They say that everyone deserves to live in peace. Hadeel al-Shalchi, NPR News, Machghara in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley.
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